CITROËN BERLINGO VAN WINS 2020 WHAT VAN? AWARD

12

Dec

2019

Citroën Berlingo Van has won the highly coveted ‘Light Van of the Year’ prize at the 2020 What Van? Awards.

It is the second time that Citroën’s newest van has won the award, having scooped the same title last year. The judges were impressed by the business-like nature of Berlingo Van, from the versatility and modularity offered, to the wealth of driver assistance and safety systems available.

The multi-award winning Citroën Berlingo Van has collected yet another award, landing the highly coveted ‘Light Van of the Year’ prize – for the second year running – at the What Van? Awards in London. The trophy was presented to Citroën UK’s Head of product, Rob Clark, during the annual awards ceremony held at the London Hilton Bankside hotel. This latest accolade is part of a long list of awards bestowed on Citroën Berlingo Van, including What Van? 2019 ‘Light Van of the Year’ and ‘LCV of the Year’, and 2019 ‘International Van of the Year’, which was presented at the IAA Hanover Show late in 2018.

What Van? Editor, James Dallas, commented: “Having captured the ‘LCV of the Year’ prize, alongside its PSA siblings, last time out when it came to market, the Citroen Berlingo Van has cemented its position as a class leader by retaining the ‘Light Van of the Year’ award in the face of strong competition.”

James added: “It is fuel-efficient, well-designed, well-equipped and well-built, with refined engines and innovative features such as the onboard weighing system and surround rear-vision camera. Gearbox choices range from five or six-speed manuals, to the highly desirable eight-speed EAT8 automatic.”

The most recent addition to the Citroën Berlingo Van range is the highly adaptable ‘Crew Van’, in popular and well-appointed ‘Enterprise’ specification, with seating for up to five occupants. ‘Crew Van’ models offer added flexibility, with a folding bulkhead to maximise cargo space, or to provide a flexible seating layout whilst protecting occupants from shifting loads. ‘Crew Van’ models come with the longer ‘XL’ body for added versatility. Panel van models are available in either standard Medium ‘M’ or longer ‘XL’ body configurations, with the latter providing 350mm of additional load length.

Four trim levels are available: ‘X’, ‘Worker’, ‘Enterprise’ and ‘Driver’. Standard equipment for all panel van models includes ESC with Hill Start Assist, remote central locking with deadlocks and separate locking for the cab, a full steel bulkhead, electric front windows, electrically adjustable door mirrors, automatic headlights, DAB radio, Bluetooth^®, Citroën Connect Box with Emergency and Assistance system, unglazed asymmetric rear doors, six tie-down hooks in the load area and an overhead storage shelf in the cab.

The hugely popular ‘Enterprise’ specification builds on ‘X’ trim and benefits from a host of car friendly features including air conditioning, rear parking sensors, cruise control and an automatic electronic parking brake. Panel van versions also benefit from the innovative EXTENSO® modular folding passenger bench seat with pivoting writing table and load-through bulkhead.

Building on ‘Enterprise’ versions, ‘Driver’ models include a host of impressive features including Citroën Connect Navigation, including 3 years of TomTom® Live services, 16-inch ‘Starlit’ alloy wheels, additional sound proofing and exterior colour coding. Front and rear parking sensors come with a Surround Rear Vision camera system linked to a 5-inch screen in place of a rear view mirror for optimised visibility.

For customers working in more arduous environments, such as on building sites, Berlingo Van is also available in ‘Worker’ specification. Based on the ‘X’ trim level, ‘Worker’ trim benefits from 30mm of additional ground clearance, underbody protection, Grip Control with Hill Descent Assist and mud and snow tyres. ‘Worker’ versions also benefit from the innovative overload indicator as standard, to enhance safety.