Has anyone got any info on an upcoming replacement for the Berlingo/Partner?
Our local Peugot dealer is offering huge discounts on the one remaining Partner model available in the UK market, the de-rated 90bhp 1.6 HDI Escapade. They had no explanation as to why it had been rechipped to give only 90 as against 110bhp which is its usual power output in other models in the Citroen/Peugot range.
Is this actually a run-out sales deal from Peugot in advance of a new model??
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I may be mistaken so dont shoot me down (and someone else will proably know the correct answer) but on some PSA group cars the difference between 90 and 110 is not always just ECU mapping - dont the 110's have an intercooler and not the 90's?
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"dont the 110's have an intercooler and not the 90's?"
I think this was the case with the "old" 2.0l Hdis - certainly my wife's Xantia HDi 110 has an intercooler whereas my Berlingo 90 bhp didn't. However, have just had a look under the bonnet of the "new" 1.6 HDi 16 valve on a Berlingo with 93 bhp and that does have an intercooler. I suspect that the lower bhp version (60 or 70 bhp?? which has probably replaced the old 70 bhp 1.9 none turbo XUD engine in Berlingos/Partners) does not have the intercooler.
I have seen no mention of a replacement for the Berlingo/Partner, but there are some good offers on at the moment (as there usually are with Citroens!!) - £1400 cashback and 0% finance over 2 years. And if you mention to the dealer that even better prices are available via drivethedeal and other such brokers they may well match the price.
No doubt HJ could give us the real lowdown on whether there is an update/replacement in the pipeline. And someone else will definitely know about the engines!
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Phil
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Citroen still have an extensive range, six diesel and three petrol models. Trim levels re jigged to give three options instead of former two. Peugeot dealer locally gave impression of being less interested in the model than Cit agent and Berlingos outnumber partners locally by two to one.
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I asked the original question becausethe local Peugot agent is offering the 1.6HDI Escapade for £9795, a drop of £2K on the list price. It's very tempting..but not if the model is about to disappear. I think the Partner looks sharper than its Citroen counterpart. Any particular problems anyone's experience with them?
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But you can buy a Picasso 1.6Hdi Desire for only about £500 extra.
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pmh (was peter)
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But you can buy a Picasso 1.6Hdi Desire for only about £500 extra.
These are not really comparable vehicles when you look at them closely. For one thing the Berlingo/Partner has a truly huge load space, which is box shaped with a wide, high opening. Secondly the car-style trim in a Picasso is much more vulnerable to damage and dirt. Thirdly the Berlingo/Partner has three proper-sized seats in the back while the Picasso has the usual small MPV squeeze; the sliding doors are also a great thing in car parks.
In summary, the Picasso is a car pretending to be a van, while the Berling/Partner is a van pretending to be a car. They each do a pretty good job at both, but are better at only one. My Pug Partner has been flawless over 3.5 years/40K, despite being given a fairly hard life (for a car, but not a van).
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"Any particular problems anyone's experience with them?"
Just swapped my 3 year old 2.0HDi for a new 1.6 HDi Desire.
Old one had one problem - replacement indicator stalk replaced under warranty at a service(it sometimes went from right indicate to left indicate when straightening - a known fault now rectified apparently).
Oh, and also needed new front tyres at about 32k and new front discs and pads at 35k (but I presume these latter are normal wear and tear these days?
Did 36k in it, mixture of short 5 mile commute on country roads and many long trips to France with 4 people, luggage and a mountain of wine. Averaged about 40ish mpg commuting and up to 48 on long trips.
Mine cost about £10,800 but list price was over £12k and included "air con visibility pack" (a/c, auto lights and wipers, front fogs), metallic paint, and the Desire has Modutop, trays on rear seats extra storage tray under front seat, side airbags, trip computer, cd player etc so don't know how that compares with Partner model quoted.
A bonus was the interest free credit over 2 years - quite a saving when compared to usual credit agreements.
