A new generation of vans are ready to hit the UK streets.

The joint venture in commercial vehicles between Citroen, Peugeot and Fiat which has already produced the Expert, Dispatch and Scudo mid size vans is set to introduce a whole new concept in the small van world. Peugeot Bipper, Citroen Nemo and the Fiat Fiorino are compact 'Urban Vans' that utilise loading space brilliantly.

 We can happily say that the new vans are better that their names suggest. (naming a van after a Disney character does seem a little odd and Bipper! Must be the Gaullic sense of humour. Fiat have used an old name for their model and I can say that thankfully the only thing it has in common with the old Fiorino is that it is also a van.

The new models will go on sale in the UK at the beginning of May, just after their debut at the 2008 Commercial Vehicle show.

With an overall length of just 3860mm, width of 1680mm and height of 1721mm it is amazing that the load volume is an impressive 2.5m³ . This makes the vehicle smaller that the current range of Partner, Berlingo and Doblo all with a load volume of around 3m³ . Interestingly the  payload is the same as the bigger vans at 610kg.

Engines

Peugeot and Citroen have opted for a different engine range to Fiat who have used their own units.

Peugeot and Citroen offer two engines a petrol 1.4 petrol with 75PS but just 118Nm of torque at 2600rpm. The more popular choice will be the excellent 1.4HDi common rail diesel. It produces 70PS at 4000rpm but is torque figure is 160Nm at Finding Nemo the Van.

just 1750rpm. The CO₂ figures are very good too at119g/km. The limit for exemption to the congestion charge is now 120g/km but it just depends whether which catergory they are going to be classed under (more news on that when we have it confirmed). Both are Euro 4 emmision standard.

Fiat have opted for a 1.4 petrol with 73PS along with their truly remarkable 1.3 Multijet which produces 75PS. Good news for the envoiroment with the Fiat version too it also only produces 119g/km of CO₂ .

Load area

As I mentioned before the overall length of the van is just 3.86m. So it is interesting to learn that  the usable load length is 1523mm and if you opt for the folding passenger seat the load length is improved by nearly a metre. The maximum height is 1046mm and the width is 1473mm going down to 1046mm between the wheel arches.

The load area is accessed by twin rear doors, a tailgate option is not expected to be available.  Side doors are available but we did find these to be a little on the small side.

The rear doors can be locked and unlocked independently of the cab by means of a remote fob. This is in keeping with the latest van designs in Europe.

Inside the Cab

We have waited a long time for a small van that have decent storage space in the cab and a last we have one. The cab is simple in its layout and seems well put together. The gearshift is easily assessible in its position mid way between floor and dashboard.

A drivers airbag is standard, as you would expect from a commercial vehicle in 2008.                                          Suprisingly Big Bipper  

On the Road

Comfort is something we have come to expect from the current range of smaller Fiat vans. So I suppose it's no suprise that this new van carries on the high standard. The suspension courtesy of McPherson struts to the front and torsion beam with springs and dampeners to the rear has been especially designed not only to carry weight well but also to filter out road noise and vibrations.

The brakes, which have ABS as standard are very responsive. The van has discs to the front and drums to the rear.

Hydraulic power steering is as standard so the turning circle is just 9.6m kerb to kerb on the Fiat and 10.2m on the Citroen and Peugeot.

Vision is good from the adjustable drivers seat and you shouldnt have too much trouble getting comfortable.

All the engines proved pokey but the diesels derserve a special mention, they are truly impressive. Around town is where these vans will truly exel but to be fair a run on on motorway did not trouble them. You wont have any problems keeping up with the flow of traffic.

Most small vans dont have great handling characteristics but this van is refreshingly good.

Running costs are an increasingly important issue in modern business and particular attention has been paid to this with the design of this van. Combined fuel economy on the diesels should be around 63mpg and the servicing intervals are a long 18,500 miles.

 Replacement of the air, diesel and pollen filters along with the brake pads should coincide with your services to reduce downtime.

                                                                 Finally the Fiat Fiorino

VERDICT

Whichever version you choose you will be buying a cracking van. I was so impressed with drive of such a small commercial vehilce. At the right price these vans will do very well indeed.