THE CAR IN FACTS

Where the Peugeot Expert may trump all the others lies in its clever ATV (all terrain vehicle) derivative, where a clever adaption of the standard antilock brakes and traction control systems creates a pseudo “4x4” effect for mud and snow conditions, (the later of which have our fair share of late…) via a rotary knob located near the driver’s knee. Costing around £550,Atvisnotasubstitutefor ● Price: £24,265 ● Engine::2.0-litre, four-cylinder, diesel ● Power: 148bhp ● Torque: 273lb/ft ● Transmission: Six-speed manual ● Economy: 53.3 mpg ● CO2 emissions: 139g/km ● Warranty: 3 years/100,000miles ● Service intervals: 2 years/25,000 miles ● Load length: 2512mm ● Load width (max): 1628 mm ● Load height: 1397 mm ● Payload: 1484kg ● Max towing limit: 2500 kg afull-blownall-wheeldrivevan – nor does it pretend to be – but thenagain,there’snottoomany of them marketed these days to justify their outlay.

Even without ATV, the latest Expert earns its place on everybody’s shopping list because it is a smart looking, intelligently designed, hard working yet good driving workhorse. The biggest improvements over previous Experts are in comfort and refinement although what hits you first is the far better standard of trim and build quality – we wonder whether Toyota had some part to play in this.

It never ceases to amaze us how much more room can found in a light van. The Expert comes in three body sizes and two wheelbase lengths, albeit only a single roof height, but with up to 6.6m3 of load space. What’s more, being a well thought out ‘box’ accessed by largereardoorsandtwomanual (not electric as on bigger PSA vans) side doors, it is more than ample for the majority of users before they want to trade up to the Boxer van. The precious cargo is protected by remote central locking and deadlocks (includinganisolatedcablock) coupled to a standard alarm.

The base ranges rely on a 1.6, 95bhp HDI although our test vanwaspoweredbythe148bhp tune of the frisky 2.0-litre dieseland,alliedtosixwell-spaced ratios, performance was rarely found wanting. Likewise the Expert’s secure handling allowedgoodaveragespeedsto to be maintained although one reasonmaybedowntothetyres fittedaspartoftheatvpackage – Michelin Agilis Alpin 215/60 R17 C to be precise.

At under £25,500, with the ATV option, our test van was competitively priced and in standardtrimneedslittlemore as it already includes essential rear parking sensors and camera. Other fitted options such as the Connect nav and driver assist pack with head-up display (£1375) are worth considering as is the automatic dualzone air-con for just £500; in contrast, the safety pack, with its lane departure warning (£700) was a constant annoyance – a shame as its other features, such as ‘smart’ headlamps, are worth having.

Overall, whichever badge you choose, you’re getting fine van but ATV certainly gives the Expert the edge.