What's the difference?
Citroen, the famous French manufacturer founded in 1919, has achieved global acclaim for daringly bold and brilliant design and engineering that was often ahead of its time.
Despite this, the double chevron badge has suffered a tumultuous ride since the 1970s, including a lifesaving merger with Peugeot in 1976, followed by another near-death experience for Peugeot-Citroen (PSA Group) in 2012.
Since then, though, major restructuring has seen a remarkable turnaround. Under Inchcape Australasia, which took over PSA’s local distribution in 2017, Peugeot Citroen Australia has a fresh focus on light commercial vehicles, with the venerable Citroen Berlingo holding centre stage with its class-leading payload capacity.
Even so, with less than seven per cent of the local small van segment (under 2.5 tonne GVM), the Berlingo’s market share is dwarfed by French rival Renault’s Kangoo, with 25 per cent, and VW’s kick-butt Caddy, which now commands more than 65 per cent.
However, with an all-new Berlingo range just around the corner and super deals being done with the current model in run-out mode, we put one to work for a week to see if it would be worth a trip to your local Citroen dealer to bag a bargain.
The 2024 Peugeot e-2008 is the French brand's first electric car in Australia. It sits somewhat awkwardly in the semi-premium end of the scale for a small SUV and has some strong competition from the EV side, too, with the Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia Niro EV being its direct competitors.
With more affordable options out there, does this little SUV have the goods to back up its sweet looks? I've been driving it for the last week with my family of three to find out for you!
Given Citroen’s proud heritage of innovation, the Berlingo has a few unique and quirky features, but is overall quite conventional in its design and performance (though in a well thought-out and practical package).
With sub-$20K run-out pricing, it should have plenty of appeal for commercial customers, as it costs much less than its major rivals yet offers a superior payload.
The Peugeot e-2008 GT looks stylish but it’s definitely a compact SUV and that means it will only suit a small family. Or even a grandparent who has to occasionally ferry the grandkids around.
I like how easy it is to park and its stylish packaging but the cabin feels small. The practicality just wasn’t there for my family this week and the price point isn’t quite right for the features you get.
My son liked its looks but didn’t get excited about it.