Citroën claims to have created an entirely new class of van with the Nemo, which it has christened the sub-compact segment. But the French manufacturer does not enter this new segment alone. The Turkish-built Nemo will have plenty of competition, not only from its Peugeot Bipper and Fiat Fiorino siblings, but also from the new Renault Kangoo Compact.
The Nemo is without doubt an attractive-looking van, and in our opinion looks good from every angle. The front end has
a definite hint of new Relay about it, and we assume this same nose will also grace the front of the all-new Berlingo (due early next year).
We like the large bumpers, which should do a good job of protecting the metalwork, and the lights are high enough to be out of harm's way. Citroën says the side body panels are smooth and uninterrupted, making them ideal for sign writing. But on the downside, they are sure to show the dents.
The interior is attractively styled, but the quality of the plastic used in the dashboard moulding and some of the switchgear gives it a slightly cheap feel. Citroën has included 12 storage areas inside the van, so there is no shortage of places to stow your sunglasses and mobile phone. The glovebox is of a decent size, but felt a bit on the flimsy side.
The cab isn't overly spacious, but then it doesn't feel cramped either. The driver's seat is perfectly comfortable, with adequate head, leg and shoulder room. It is
fully adjustable, as is the steering wheel, making it easy to find your ideal driving position.
The passenger seat folds forward to reveal a handy desk it can also fold into the floor, giving you some extra cargo space. In our opinion it is best kept in this position, because you certainly would not want to sit on it for a long duration the cushion is considerably smaller than that of the driver's seat, and consequently incredibly uncomfortable for long journeys. We spent an hour in the passenger seat, by which time we were definitely ready to get out.
Under the bonnet is a 1.4-litre HDi diesel engine, the product of a joint venture with Ford: you'll find this same engine in the Fiesta van. In the case of the Nemo it is rated at 70hp, generating 160Nm of torque. At the moment the only transmission on offer is a five-speed manual, which we found more than adequate. It felt a bit on the sloppy side, but gear changes were definitely smooth and precise.
Buyers will eventually be offered the option of a five-speed automated manual, but this is unlikely to be until the latter part of 2008. Citroën says it is difficult to predict how well it will sell, this being its first foray into two-pedal transmissions. While acceleration is perfect for the city centre, it's slightly less inspiring on the open road. Mid-range performance is a bit on the lethargic side, leading to a nail-biting overtaking experience.
But that said, once you've wound it up to the legal speed limit, it is happy to sit there for long periods. It feels perfectly stable at speed, and considering that it only has a mesh bulkhead, amazingly quiet too. Incidentally, it's worth considering that the Nemo is legally allowed to drive at the same speed as passenger cars in the UK on account of it weighing less than 2,000kg. While we were impressed with the unladen van's handling ability, we were less excited by the ride quality. The short wheelbase results in a slightly choppy ride on rough roads.
A great deal has been made about the Nemo's green credentials, which is increasingly the case at new van launches. It will apparently emit just 119g/km of CO2, which Citroën describes as "record breaking" for this size of van. There are also plenty of impressive fuel economy claims, and we look forward to putting one around our test route. Although there are no plans to offer any alternative fuel versions, every Citroën HDi engine will run on B30 bio-diesel, without any modifications or change to the warranty conditions.
We found visibility excellent. While the 'A'-pillars are rather wide at the base, the driver sits high enough for this not to be an issue. The mirrors are good too, and we had a relatively unobstructed view out of the glazed rear windows. Our test van had reversing sensors, but we wonder just how necessary they are in a vehicle of these proportions. The driver gets an airbag as standard, but you have to pay extra for a passenger one.
Unfortunately, the audio controls are not steering-wheel-mounted (as they are on the rest of Citroën's LCV range), but then the stereo is very close to the driver and at eye level anyway. While our van did not have cruise control, Citroën promises us this valuable safety option is just around the corner.
Despite a relatively small footprint, the Nemo has a surprisingly large cargo area. We are talking about a load length of 1.52m and a width of 1.05m between the arches, which equates to a respectable 2.5m3 load volume. The 610kg payload puts some larger vans to shame. The cargo area is accessed via a choice of sliding side door or asymmetrical rear doors.
UK spec and prices are yet to be announced, but then there's no immediate rush as the van won't actually go on sale in right-hand drive form before the middle of next year. Besides, according to Citroën's commercial vehicle operations manager Robert Handyside, a lack of prices hasn't put potential UK buyers off.
He says the company has already received some significant fleet orders based purely on the van's first showing at Amsterdam's RAI Show. And on the subject of who is going to buy the newcomer, Citroën expects it to mainly lure buyers away from other marques, rather than steal customers away from the C2 Enterprise and Berlingo.
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