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eugeot has returned to the
light-commercial vehicle (LCV)
segment in Australia, launching
the mid-size Expert van and following
up later this year with the larger Boxer
and the compact Partner vans.
This marks a change in strategy for
the French PSA Group brands, with
independent distributor Inchcape
Australasia moving away from the
position of its predecessor, Sime Darby
Motors, which was planning to use
Citroen – rather than Peugeot – for a
renewed LCV push.
As a result, the Citroen Berlingo
compact van, which has built up a
loyal following over many years, will
be sidelined in favour of the Partner
as the Inchcape-run Peugeot Citroen
Australia puts all its efforts behind the
European lion brand.
As demonstrated by the Expert,
these vans will all come with a high
level of specification and a useful five-
year/200,000km warranty.
The Expert lines up against the Toyota
HiAce, Hyundai iLoad and European-
bred models such as the Renault Trafic,
Volkswagen Transporter, Ford Transit
Custom and Mercedes-Benz Vito.
The launch range is made up of five
three-seater variants spanning three
common-rail turbocharged four-
cylinder diesel powertrains, manual
and automatic transmission
options (both six-speed units) and
two body lengths (4,959mm and
5,309mm).
At the entry level is a
standard-length 1.6L BlueHDi
115 manual variant priced from
$36,490 plus on-road costs. The engine
produces 85kW of power at 3,750rpm
and 300Nm of torque at 1,750rpm and
offers fuel economy of 5.2L per 100km
on the official combined (urban/extra-
urban) cycle.
At the mid-range is a 2.0L HDi 150
variant with the option of either body
or transmission, the standard-length
manual starting at $39,990, rising to
$42,490 for the auto or $44,190 for the
auto-only long-bodied version.
This bigger-displacement engine
pushes power up to 110kW at
4,000rpm and torque to 370Nm at
2,000rpm, with fuel economy ranging
from 6.2-6.4L/100km, depending on
the variant.
At the top of the range is a higher-
output 2.0L BlueHDi 180 unit with
the long-length body and automatic
gearbox, good for 130kW and 400Nm
(at same engine speeds as the HDi 150)
and similarly listed at 6.2L/100km in
the mileage stakes.
The entry and top-end BlueHDi
engines are rated to the Euro 6
PEUGEOT EXPERT
TRANSPORT
with Terry Martin