| Week at the Wheel | Citroen Berlingo Van |

Inside & Out:

It's a van. So cab up front, big box at the back. Not painted white as tested here, but in a grey that's not too far off a storm cloud's hue. We'll admit that the Berlingo is something of a departure for us, but we didn't figure when borrowing it for hauling some gear that this innocuous-looking van would provide us with some of the most enjoyable motoring we've had this year.

The interior up front is pretty workmanlike - which is brilliant really as everything's where you'd expect it to be and simple and sturdy. The Bluetooth telephone connection operated with the ease that few cars can manage and the seats gave superb support and comfort over the circa 1,000 miles we piled onto the Berlingo's odometer during the week we had it. It was the carrying capacity that we really needed it for though, the Berlingo shifting the entire contents of an office with impunity. The front seats fold flat for long through loads - more commonly known as Ikea's Billy bookcase - while the large load space, sliding side door and wide-opening rear doors made getting the rest of our junk in an absolute breeze.

Engine & Transmission:

The Berlingo's 90bhp 1.6-litre turbodiesel engine hauls it along with ease regardless of load. Empty it's brisk; full it's no less rapid, though our enthusiasm was more often than not tempered by the fact that we'd been a bit haphazard with loading and hadn't secured everything too securely in the rear. Refinement proved impressive enough for what's a working vehicle, though the gearbox is not the slickest - but neither is it sloppy, it's positioning up near the steering wheel making quick shifts easy.

Ride & Handling:

Citroen's family-friendly seated Berlingo model is something of an unknown gem in the ride and handling department and the van builds on this. The steering is light and accurate, and while there is not a lot of feel you can be confident that turning it will result in a quick, incisive change of direction. The suspension has to cope with a range of weights and across the board it offers fine control. There's a fair bit of roll in the bends, but the Berlingo proved to be a real joy to drive - whether doing a 300-mile round-trip to collect a new office desk, or nipping to the tip with a couple of year's worth of press packs sliding around the floor in the back...

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:

Vans used to be simple, but the sort of comfort and convenience technology we've come to expect in our cars has trickled down into the world of commercial vehicles. Air conditioning, satnav, a decent stereo and Bluetooth telephone connection all feature on this L2 LX model, making the cab of the Berlingo a comfortable place to be - just as well given the time its users will spend in it working. Fuel economy is palatable too, the Berlingo managing 48.7mpg on the combined cycle. Vans are cheap compared to cars as well, the Berlingo L2 available from just £13,000 (excluding VAT) - that's supermini money.

Overall:

We needed the Citroen Berlingo to do a job and it did it admirably. We didn't expect to enjoy it so much though, the Berlingo a refreshing reminder that driving can be fun at its most simple level. We covered over 1,000 miles in a week and would happily have covered a thousand more. We like practical vehicles and the Berlingo L2 is about as practical as it gets in a car-sized package; that it drives so well only adds to its appeal.