tronboy

The 1.8i petrol engine is a great performer. Mine was faster than the MINI which preceded it, but a little thirsty if driven hard. That said, I once managed to get 400 miles out of a tank of fuel on holiday in France. Don't forget that a cheap LPG conversion is available for the 1.8i, and converted cars seem to come up regularly. The 1.8i 's economy depends very much on how you drive it, and since most 2CV drivers are heavy-footed, the 1.9D may be a better choice. The 1.9D engine is unrefined but indestructable unless you drive it through deep water or forget a cambelt change. The 1.4i is the real duffer of the range.

A decent UK version of the X-TR would be a start! The van version is on sale in the UK c/w strengthened sumpguard (essential. I've knackered two of the standard items so far) raised ride height and limited slip diff. The Forestry Commission have ordered a fleet as well as a few Water companies. Mainland Europe has a M'space version of it as many of us know, whereas the UK market "XTR" (note no hyphen) is simply a Forte with velour seats (silly in a pretend off-roader) and blacked out rear windows.

Just tested a Roomster. The czeapest variant, the 1 is a tad under 10K, and the Roomster3 is the dearest nudging 15. Well. Unless you specify a Roomster 2 or 3, the kit is miserly. The Roomster1 doesn't even have a glovebox lid. All variants except the 3 have very dull dark grey/blueish interiors, but the 3 has a nice bright cream dash and very pretty, highly impractical, cream coloured cloth seats. In fact, you really have to buy a Roomster3 to appreciate just how well built the interior is. Somehow the drab grey of the lesser models doesn't do the fine VW-beating build quality justice. The 3 also gives you the Panoramic Roof, which is £400-odd extra on the other two. The Roomster1 is a real scumline model, but fails to impart the charm of a basic 'Lingo Forte which can be had for at least 2K less. In the flesh, in a pretty colour like the nice metallic blue of my test car it looks odd, but nicely quirky. The 3 looks best with the stylish alloys. In a poor choice of colour, it just looks too odd to be acceptable. Like the b*st*rd offspring of a Fabia and a Morrison's Ice Cream Van. The trouble is, it's just rather small. It's Bloody small compared to a 'Lingo, and I informed the salesman that it should be renamed the Crampster. It drives OK and that's it. Quieter and more refined than our beloved 'Lingo, but you'd expect that, since it doesn't have the aerodynamic profile of Anne Hathaway's house. Seeing as I can get the old Mellotron in the 'Lingo without even dropping the seat, and the Hammond in with the seats down, I shan't be changing to this bit of Czech, mate. I'd be hard pushed to fit a small Bontempi in its silly little boot.

Absolutely. Clutches shouldn't fail, they just wear out. At the very least, they should replace under warranty and then charge you a reasonable surcharge for the amount of actual wear on the plate. Threaten with AA, Auto Express, this forum, trading standards and say you're a mate of a credible but not totally famous motoring writer who'll blast their name and that of Citroen all over the popular press. I always use Zog Ziegler.... But then I do actually know him. If it's just the cable, that won't be covered, but it should be a cheap repair. That wouldn't account for the sudden stiffness though.

185/65 R 15 I have a spare set if you want some, but they're rather scuffed.

That extra 6 bhp obviously did it! How you get those? All other HDi 2-litres are only 90bhp!

Because they're not available as an accessory pack. That's the bodyshop repair price to supply an accident damaged car..... In other words, the reason why we're charged so much on our insurance premiums!

Ha ha!! Yes, but there's hardly any reflector above the bulb, so the dipped beam has no reflective surface to project with. All that reflector around and below the bulb is irrelevant. Also because the headlamp is above and behind the bumper, there's a huge shadow immediately in front of the car. The best headlights are circular.

They're standard on the Pug Partner Escapade. Beware though! The Partner's rear light lenses are held on with an extra nut (presumably because they're soooooo much better than the Berlingo) so the rear grilles may not fit without a bit of modification. As for the front, why fit something that will reduce the light output of the crap Berlingo headlights even further?

I'm with you there.... My 2CV has natty bulb-shaped yellow filters that clip over the halogen lamp to give that authentic old school French look!

They certainly look nice. A disabled person's version with wheelchair access would be far more expensive I'm sure. Maybe base price was 15k? I can't remember....

Agreed. The Roomster will, I'm sure be a good car, but not the bargain basement experience that we're all used to with the Berlingo. Interesting you should mention the Caddy Life. I had my local VW dealer ready to alert me when it hit the showrooms, but the call never came, and I've never seen one on the road. I was really only interested out of curiosity because I only buy sunroof equipped cars, the Lingo being the ultimate in this respect! VW obviously never intended it to be a real Lingo/Kangoo/Doblo rival because it was to be sold via the van dealerships. They are occasionally seen in mainland Europe it appears, and despite their price, they are austere in appearance, rather like the Berlingo Entreprise models which are available in France http://www.citroen.com/NR/rdonlyres/BEEA86A1-B743-4632-B8ED-ECC1F300300C/17089/berlingo_VU_01.jpg which are true vans with rear seats and windows! Wind-up windows, no stereo, dual rear doors and raising roof section instead of tailgate, heavy duty seats (passenger seat tips and becomes a desk!) no tints, black bumpers and thick rubbing strips. Actually, the Peugeot Partner is sold in the UK in this stripped-out form, and often sold to Post Offices delivering in rural areas. It's still not as cheap as a Berlingo Forte with all the equipment now supplied as standard. A Berlingo version sold here would probably be so cheap it'd nearly be free! Another 'disappearing budget MPV' in the UK was the Transit Connect Combi which was a 6-seater (three abreast) and set to cost about £13k for a base model. Anybody seen one? http://www.ttn.com.tr/ttn/TTDS/pics/20924/757653.jpg

Did the tape call you a prat, t***er, cretin, twonk, wa**.... as you unrolled it and cut bits off? :o PS: Masking tape glue hardens with heat and is a swine to remove. Any light scratching of the polycarbonate headlamp lenses will reduce the pitiful performance of the stupidly designed headlamps even further. Also, masking tape is only semi-opaque and won't block out enough light.

