The PSA Group has revealed new versions of the Peugeot Partner, Opel Combo and Citroën Berlingo, with all three vans sharing a platform that allows long and short wheelbases.
Here, we’ll focus on the first two, as Citroën is no longer active in South Africa.
As standard, both the Partner and Combo measure 4 440 mm long. Of this, 1 810 mm is usable for cargo and can hold up to 3 800 dm3. Opting for the longer 4 750 mm variant pushes the usable length up to 2 160 mm, which in turn raises the capacity to 4 440 dm3.
Both van ranges feature an extensive range of turbopetrol and turbodiesel engines, including the 1,2-litre PureTech 110ch and 130ch petrol options and the BlueHDi 75ch, 100ch and 130ch turbodiesels in the case of the Peugeot.
The Puretech 110ch turbocharged petrol engine and BlueHDi 130ch are each fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox, while the 75ch and 100ch turbodiesels get the five-speed. An eight-speed automatic torque converter will be available on the PureTec 130ch and optional on the BlueHDi 130ch. These engine configurations have been confirmed for the Peugeot Partner; options for the Opel Combo have yet to be detailed.
The Partner also gains added features such as “comfort” seats, a reversing camera, an electric parking brake, a touchscreen infotainment system and automatic headlamps and wipers. Listed safety features for the Combo include forward collision alert with pedestrian detection and emergency braking, lane keep assist, hiss decent control, adaptive cruise control, driver drowsiness alert and speed sign recognition.
The LCVs will be available in initial markets by the end of the third quarter. Plans for an introduction into the local market have yet to be announced.
