As a family of six, traveling abroad can be a challenge and I’ve rented these vans many times, mostly in the 9 people configuration.
The short review is that we are spoiled in America and should be glad we have so many choices here. When I see posts envying European vehicles I just roll my eyes sometimes.
Other than the utility, these vans are poor as a family vehicle. They can probably be configured to be more comfortable, but since they are essentially based on work vans, I highly doubt the difference is big between these configurations.
On to the more detailed review:
I got a Citroen Spacetourer this year which features a 2.0L turbo diesel engine and an 8speed DCT (I think) transmission. I looked up the price and they look to be around 40k Euros, which is a lot for such a poor product IMO.
The positives:
- huge amount of space. It easily fit six of us, six full size suitcases, six carryons, plus few backpacks and bags.
- quite comfortable ride when loaded
- respectable amount of power and torque from that little diesel engine.
- good all around visibility plus backup camera views and parking sensors.
- fairly maneuverable despite the size. I had no problem parallel parking in tight spots.
- I liked the electric steering wheel assist. It would be very light in parking spots or slow driving and tighten up considerably when cruising at higher speeds.
- start/stop was actually pretty good on this one. I actually left it on all the time.
The negatives:
- the 9 seat configuration lacks the recline feature with the exception of the driver’s seat and the passengers sit almost straight up. This is quite a huge negative since it is a good long distance cruiser.
- the engine is very buzzy when driving around town
- brakes felt very soft. No issues with performance but they felt like pressing into a sponge. The vehicle had 500 miles on the odo when I picked it up, so I don’t think it had air in the lines.
- the suspension, when unloaded, was very bouncy in the rear and unbalanced. I could feel the front and rear doing seesaw under certain conditions.
- in general the suspension didn’t feel stable when taking curves. It was easily upset by bumps.
- the brakes very grabby at slow speeds and the rears groaned when engaging/disengaging the electronic parking brake.
- the sliding door had trouble staying open when on an incline with the front facing down. It was very annoying.
- fuel economy was so, so. I averaged around 24mpg, based on the computer display over 1k miles I had it. I expected closer to 30mpg on this one. Not sure why Europeans play the silly diesel game when a gasoline engine could achieve similar numbers these days.
- the rear hatch door is huge and opens up. It requires a lot of clearance in the rear to open it up. They should’ve been split in two and open to the sides.
The short review is that we are spoiled in America and should be glad we have so many choices here. When I see posts envying European vehicles I just roll my eyes sometimes.
Other than the utility, these vans are poor as a family vehicle. They can probably be configured to be more comfortable, but since they are essentially based on work vans, I highly doubt the difference is big between these configurations.
On to the more detailed review:
I got a Citroen Spacetourer this year which features a 2.0L turbo diesel engine and an 8speed DCT (I think) transmission. I looked up the price and they look to be around 40k Euros, which is a lot for such a poor product IMO.
The positives:
- huge amount of space. It easily fit six of us, six full size suitcases, six carryons, plus few backpacks and bags.
- quite comfortable ride when loaded
- respectable amount of power and torque from that little diesel engine.
- good all around visibility plus backup camera views and parking sensors.
- fairly maneuverable despite the size. I had no problem parallel parking in tight spots.
- I liked the electric steering wheel assist. It would be very light in parking spots or slow driving and tighten up considerably when cruising at higher speeds.
- start/stop was actually pretty good on this one. I actually left it on all the time.
The negatives:
- the 9 seat configuration lacks the recline feature with the exception of the driver’s seat and the passengers sit almost straight up. This is quite a huge negative since it is a good long distance cruiser.
- the engine is very buzzy when driving around town
- brakes felt very soft. No issues with performance but they felt like pressing into a sponge. The vehicle had 500 miles on the odo when I picked it up, so I don’t think it had air in the lines.
- the suspension, when unloaded, was very bouncy in the rear and unbalanced. I could feel the front and rear doing seesaw under certain conditions.
- in general the suspension didn’t feel stable when taking curves. It was easily upset by bumps.
- the brakes very grabby at slow speeds and the rears groaned when engaging/disengaging the electronic parking brake.
- the sliding door had trouble staying open when on an incline with the front facing down. It was very annoying.
- fuel economy was so, so. I averaged around 24mpg, based on the computer display over 1k miles I had it. I expected closer to 30mpg on this one. Not sure why Europeans play the silly diesel game when a gasoline engine could achieve similar numbers these days.
- the rear hatch door is huge and opens up. It requires a lot of clearance in the rear to open it up. They should’ve been split in two and open to the sides.
