The price to be paid for enduring the van-style exterior is one of the most capacious cabins currently available. Shorter Berlingo M versions can comfortably seat five adults, while the XL has seven perches all capable of accommodating grown-ups.
When not required, those third-row seats can be folded over to the sides of the boot or removed altogether, providing you’ve somewhere convenient to store them.
Passengers won’t complain about feeling sardined, with generous leg and shoulder room and enough free air above to sate top hat enthusiasts. Although the Berlingo is SUV tall, the seating height is closer to that of a conventional hatchback’s.
Amplifying the Berlingo’s airiness is the Modutop, optionally available with five-seater Max trim. Specify it for a panoramic glazed roof with an illuminated, translucent storage shelf suspended below and an aircraft-style overhead locker above the boot.
Even without the Modutop, there are 28 storage areas within the Berlingo’s cabin, totalling 186 litres of space, much of which is lidded for additional security.
The available load space within combustion-engined Berlingos has been compromised since spring 2023 due to a mesh steel bulkhead being fitted behind the second-row seats, which legally categorises them as vans. Electric Citroën ë-Berlingo models don’t have the bulkhead and continue as cars.
This means that ultimate carrying capacity is reduced, although Citroën still quotes a maximum of 1255 litres with only the front seats in use. In five-seat mode, there’s 775 litres below the sturdy parcel shelf.
Nevertheless, its loading lip is conveniently low and Max models have three individual second-row seats that can be whipped out for added flexibility, while the front passenger seat can be folded flat to accommodate longer loads.
Despite those commercial vehicle origins, the Berlingo’s driving position feels very car-like, once you’re acclimatised to the space above you. Although the manual versions’ gearlever is conveniently high set, its baggy shift action makes the automatic more desirable.
It’s not the last word in high-definition, lag-free convenience, but the infotainment touchscreen works sufficiently well and physical controls remain for the air-con and other functions.
