Welllll.. The Combo is being put out to pasture.
It's not being retired as such, rather, passed on to a staff member to be used to replace our rusty old Ford Transit company van he was driving. As a result, springs will be coming out and stock rims going back on.
What am I using to replace it? Well... the criteria was.
- It has to be a van
- It has to be under $25k (which rules out big vans)
- It has to fit a standard pallet in between the wheel arches
- It had to be diesel (because our pallets sometimes weigh 5-600kg)
So the vans that I considered and test drove:
Holden Combo
- Doesn't fit a standard pallet
- Petrol
- No longer being made.. 2012 is the last year, and the 2013 is minimum 9 months away should Holden or Opel actually decide to bring it in to begin with.
Mercedes Citan
- Still a while off (based on the new Fiat Doblo / Opel Combo), will not come in under budget.
Renault Kangoo
- Looks a bit naff
- Only one dealer, so the price blew out above the budget i.e. no campaign or special pricing was extended
Peugeot Partner
- Pricey
VW Caddy
- Apparently would fit a standard pallet
- Good reputation
- Diesel
- Under $25k (there was one for $23,990 drive away available)
Citroen Berlingo
- Identical to Peugeot except for the badges, cost less than the Peugeot.
- Under $25k due to campaign price, and thats for the long wheelbase!!
- Fits a pallet
- Diesel
So I went and test drove a demo Peugeot, hoping it would be under budget. Loved it! Drove like a car, had a strong little turbo diesel in it (although only 215nm, it has a torque curve like a table top that starts at 1500ish rpm, so it's extremely effortless to drive), and just felt good to be in. Long wheel base fits 2 Australian pallets with 5cm to spare. Had a few options on it, but Peugeot couldn't get it anywhere near my budget. Walked away.
Test drove the Caddy. Has a great reputation, but wasn't anything like the one that I tried last year.. It was optioned up, this one wasn't. This one for $23,990 was a 2011 build MY12 model. It had vinyl floor, vinyl seats, no cargo barrier, no rear cargo area mat, etc. Drove it, and it was laggy (as was the throttle, was not as responsive as I'd hoped) and certainly didn't feel like 35nm more than the Peugeot. Felt cheap inside with lots of hard plastics and vinyl everywhere, not even close to my Combo van in regards to how the cabin felt. VERY disappointed. Carpet, mats, cargo barrier, etc, were expensive options. After I was told that it would fit a pallet, we then looked at the specs and worked out it was 25mm too narrow to fit a 1200mm pallet in it.. then I was told it would comfortably fit a Euro pallet. Pass.
So I went to Citroen and looked at the Berlingo. Long wheelbase, same van as the Peugeot with different badges. Although it had less airbags and no ESC compared to the Caddy (a factory option that would take 4-5 months to get here), that was the extent of the shortfalls compared to the Caddy. It felt nice, identical to the Peugeot, which was expected considering they are the same van. Has optional reverse sensors, cargo mat, floor mats, extenso seat (3 seater with flip up seats to increase load capacity to 4.1m3), will take pallets, has bluetooth and USB/aux in, the strong turbo diesel exactly the same as the Peugeot, has cruise control and speed limiter, cargo barrier behind the drivers seat, and much more.
And the price? Under budget, PLUS the salesman was happy to do me a further deal. Signed contract, done!!!
My Berlingo is 2 weeks away in Melbourne, as the one below that the dealer had on the lot, didn't have reverse sensors. Very stoked, and being a Citroen, there is no way I can actually mod it because good luck finding springs and rims for it.. which suits me fine because I want to keep it stock this time!
So basically, if anyone wants some Zender Turbo rims to fit their E30 BMW, VW Golf Mk1 or anything else with a similar stud pattern, drop me a PM
