Citroen SpaceTourer MPV (2016 - ) review

The Citroen Spacetourer costs about the same to buy and to run as the equivalent models from Peugeot and Vauxhall (quite predictably, as all three constitute re-badged versions of the same vehicle, all being from the same group of companies). It costs considerably less to buy than other rivals like the Volkswagen Caravelle and Mercedes V-Class, which do more or less the same job except with posher badges on the nose. It’s also a lot better on fuel economy and servicing and maintenance costs, but the stronger resale values on the German cars will go a long way towards evening out your ownership costs long-term.

The Citroen Spacetourer hasn’t been around long enough for there to be much in the way of meaningful reliability data. Citroen didn’t rank all that highly in the 2019 JD Power UK Vehicle Dependability Study, but this is a car that shares pretty much every part with similar products from Peugeot and Vauxhall, both of which sit firmly in the top half of the table, with Peugeot topping the rankings outright. The warranty you get is unlimited-mileage for the first two years, while a third year of cover, provided by the Citroen dealer network, is limited to 60,000 miles.

All versions of the Citroen Spacetourer get the safety basics, such as tyre pressure monitoring, anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control, hillstart assistance and plenty of airbags for the front two seats. In many van-derived MPVs, that’s all the airbag protection you get, and that’s also the case with the lower-end Feel and Business versions of the Spacetourer. Go for either the Flair or Business Lounge versions, though, and you also get full-length curtain airbags that protect those in all three rows of seats, and we’d say that’s pretty much worth the upgrade on its own, not to mention all the other kit you get. Automatic emergency braking isn’t standard on any version, but it doesn’t cost too much to add it as an optional extra.

The Spacetourer’s commercial vehicle roots are reasonably obvious once you climb inside, as there are a few places where the surfaces and finishes are functional rather than tactile, but most of the cabin materials look smart and substantial. Everything feels very solidly assembled, too, and if you choose one of the high-end models, the standard leather seat trim really ups the ante in terms of the feeling of poshness you get. It’s not quite a Mercedes V-Class or Volkswagen Caravelle on that score, but it’s not all that far behind. The lofty driving position and massive windows give you a great view out in all directions, while the touchscreen infotainment system is pretty easy to find your way around. The versatility of your car will depend on the trim grade you choose, and there are two distinct flavours; the Feel and Flair cars are designed for family use, while the Business and Business Lounge trims are aimed at the transportation industry in its various forms. Feel and Flair cars come with eight seats as standard, arranged in two rows of three behind the front two seats, and each can be slid, adjusted and/or removed for extra comfort and convenience. The Business model seats up to nine by giving you the option of adding an extra ‘jump seat’ in between the driver and front passenger, while in the Business Lounge version, the two rows of three rear seats are replaced by four armchairs for greater comfort and luxury. No matter which version you choose, or which seat you end up in, you’ll have loads of space to get comfortable, and getting into them is also relatively easy thanks to the way the chairs move out of your way. The sliding rear doors also help when gaining access in tight parking spaces. Opening the boot is trickier in a tight space, because the tailgate is extremely long, but in the Flair model, you get a rear window that opens independently of the tailgate, allowing you to drop small bags in easily. And despite having space for all those people, the boot is impressively big at the same time. Even the standard model - called the M - has shedloads of cargo space with all the seats in place, while the longer model - called the XL - has even more, thanks to all of the extra length sitting in the rear overhang of the car. You can fold the seats over to get more loadspace, but to really maximise it, you have to remove them completely (except in the Business version, in which the seats are fixed). This is fiddly, and lifting the seats out takes some serious muscle, and you’ll also have to find somewhere to store them in the meantime. That said, the cargo space that frees up is as impressive as in the Citroen Dispatch van that the car is based on. You might expect an MPV that’s based on a van to be rather uncultured on the road, and if that’s the case, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the Spacetourer. It stays supple and comfortable at most speeds, and on most surfaces, which keeps life sweet for everybody inside. Despite the impressive comfort, though, there’s enough control in the suspension that the body doesn’t bounce around like a blancmange every time you encounter an undulating road. Obviously, it’s not a vehicle that likes to tackle corners particularly quickly, with slow steering and a lot of weight that needs to change direction. However, at the important business of whisking folk around in a civilised, fuss-free manner, it’s pretty difficult to fault.

There’s a very compelling case for choosing the posher Flair trim over the entry-level Feel trim, despite the upgrade costing several thousand pounds. As we’ve already discovered, it comes with some important extra safety kit, but you also get a lot more in the way of luxuries. On top of the Feel’s remote locking, cruise control, climate control, automatic lights and wipers, rear parking sensors and touchscreen infotainment system complete with Bluetooth, digital radio, Apple Car Play and Android Auto, Flair also brings desirable items such as alloy wheels, full leather seating, heated and massaging front seats, powered rear doors, a panoramic roof, front parking sensors, a head-up display, an upgraded sound system and touchscreen navigation with a reversing camera. The Business trim is the most basic of the bunch, with fewer luxuries than the Active, but the Business VIP version is comparable to the Allure model in terms of luxury items.

Unsurprisingly in a car like the Spacetourer, all the engines on offer are diesels, and they come with 120-, 150- or 180 horsepower. So far, we’ve only tried the 150 and 180, and there isn’t too much wrong with the less powerful version. It’s strong enough to be getting on with, so long as you keep the revs above 1500rpm, and it’s reasonably quiet, too, which all helps toward the car’s relaxed nature. You do feel some vibrations buzzing through the pedals, though, and the six-speed manual gearbox is a little notchy and imprecise. The more powerful unit sorts this out, though, because it comes as standard with an automatic gearbox that’s a lot smoother, even if, ultimately, it doesn’t feel that much quicker.