22 July 2014

New Relay from Citroen

Citroen has introduced its new generation Citroen Relay with a full range of body styles, writes Trish Whelan.

These include panel vans of four lengths, three heights, six load volumes up to 15m3 and with GVW from 3.0 tonnes to 4.0 tonnes. Chassis cabs are offered in two lengths, with GVW of 3.5 tonnes and offering multiple conversion possibilities — tippers, dropsides, and Luton vans.

Pictured above are Frederic Soulier, MD Citroen Ireland, with Marketing Manager Louise Murphy.

At the Irish launch Citroen said they have kept the practicality, versatility and comfort of the Relay but have improved the quality and reliability of the range with a focus on body rigidity and strengthening high use areas such as doors, suspension and braking. This was backed up with extensive testing over 4m kilometres of simulated use and 500,000 door slam tests.

In looks, the front end has been restyled to be more distinctively Citroen. Features include a contoured bonnet, multi-part bumper for minimising repair costs, and DRL headlights with optional LEDs.

The French van maker claims best in class load space width of 1.42m between wheel arches, 1.87m total load width and a load sill under 506mm.

Customers can choose from a range of four 2.2 engines, HDi 110, HDi 130, e-HDi 130 or HDi 150. Fuel consumption is claimed of up to 1.3 L/100km on the L3H2 van. Stop and Start is available on the e-HDi 130 delivering further savings of 0.5 L/100km in urban areas.

There’s a bright, user-friendly cabin with 13 storage compartments, and a standard full steel bulkhead. The driver's seat is adjustable for height, rake, reach and lumbar support. The dash-mounted gear lever maximises legroom. There's ample room for three courtesy of the 2-passenger bench seat.

The specification on the standard panel van includes ABS & EBA, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), a driver airbag, electric windows and door mirrors, remote central locking with deadlocks and separate load space locking, a full steel bulkhead (new), DAB radio with Bluetooth and USB, Daytime Running Lights integrated in the headlights.

The new Enterprise grade panel van gets air conditioning, rear parking sensors, cruise control/speed limiter, alarm, the Touch Screen Audio Pack of 5” colour touch screen, Bluetooth, and CD MP3.

New technologies include a Lane Departure Warning System which reads the road ahead. This is active from a speed of 65km/h and is standard on 40 heavy versions. A low tyre pressure warning warns of puncture or pressure loss while Intelligent Traction Control, identifying low grip, optimises traction in all circumstances. Hill Descent Control which retains control on slippery slopes under 30km/h, is a class exclusive. A navigation system is optional across the range. The reversing camera comes with an overlay function. The 5-inch screen also comes into play with a reversing camera and has an additional loading monitor function.

The standard 30 L1H1 HDi 110 is priced from €25,833 (€21,040 ex VAT) while the new Enterprise 35 L3H2 HDi 130 is priced at €34,707 (€28,250 ex VAT).

The new equipment onboard versus the previous Relay would amount to €1,065 but the price walk from that version is €788 (€640 ex VAT). The equipment on the new Enterprise 35 L3H2 HDi 130 versus the Standard trim comes to €1,864 but Citroen are offering a price walk from the Standard trim of €1,181 (€960 ex VAT).

Key competitors include the Peugeot Boxer and Fiat Ducato which share the body shell. Others include Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter, Nissan NV400, Renault Master, Opel Movano and VW Crafter.