As you'd expect really. Weighted towards the Skoda because they're obvious fans in that office......

Smoother, quieter, eco-friendlier, even less thirst than the 2.0...... Somehow though just not as much fun.

Not sure. They've always been crap. Do you mean binding in the 'off' position, ie not pushing hard enough onto the discs? I'll get them checked. Cheers! TronX

Renault (Rubbish) Yeah that's ace!!! The only things I'd criticise it for are the mediocre headlamps and the weak brakes.

Very unfair group test of Lingo v Roomster v Nissan Note in this week's Auto Express. Lingo panned for residual values and build quality/materials yet residual calculations being made on list price. A quick shop around revealed I couldn't get a discount at all on a new Roomster, next to nothing on a Note, and £1400 off list before I start negotiating on a Lingo..... Added to the fact that most people buy a Lingo for the space and practicality rather than quality of cabin materials. It's rightly identified as the biggest on test. Now a road test of the Lingo v Partner v Kangoo v Doblo would be fair..... Partner written off first because it's identical to the Lingo but at least grand more expensive; Doblo next because it's an ugly pig and the 7-seater places the rearmost occupants in the safety crumple-zone. Lingo v Kangoo anyone?

is it a manual box or hydraulic (Citromatic) ?

In all honesty, yes the brakes can be worrying at times. Non ABS early shape cars have better brakes in my experience.

In the UK, the only differences the X-TR has over the M'space Forte are cosmetic: Rear Privacy Glass Different (van-style) upholstery Aluminium Roof-Bars In Europe, the differences are major and add: Limited-slip Diff Increased ride-height Leather steering wheel Aluminium Sump-guard Underbody armour. Interestingly a commercial X-TR is available in the UK with the technical features of the Euro spec X-TR aimed at farmers, forestry commissions, water companies etc who need limited off road capability without the added expense or weight penalty of a 4x4.

Same stud pattern, but offset is different. The Picasso wheel fits, since the optional alloy for the Berlingo (the 15" Estoril) was at one time fitted as standard to upmarket versions of the Picasso. It's a pretty wheel too. Welcome to the world of sensibly cool motoring!

only if they find out!

A 2.0 HDi will run on a biodiesel mix of up to 10% with no problems. As Johndouglas says, all diesel sold in France is now 5% bio. 100% biodiesel as produced by rapeseed farmers and the little Muslim fellas in the out of town trading estates who filter it from used tandoori fat can cause the engine management to switch to 'get you home' mode because it will detect fuel contamination. This kind of biodiesel is absolutely fine for the old 1.9D, but you should change the fuel filter after the first few tank-fulls

Good points well made, but in fact I do know my facts. I have also owned and enjoyed a 130 Rapid, and a 1973 100 which was virtually bullet proof. I also used to refer to the Rapid as a 'poor man's Porsche' but used to get laughed at on a daily basis. The thing that the Skoda had in common with the Porsche ( a car I admire greatly for the build quality but not the concept) was a motor sticking out its arse and great handling until it suddenly went into alarming oversteer......something it had in common with the conceptually similar Renault (Rubbish) yes, it was rubbish, Dauphine, 4cv and 8/10/11 sisters. With the Porsche this happens at a slightly or much (depending on model) higher speed. As daily transport at sensible speeds I broadly agree with you, the rear-engined Skoda did a job adequately, but on a wet road at 60mph it could be lethal in the hands of a anybody but a rally driver. If this unconventional layout was actually any good for a daily driver then more vehicles would have adopted it, but its not. In fact it's crap. The VW Beetle which arguably started the layout was *absolute* crap in early form; teetering on tall crossplies and negative dihedral on the rear suspension, it was incapable of going round corners. Not that this mattered, Hitler was trying to ban them by introducing ruler straight Romanesque Autobahns anyway. It wasn't until later incarnations that the suspension was sorted a bit, even MacPherson struts couldn't cure the problems completely but hey, it was better. This still doesn't address the practical problems with the layout: Poor use of interior space, inadequate crash protection from rear end shunts and the frontal positioning of the fuel tank in the driver's lap. To own a truly practical Beetle, you need to buy a Transporter. When it comes to owning cars with deficiencies, I have more personal experience than most, and still own a Trabant (reasonable concept, but built like shite.... and that fuel tank in the lap problem again) a 1965 Citroen DS19 (utterly beautiful, but needs a gallon of red paint-stripper to be pumped around it at high pressure to get most of one of the world's most rust prone structures to function) a 2CV ( supremely practical for potholed roads provided nothing collides with you) and a 1939 Citroen Traction Avant which considering its great age has no real faults at all ;-). Don't get me wrong, I love these motors, but they are all deficient in some area or another, so I'm not too offended if someone insults them! In my time I have also owned a Bond Bug, several Amis (a Super, 8 and three 6s) a Zaporozhets, many modern-ish Citroens, Golf GTIs (and how over-rated are they?) BMW MINIs, Rover P3s... the list covers most bases! As for owning the 'Lingo... Well I *can* afford a much more expensive car, (and with banks eager to chuck money away in the form of loans, so can most people I guess!) but the 'Lingo is actually the only everyday car that anybody actually really needs. Nothing modern under 30k really interests me, and quite frankly for daily use, not much over it does either. Hope this helps! Tron X