Honest John Vans Van News New vans

Citroen announces new UK van range

Craig Cheetham, contributor
Tue, 19 Mar 2024

Citroen has opened the order books for its new UK van range, with the new Citroen Ami Cargo, Citroen Berlingo, Citroen Dispatch and Citroen Relay now on sale, with customer deliveries commencing in the spring.

Electric and diesel models will be offered across the range with the exception of the Citroen Ami, which is electric only.

The vans are Citroen first models to display the brand's new corporate identity and logo, which recalls the company’s historic double chevron logo. Each features a new front grille and dashboard.

The Citroen Ami Cargo, based on the Citroen Ami, kicks off at £8095 and is classed as a quadricycle, ideal for zero-emission urban deliveries. It can be driven on a motorcycle license but has a top speed of just 28mph, limiting its extra-urban use.

Prices for the new Citroen Berlingo start from £19,255 with the Citroen e-Berlingo Van starting at £25,455.

The Citroen Dispatch and Citroen e-Dispatch are available from £26,710 and £36,210 respectively while Citroen Relay starts from £30,315 with the electrified Citroen e-Relay starting at £44,485.

The new Citroen Berlingo van offers Advanced Comfort seats for the very first time on Crew Van variants along with a new digital instrument cluster and infotainment system, with the Citroen e-Berlingo offers 20% more range (up to 205 miles, WLTP Mixed cycle), and additional onboard safety systems.

Internal combustion engines include the PureTech 110 petrol and the BlueHDi 100 diesel with a six-speed manual gearbox and the BlueHDi 130 diesel paired exclusively with the EAT8 eight-speed automatic transmission.

The new Citroen e-Berlingo Van retains its 100% electric powertrain, which delivers 136PS (100kW) and a maximum torque of 260Nm, combined with a new 52kWh battery, plus a new regenerative braking system, which can be activated based on three different regeneration levels using steering wheel-mounted paddles.

The new Citroen Dispatch features an upgraded steering wheel with integrated controls, a revised dashboard with new storage compartments, a new 100% digital instrument cluster and an infotainment system with 3D connected navigation and new driving aids, while the Citroen e-Dispatch benefits from an electric powertrain with a range of up to 217 miles (WLTP Mixed cycle).

Its new dashboard features bigger storage compartments and the steering wheel is new, with integrated controls for key features, such as driving aids, telephone, and multimedia. Electric Power Steering is now featured as standard.

It’s available in two lengths, M (4.98m) and L (5.33 m) and in several body styles including a panel van or a five or six-seater extended cab. It has a volume of up to 6.6 cubic metres and a payload of 1,446kg for the Citroen Dispatch and 1000kg for the ë-Dispatch.

The BlueHDi diesel engines are either a 2.0-litre BlueHDi 145PS unit with a choice of a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission, or the 1.5-litre BlueHDi 120 with a six-speed manual.

The Citroen e-Dispatch uses a 136PS (100kW) electric motor and with its 75kWh battery, now has a range of up to 217 miles - a 12 mile increase over the previous model. It comes with a 7.4kW on-board charger and can be fitted with an optional 11kW three-phase charger for faster recharging.

The larger Citroen Relay comes with a brand-new range of diesel engines, available for the first time with an automatic gearbox, or with a 100% electric powertrain. Available with a fully digital instrument cluster, an infotainment system accessed via an HD central touchscreen with connected navigation and additional onboard safety systems and driving aids.

The front end of the new Citroen Relay has been redesigned, improving its aerodynamic characteristics. The bumper, radiator grille (now the same colour as the bodywork) and rear-view mirrors have been redesigned with this in mind. Its new LED headlamps are also 30% more efficient than their halogen predecessors. The rear lights have also been given a new design.

It has a payload of up to 2 tonnes (1385kg for the Citroen e-Relay) with two wheelbases available (3.45m and 4.04m) while the panel vans come in three lengths (L2, L3 and L4) with a total of five different body styles featuring volumes of 10 to 17 cubic metres.

The steering wheel, gearbox controls and door trim have also been upgraded. It features My Citroen Play Plus featuring a 10-inch colour touchscreen with Citroën Connect DAB radio, Apple CarPlay and AndroidAuto with TomTom 3D connected navigation.

A new 2.2-litre diesel engine is available in two power outputs, 140PS and 180PS, combined with a new six-speed manual gearbox. For the first time, an eight-speed automatic transmission is available as an option with the BlueHDi 140 and 180.

Meanwhile the Citroen e-Relay now has an all-new lectric powertrain. The e-Relay's previous 122PS (90kW) motor has been replaced by a new unit that develops 270PS (200kW), with torque significantly increased from 260 to 410Nm. In addition, the 37kWh and 70kWh batteries have been replaced by a single 110kWh model, giving a WLTP range of up to 261 miles. It is fitted as standard with an 11kW onboard charger.

Ask HJ

What's the best medium sized van to buy to pull a trailer?

I'm looking to buy two 3.5t vans. They will be running very heavy using the entire payload most of the time. Usually long journeys with a mixture of country and motorway. I need one smaller van, that will usually tow a trailer. Ideally SWB Transit sized. Heavy but non-bulky things going in the van and long (still quite heavy) things in trailer. In my mind a SWB Transit RWD, but I'm not sure it'd have the power to also pull a laden trailer. Basically I want the van as small as reasonably possible while maximising payload and still being able to tow. The second van is to replace a 2005 Iveco Daily MWB 2.3L. If I could find a good one of those I'd do so but they're rare now. I need space for 10ft poles and decent headroom. Dimensions wise, a high roof LWB Transit would be about ideal - I don't want unnecessary length if I can avoid it. This might need to tow occasionally. The budget is £10k for both. The most important things I'm after are reliability and ability to carry weight. I haven't bought a van for over six years and am slightly overwhelmed. Any advice massively appreciated.
First of all, the RWD Transit is a good call for the smaller van - it's a dutiful and reliable workhorse and so long as you track down a 135bhp model instead of a 99bhp it'll tow pretty well. With most rivals being front-wheel-drive, you will not find a better short-wheelbase van for towing, but as your budget means you're looking at older models you may find yourself welding the front cab steps in the non-too-distant future. As you state that reliability is key for the larger van, the standout choices are the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Volkswagen Crafter, which have a very strong reliability record and are essentially the same van, so buy on condition rather than brand. The IVECO is an equally good choice if you can find one, but like you say, panel van versions of the Daily are rare. Or, you could get a longer wheelbase Transit, which is also a very reliable van.
Answered by Craig Cheetham
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