Citroën ë-Berlingo test: plenty of space (even if there are seven of you) | Self-test

Citroën ë-Berlingo (136 hp/100 kW), from €38,715

The Berlingo is now called ë–Berlingo because of its electric propulsion; hence the ë. In the meantime, this Citroën has fortunately hardly lost its original character. You sit tall, on good seats, and it’s available as a seven-seater.

The high roof leads to an immense headroom. Tall people benefit from this, but you can also stack things high. In any case, the interior space is impressive: the legs also have plenty of room. With two rows of seats, the luggage space is enormous, with the third row of seats in use, there is little left. The third row of seats is removable: practical! But it remains a pity that it cannot disappear into the ground with a simple grip.

You can easily access the second row of seats through two sliding doors. And they also help you load your luggage. Ditto for the large tailgate which, although heavy to handle, leads to a huge loading opening. Only its size can cause problems when opening in cramped parking spaces.

These cars used to be quite loud, but now that the combustion engine has been replaced by an electric motor and the 50kWh battery, it’s striking how quiet the Berlingo has become. Spring comfort is fine, but while driving it feels a bit like being on the road with a pickup truck or van. Sporty drivers have nothing to do here and that’s not a bad thing: for that, the handling is quite good.

Electric propulsion makes this Citroën move smoothly around town, but on the motorway it is disappointing. Its top speed is 130 km/h and beyond 100 km/h the ë-Berlingo becomes downright slow. The autonomy of 280 kilometers (during this test 256 kilometers) is also nothing extraordinary.

More
+ What a lounge area!
+ Convenient sliding doors.
+ Seven seats (optional).
+ Comfortable.

min
– Limited electrical autonomy.
– The powertrain is not really strong.
– Poor radio reception.

Conclusion
Too bad the limited autonomy prevents this Berlingo from being a real travel car. Because it is in many ways: silent, comfortable, very practical to use and extremely spacious.

Radio reception is also poor in this Citroën. Our tests with cars of this brand show this regularly: parts of the program are sometimes repeated, as if the disc was blocked.

The accompanying app is completely up-to-date, which can help you load. And the same goes for the large 8-inch infotainment screen.

Access to the third row of seats is not easy. For this, you need to sneak past the second row of seats. And it’s really not very spacious in the third row of seats. On the other hand, it remains special that we can sit seven in such a compact car.

There was a time when the Kangoo, Berlingo and Partner reigned supreme. Passenger cars based on vans: precisely this brought all sorts of practical properties. But with the popularity of the SUV and the demise of the minivan, the popularity of these types of cars has also declined.

Those of the Berlingo type are by definition poorly streamlined and this leads to relatively high fuel consumption. But this is no longer the case with the latest generation of the Berlingo. It now has a fully electric motorization. However, it is the same air resistance that now hinders the electric range a little.

Almost all the driving aids and safety systems of Citroën passenger cars are also available in this Berlingo.

Charging is possible with a maximum of 100 kW, then you will have the batteries 80% full within half an hour at the right charging point. With an 11 kW Wallbox you need 5 hours and with a 7.4 kW Wallbox it takes 7.5 hours.

Practical, the so-called top case at the top right of the dashboard: an additional storage compartment with a flap that you can cool down if necessary.

You don’t always have to open the entire tailgate, because the rear window can also be opened separately (optional).

The Citroën Berlingo is available in two lengths, M and XL. The M and XL are available with 5 or 7 seats. Thanks to a longer wheelbase and a larger rear overhang, the XL is 35 centimeters longer than the M.

The Citroën ë-Berlingo is on sale from €38,715.

You will find all previously published tests in our extensive Autotest file.