Here comes the new Citroën Berlingo: the French brand's bid to revive the ludospace

A few days ago, the PSA Group let us in on the news of the return of the so-called ludospace across the three brands that make up the French group. Although we thought we would not get to see all three vans until Geneva, Citroën has wanted to surprise us with some images of its new Berlingo, which adopts a much fresher and more modern style, in line with the new design canons of the double-chevron brand.

For now, Citroën is the one that has made the first move with the presentation of the new Berlingo. This tells us that we will soon witness the commitment of Peugeot and Opel in this segment. In the meantime, the new Berlingo offers enough to delight us with a series of tasty changes over the previous generation, which showed a somewhat outdated and backward set-up, given the advances offered by the other Citroën models, but the brand has successfully resolved this.

Visually, we find the use of several elements inherited directly from the Citroën C3 and C4 Cactus. The front houses two thin lines of LED headlights, which sit right above the front indicators, a design the French brand has adopted in its latest creations. Another novelty we find is the use of the famous Airbump, an element previously used on only one model, the Cactus.

The cabin also adopts Citroën’s latest innovations. The first thing that catches our attention is the same steering wheel as the C3’s, which includes a multifunction system for controlling the infotainment menus. On the dashboard we find a new screen, which runs the latest software used by the PSA Group and a completely minimalist design. The Citroën Berlingo also grows in size and is offered with two body styles, called M and XL.

In the more compact size, the Berlingo measures 4.40 metres long, a figure that rises to 4.75 metres if we opt for the XL variant. At the same time, another novelty is the introduction of a third row of seats regardless of the body we choose. Another noteworthy aspect is the high level of technology in the new Berlingo, achieved thanks to the Head-Up Display, lane change warning and traffic sign recognition, among others.

Without a doubt, Citroën has known how to evolve a vehicle concept focused mainly on the industrial world. Today, the Berlingo is presented as a model designed for all those users who seek a perfect balance between a practical yet modern car, ideal for everyday use of the French van.

At the same time, the new Citroën Berlingo will be available with several engines, starting with a 75 CV diesel and rising to 130 CV in both petrol and diesel, paired with an EAT8 automatic gearbox. On another note, Citroën has informed us that production of the Berlingo will begin in the second half of 2018, with the intention of bringing this new vehicle to market as soon as possible.