Load area Running costs 4.0/ 5

THE Tourneo range starts at £14,495 for the 1.0 Ecoboost model in poorly equipped Style guise, but the well specced 1.5 TDCI 100 Titanium is good value next to the Doblo Lounge, at £18,695. The seven-seat Grand Tourneo’s £2,250 price premium is a bit steep, but the Grand bodystyle isn’t available on all models.

The 118bhp diesel has stop/start as standard, so it has lower emissions and better economy figures than the 99bhp version. The Grand Tourneo we had on test returned 43.2mpg, and its stop/start activated more frequently than the systems in either rival.

Service costs will be slightly pricier than the Citroen’s, but at least you can travel 20,000 miles between intervals, which is the longest of our trio.

Road tests

THE Citroen Berlingo and its sister model, the Peugeot Partner Tepee, are firmly established in the budget van-based MPV class. The Berlingo range starts at £13,605, which is £170 less than the cheapest Fiat Doblo, and the top-spec model is £18,975 – £1,000 cheaper than the most expensive Doblo Trekking.

Engines include a 1.6 VTI petrol, a 1.2 Puretech petrol and a 1.6 Bluehdi diesel with 74, 99 or 118bhp; the 99bhp version is available with a manual or auto gearbox. There are Touch, Feel, Feel Edition and XTR models on offer, and the car in our pictures is a top-spec XTR with the 118bhp 1.6 Bluehdi diesel.

Styling 2.1/ 5

WHEN you park the Berlingo next to the Doblo, it’s clear that Citroen’s designers went for a more conservative overall design, but their creation is all the better for it. The rounded nose has a hint of the previous-generation C4 Picasso – not a surprise considering the Berlingo was originally launched in 2008, when the Picasso was a staple of the range – and the high-set headlamps and slim grille with the double chevron logo are pretty plain.

The entry-level Berlingo Touch features a huge black plastic bumper up front, but all other versions get body-coloured bumpers. Our XTR adds some off-road touches to match the Doblo Trekking, including silver skid plates, black plastic roof bars and an exclusive wheel design. The squared-off rear end is arguably the most attractive of this trio, as the door glass and back windows sit flush with each other, making the car look more like an MPV than just a reworked van. At the back, the tailgate glass is also flush fitting, and it opens independently of the tailgate to boost access in tight spots.

Climb inside, and the Berlingo’s cabin looks pretty dated when compared to the newer Ford Tourneo’s, plus it’s not as stylish as the Fiat’s interior, either. There’s a huge, upright centre console that features twin air vents with storage slots below them, while upgrading to sat-nav adds a small touchscreen with shortcut buttons above it. It comes with Citroen’s latest multimedia set-up, but it’s quite tricky to use, especially because the screen is small.

There’s plenty of grey plastic across the cabin, while the gearlever protrudes from the dash, rather than being mounted to the floor. Overall, the Berlingo is well built, but it feels more van-like than either of its rivals, with plenty of hard black plastics inside.

Driving 3.4/ 5

WITH the most powerful engine and 300Nm of torque, it was no surprise that the Berlingo was the fastest car of our trio. We managed 0-60mph in 11.1 seconds, although the spongy gearbox meant it didn’t feel as positive to drive as the Ford. Of course, accelerating hard makes for plenty of engine noise, but when driving normally, the Citroen proved to be more refined than the Fiat.

Unfortunately, the 118bhp version of the 1.6 Bluehdi is only available in the XTR model. Go for the entry-level Touch, and the 94bhp 1.6 VTI petrol is the sole engine option, while Feel editions come with a choice of this unit, the 1.2 Puretech petrol and 74bhp and 99bhp versions of the 1.6 Bluehdi. The XTR line-up is exclusively diesel.

In corners, the Berlingo rolls quite a lot on its soft suspension, and the stability control cuts in severely if it feels the car losing traction. Like other Citroen models, you can switch off this aid, but it re-engages automatically at speeds over 30mph. The soft suspension does at least mean the Berlingo is comfortable. It soaks up most bumps well, with only the biggest lumps and potholes sending shakes and shudders through the cabin.

Ownership 3.8/ 5

THIS is the oldest car here, having beaten the Doblo to market by 12 months. When Euro NCAP first tested the Berlingo in 2008, it was awarded a four-star rating, yet when it retested it under the tougher 2014 regulations, it only earned three stars. It also had poor percentage scores when compared with the Tourneo’s, but if you choose the XTR model, you can add autonomous emergency braking for £450; it’s not available on the rest of the range.

Citroen’s franchises have come on leaps and bounds in recent years, and their ninth-place finish in the our most recent Driver Power dealer survey is evidence of the good service you should experience at your local garage.

Practicality 4.4/ 5

IT’S the shortest and narrowest car here, but the Berlingo is still pretty spacious. Shoulder room isn’t quite as good as in either rival due to the car’s width and the fact the door pillars curve forward and pinch into passenger space. Like the Doblo, the Berlingo’s middle row tumbles forward to make more space, but the three individual seats can be removed to create a 3,000-litre load area.

Again, there’s a seven-seat option, but like the Fiat, the seats are rather cramped so are only really suitable for kids; they’re tricky to access thanks to the narrower door openings, too.

Where the Berlingo makes up ground on its rivals is with its clever storage solutions. Like the Ford and Fiat, there’s the usual shelf above the front seats, as well as a deep cubby between the front seats, but we’d strongly recommend adding the £700 Modutop.

This brings glass sections to the roof, plus a central storage compartment in the roof that runs the full length of the car. There are sliding doors to access these areas, as well as a larger storage compartment over the boot. In addition, there are extra air vents, while the interior fragrance dispenser has been lifted from the C4 Picasso.

The Berlingo isn’t available with an extended wheelbase or a raised roof, which makes the Modutop well worth investing in.