Top Gear (2002 TV series)/Series 1/Episode 1/Citroën Berlingo Multispace Film
Enter the Citroën Berlingo Multispace. This vehicle is even cheaper than a Focus or Golf, and though it may be based on a van, that isn't a reason to discount it as viable family transport. To put its credentials to the test, Clarkson decides to drive it down the M20 Motorway towards Folkestone, so that Clarkson can drive it back home. Clarkson's first impressions whilst driving the Berlingo is that it does very little to hide the fact it was originally a van. He demonstrates this by engaging and disengaging the car's central locking system, which makes a mechanical clunking sound as opposed to a more refined electrical one. The interior is also rather spartan and lets a lot of road noise in. For this road test, Clarkson is driving the diesel-engined version of the Berlingo, but he notes that a 1.6 litre petrol engine is also available, developing the same power as the original Golf GTi. Not that it helps the Berlingo blend in with other cars, since not many of them have 5 sunroofs or green dashboards and dials. After pulling into the ferry terminal, he steps outside of the car, showing off its roof-mounted bicycle rack, before driving it onto the Eurostar. As the train travels through the Channel Tunnel, he compares the Berlingo against a Skoda Octavia Estate parked immediately in front of it, explaining that while the latter is a perfectly acceptable car, the Berlingo has what Clarkson likes to call the "X Factor", that makes it more than a simple means of transport.
Once in France, Clarkson begins driving around the seaside town of Wissant, before ending up at the EastEnders Cash & Carry Warehouse on the outskirts of Calais, owned and operated[1] by David West. He briefly talks about the Berlingo's many storage spaces once parked up, before browsing the warehouse and talking to West, who laments that the police are confiscating vehicles that they deem to be importing too much alcohol. To try and avoid having the car crushed, as Clarkson observes other customers loading multiple crates into their cars, he purchases a single bottle of alcohol and lays it in the middle of the rear hatch, before closing it.
Back at the studio, Clarkson, along with new host Jason Dawe discuss the Berlingo and its alternatives, with Dawe's role as the show's car-buying expert. None of the proposed alternatives compare against the Berlingo, with the slightly cheaper Fiat Doblò being the slowest-accelerating car on sale in Britain at the time, the significantly more expensive Ford Tourneo Connect which Clarkson feels isn't even worth bothering with, and the Renault Kangoo, which is okay, but not as good as the Berlingo. Dawe then chimes in with some advice of his own, advising potential buyers to only consider the petrol model which is still very cheap, and can be had for cheaper than usual due to Citroën planning to facelift the model the following year and offering all of its outgoing models with no VAT[2], so a 1.4 Berlingo normally priced at £8,995, can be had for just £7,700. Clarkson caps off the review by stating everyone on the Top Gear production crew is a fan of this vehicle, and it will always hold a special place in Clarkson's heart.
