Hello from the Lakes

[Guanajuato]

Hi,
I've just discovered the forum after searching for something on how to remove the rear bumper to fit aftermarket parking sensors.

I thought I'd introduce myself.
We bought our Bertie 2 years ago from our local dealer (Kendal Citroen) making use of the scrappage deal at the time - the subaru forester we traded in was completely knackered and worth a couple of hundred at best and we got back more than twice what we'd paid for it a year earlier. Before that I had an early 90s Jaaaag. I'd had a ZX TurboD for 4 years as well, which was a great car, which may be why I was looking at Citroen, despite the reputation.
Its the newer model (VTR HDi 90), and we opted for the extra row of seats which has been a real boon for taking kiddies + friends around. We got Air Con+tinted rear windows and the rear windscreen opening, as we could see that 5ft long tailgate being a pain. As it turns out, the window doesn't get used a huge amount, but it is worth it.
It's affectionately known as 'The Bus', but at work its 'Postman Pat's Van'.
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[Image: cd712771-a660-4e60-8f88-bdae51affdb5.jpg]

Just shy of 20k miles now. Its been back to the garage for a couple of things - Within a week some little git had smashed the rear light and it had a recall on the rear windscreen stays - they'd keep popping off. But nothing else. So we're perfectly happy with it. Whilst nowhere near the Jag in performance, handling or comfort, its still far better than a lot of hire cars I've driven with work. Because I know a lot of the twisty roads around the lakes, I think some 'sporty' car drivers get rather a surprise at times.

Look forward to learning & contributing.

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Oh aye - as I said at the start, I've just ordered aftermarket parking sensors (£15 ) because after 2 years I still can't judge the rear to park the )*&^$(*& thing. :o

[Andre]

Thats a lovely looking Berl. Hopefully wont have you come hurtling round a corner if im ever up that way !

[Guanajuato]

Hopefully wont have you come hurtling round a corner if im ever up that way !

:lol: No chance - I always assume there's going to be a tourist on the wrong side of any tight blind corner! Avoided several incidents that way. :eek:
But with these things, you have to keep the momentum up. Had a LOVELY drive up an empty Kirkstone pass just the other evening. Bliss! Better than the jag for that, because I can see over the walls.

Not quite so clean & tidy after 2 years. Mostly muddy footprints and spilt drinks. The kids aren't much better either. :hehe:

[Chris]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I am really interested to hear how you find the extra seat arrangement. I have not seen one in the flesh, and was wondering how much space they take up when not used, or how easy they are to take out altogether?

[steve valentine]

Welcome to the club, that's very nice berlingo, keep thinking about trading in my MK1 for the new shape but it's reliable and is great on fuel, I don't think I could part with it yet.

[Mike]

Welcome to the forum, that is a lovely looking Berlingo.

[Guanajuato]

The extra seats come out in exactly the same way as the individual back seats. They really are simple -Pull a lever to fold the back forward, pull on another lever at the back of the seat, tip up and lift off. The seats are pretty much exactly the same design as the individual back seats. Getting them back in takes a bit of practice, but no trickier than the middle seats.

In the car, they can be folded so they fixed with just the backs down. That gives about a foot of space above them in the boot. It gives about the same size boot as a metro below the load cover.
Alternatively, they can be tipped forward, which reduces the length of the boot to about 2 feet. About the size of a normal hatchback below the load cover.
With the seats out, the boot is slightly smaller than the standard car because the mountings need 3 or 4 inches of extra height. The load floor is flat, but there's a couple of cubbyholes that fit books and emergency clothing very well. There's also a long narrow cubby hole specifically for the load cover to fit into - very sensible.
With the seats up, there's just about enough space to fit a lightweight folded baby buggy. But there's a good space between the seats as well.
The middle row of seats is moved a couple of inches forward compared to the standard car as well.
The seats are adequate for adults, but I wouldn't want to go on a long trip in the very back. But its much better than most small 7-seaters as the seats are proper seats, rather than flat panels raised a couple of inches off the boot floor. My brother has a Honda AirStream and even children would get uncomfortable pretty quickly in the extra row.
They're not the lightest things, but I've found that they're pretty well balanced when folded to quite easy to shove out of the way in the loft (tight fit through the hatch!) The seatbelts sit out of the way when not in use, similar to the middle seatbelt of the middle row. It clips into a solid mount at the base of the boot and then into a normal clip on the seat itself.
The children tend to climb in through the boot door, but its equally possible to drop/fold the middle row and get in that way.

I'd say the extra seats and the sliding doors are the best features of the car. I'll pop some piccies up tomorrow if I remember.

I've been a bit disappointed with the fuel economy. With my ZX I was regularly upwards of 50mpg and was expecting similar with this, based on the brochure claims. But its steadfastly returning low 40s as an average. I guess the twisty & steep roads don't help. On the motorway, the wind resistance is a huge factor so I don't see the kind of improvement I'm used to.