Don't really know why you think the Peugeot "looks sharper" 'cos the only difference I can see is the badge on the front! But then, I think the Cit looks sharper! Mate who is a mountain biker/hiker/skier/camper etc has just bought a Partner because he can get all his gear in without dismantling anything.
Berlingo/Partner is not going to impress the BMW/MB/ Mondeo/Focus/ etc, etc fan but they are hugely practical and surprisingly comfortable even on long trips in France. You won't be able to throw it round corners like a sports car but it handles quite well (based on 306 chassis with extra height added??). I like the responsive, economical engine (new one is doing about 45 mpg on the short commute), the high seat position (easy on the joints!), high rear seats - good view out for kids, 3 full seats and seat belts in rear, sliding doors, huge rear door with no sill, ability to put about 10 wine boxes in the boot plus half a dozen beer boxes, 4 peoples luggage on top and still put cover over, etc. With back seats folded it is a van with windows.
My kids call it "the van" but are more complimentary when it comes to them moving house, or wanting a sofa collecting from IKEA, or a quick "Booze cruise" to France!
As for reliability, I had a look on ebay the other day and there were quite few Berlingos on there with well over 100k on the clock - one with over 200k.
Sorry - this is far longer than I intended - but then I like my Berlingo(s). It is what it is and does it well!
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Phil
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(based on 306 chassis with extra height added??).
I had never heard that before.
Is it really based on the 306 chassis, or does "??" indicate that you are guessing?
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You can also get the Citroen Dispatch with full windows and a three seat rear bench.
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>> (based on 306 chassis with extra height added??). I had never heard that before. Is it really based on the 306 chassis, or does "??" indicate that you are guessing?
See the car-by-car breakdown: "Originally designed as a van on the ZX/306 floorpan with Peugeot 405 estate car rear suspension"
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Thanks NW
Now, if I can ask a really silly question ... does the fact that it is on the same floorpan mean that it has the same chassis?
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15 months later, still no answer . . .
. . . but my gut feeling is that the answer is "no". The Fiesta Mk IV was , if I am right, built on the same floorpan as the Mk III, but the handling was in a different league, so I assume the chassis was different.
Or am I wrong?
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There were supposed to be some "spy shots" of the new Berlingo in one of the Auto mags recenltly, but seemed to mainly feature the New Kangoo instead.
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There were supposed to be some "spy shots" of the new Berlingo in one of the Auto mags recenltly but seemed to mainly feature the New Kangoo instead.
I understand the Berlingo/Partner replacement is a partnership with Fiat to replace the Doblo as well. Like the Sevel medium and large vans and MPVs. The spy shot I saw looked like a scaled down Citroen/Fiat Scudo/Peugeot van (i.e. not that nice looking IMHO).
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"15 months later, still no answer . . . "
I must have missed the original post, but I think the real answer is that 'chassis' is now mostly a collective term for floorpan+suspension bits. It's often used as shorthand for the things that affect handling, while the floorpan is the large metal pressing that in most cases* has now replaced the stressed tube or box-section frame that cars were once built onto.
*Landrovers still have them, but IIRC, about the last mass-market car with a chassis (in the UK) was the Triumph Herald...
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'chassis' is now mostly a collective term for floorpan+suspension bits. It's often used as shorthand for the things that affect handling
Thanks for that. I am now somewhat better informed.
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Others will be able to elaborate further, but I believe floorpans are shared because they represent a lot of design and tooling effort. They have to combine stiffness (when welded to the rest of the bodywork) with suitably stressed mounting points for suspension and other components, while not consuming too much metal and not requiring too much fabrication. They are also quite large and require rather more effort to stamp out than the average body panel!
They get shared between a surprising range of vehicles, Vectra ones appearing in Saabs and, going back a bit, I believe the Renault 25, Fiat Croma and Lancia Thema all used the same one. I wonder who paid for it?
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"I wonder who paid for it?"
The owners of these dismal cars did. Thema 8.32 excepted.
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