The original Berlingo could just about be called compact; ours swallowed the same load as a Xantia estate but with a smaller footprint.
In comparison to the general trend, the current Berlingo is still a relatively compact car, especially taking its interior space into account. It is 2.5cm longer than a Focus hatchback and 11.5cm shorter than a Civic.
The current version, like most modern vans, is designed around a pallet.
As was yours!. Van design has been aimed around the standard pallet size for decades now. Some small vans didn't manage but most do. The clever space saving suspension design on the original Berlingo and Partner (which originated in the Peugeot 305 estate) was amongst the best for liberating the maximum floor space and meant it could easily swallow a standard pallet (1 x 1.2m).
My 2010 Caddy would too, but the space between the wheel arches would be no more than a 1st gen Berlingo despite the Caddy being around 10cm wider.
But back to the OP. While I am not a fan of these personal lease type deals, because of the high prices of used cars, I'd be tempted to take a look at this route. You certainly won't get into a current shape Citroen Berlingo/Peugeot Rifter (the Partner name is now for the van only)/Vauxhall Combo Life for £10k (or even £11k) at the moment, but if a competitive deal were available from the manufacturer, it could be worth considering.
There was a 'semi off road' version of the previous shape Berlingo and Partner with raised ground clearance and a fancy traction control system, but I don't think it was ever offered on the 'car' versions.
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