"No doubt about it, the Berlingo is turning out to be astonishing value for money. It is possible to buy a number of other cars for Berlingo money, but none of them will be this size. None of them will be this well equipped. And none of them will have something, that we're really looking for on this new series of Top Gear; it's an X Factor."
- Jeremy Clarkson on the Berlingo
The Citroën Berlingo was a French mini-MPV built by PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1996 to 2013, with a facelift for the 2004 model year.
Appearances[]
- Series 41, Episode 7 (Old Top Gear)
- Series 1, Episode 1
Series 41, Episode 7 (Old Top Gear)[]
Following a test drive of the-then new Daihatsu Sirion, Julia Bradbury sits down in a restaurant with a mocked-up menu, depicting the Berlingo as if it were an exquisite French dish. She is informed by the waitress that it is "kind of Vin like", before cutting to the Berlingo.
The Berlingo Multispace as it originally appeared on Top Gear.
Priced at just £11,180, Julia remarks how it is over £2000 cheaper than the full-sized Renault Scénic, compliments the handling, and that if it were red, she'd feel like Postman Pat. It is clear that she is not a fan of its obvious van-derived styling however, and ends the segment running away from the Berlingo, claiming that it's not hers, but rather a "bread van" she's using to deliver bread to a friend's house.
Series 1, Episode 1[]
Series 1 of Top Gear opened up with Jeremy Clarkson introducing two family hatchbacks; the Volkswagen Golf and the Ford Focus, which could both be had for £12,000 back in 2002. However, he's discovered something just as practical, if not more so, that could be had brand new for under £9,000, no strings attached. Cue the Berlingo Multispace. He admits the car is a "curious looking thing", mainly due to its van-based origins, but is willing to give it a chance.
He tests its practicality by driving down the M20 in order to get on the Eurostar to Calais, where he then demonstrated the Berlingo's immense practicality, such as the ability to carry a bicycle on its roof, or the multitude of storage facilities ranging from the capacious boot to all of the storage available overhead. He also compliments the handling, stating that hand on heart, it "rides like a Jaguar".
Back in the studio, it's revealed Citroën are having difficulties selling off some of the older stock due to its perceived undesirability, and so a slightly older, but likewise new model of the Berlingo could have been had for £7,700.
Trivia[]
- Despite being technically beaten by the Volkswagen Golf Mk4 and Ford Focus ST as the first cars to appear in the relaunched version of Top Gear, the Berlingo was the very first car to be test driven.
- Clarkson's review of the Berlingo massively bolstered sales for the previously-languishing mini-MPV, with sales soaring by 22% in November 2002 , less than a month following the episode's airing.