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ASK THE EXPERT
With style and size on its side, the latest Peugeot Expert is ready to do battle with the small panel van sector’s big hitters. Steve Walker reports…

Ultimately, all vans are hostage to their own dimensions. If the things you need to shift won’t fit inside, no matter how adeptly it drives or how stylish it looks, that model is going to be a non-starter. Passenger car buyers will put up with a world of practical inconvenience if it means they can swan about in a slinky two-seater but the essence of a van is its practicality and if it can’t do the job, it isn’t much use to anyone. Such issues were obviously central in Peugeot’s thinking during the development of the latest Expert van. A wide Range of body and payload options make it more suitable to more operators than the model it replaced.

The old Expert was a small panel van on two counts. First, it competed in the small panel van sector - a class of littler load-luggers that sits below large panel vans like Peugeot’s own Boxer and above the various compact vans characterised by the Peugeot Partner. Second, even by small panel van standards, it was small. The modest size of the old Expert had its advantages. It was wieldy and refreshingly car-like to drive, but with rivals offering considerably more carrying capacity, it was always condemned to operate at the bottom end of the sector, appealing to operators who could manage with its 4m3 load volume. With this Expert, Peugeot changed all that. There’s a variety of bodystyles and payload options in a Range that gives the level of choice customers expect from a modern panel van. Load volumes Range from 5m3 to 7m3 thanks to two different load lengths and a pair of roof heights. Then there are two gross payloads, 1,000kg and 1,200kg, which compare favourably to the old Expert’s 800kg and 900kg options. With window van, Combi minibus and platform cab options also available, the Expert has the kind of diversity in its line-up to meet a wide spectrum of different operator requirements.

"Peugeot’s HDi common-rail diesel engines are well-suited to commercial vehicle duties"

The loadbay itself is usefully square in shape with minimal wheelarch intrusion. It can accommodate a 2,260mm loading length in the short wheelbase Expert and 2,600mm in the long wheelbase van. Heaving weighty cargo aboard is made easier by a low 570mm rear loading sill height and if you do a lot of heaving in your line of work, the pneumatic suspension option can reduce this further, dropping down as low as 450mm. All the usual lashing eyes and fixing points of racking systems are present and correct with access available through the symmetrically split side-hinged rear doors or sliding side doors. A lifting tailgate is available as an option. Peugeot’s HDi common-rail diesel engines are well-suited to commercial vehicle duties, something they’ve proven over many years of service in various LCV products, and the Expert has three of them. The 1.6-litre 90bhp engine powers the entry level models and should prove very fuel-efficient mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. It may prove a touch weedy for some tastes, however, and anyone planning on utilising the Expert’s full load carrying capacity would be well advised to step up to one of the 2.0-litre HDi units which come with a six-speed gearbox. The 120bhp 2.0HDi option develops a hearty 225Nm maximum torque output from 2,000rpm and this will pay dividends compared to the 135Nm available in the 1.6-litre models. The Range-topping unit has 136bhp and 240Nm at 2,000rpm making it a strong performer even though it still lacks the brute force to challenge the real heavy hitters in the sector. More than their power and performance, the real strength of these HDi powerplants is their refinement. The engine note is smooth and minimal vibrations find their way into the cab but if you really want a quiet life, get a model with the optional bulkhead fitted. The styling cues carried over from its Boxer big brother are obvious as soon as you clap eyes on the Expert. Like the Boxer, the van is fruit of Peugeot’s commercial vehicle partnership with Citroen and Fiat, so versions of it are also available from these manufacturers budged respectively as the Dispatch and Scudo. Viewed in profile, the Expert has more of a snout on it than the stub nosed Boxer but the huge Peugeot trademark headlamps and the horizontally split grille will ring bells with owners of the larger van. The windscreen is steeply raked creating a wedge-shaped front end with thick rubbing strips protecting the flanks and the tail lights mounted high up to help avoid costly parking knocks. The cab area has plenty of space and a good array of storage options with tough plastics used to enhance the longevity of the fixtures and fittings. Standard equipment levels are about what you’d expect from a panel van in this sector – sparse. But this helps to keep the cost down and drivers shouldn’t feel too hard done by. Electric windows, a CD stereo, twin sliding side doors and a steering column that adjusts for height and reach all make the cut. If you want an Expert with all the mod cons, you can have one courtesy of an options list that’s bristling with the likes of air-conditioning, speed limiting cruise control, rear parking sensors, satellite navigation, a Bluetooth hands free kit, the pneumatic rear suspension and ESP stability control. Obviously though, such fripperies will bump the Expert’s attractive pricing up to levels at which more expensive rivals may look more appealing. Now with a model Range of the required breadth to challenge for sales across the whole of the small panel van sector, the Peugeot Expert should get a lot more attention from buyers. The always impressive HDi diesel engines are a strong suit and the cab offers plenty of storage space, even if it lacks the quality feel and consistency of design that the class best can muster. With all this, tight pricing and the attractive styling thrown-in, there’s little doubt that the Expert will provide the answer to many operators’ panel van needs.

Facts At A Glance VAN: Peugeot Expert Van Range ENGINES: 1.6HDi 90bhp, 2.0HDi 120bhp, 2.0HDi 136bhp GROSS PAYLOAD: 1,000kg-1,200kg LOAD VOLUME: 5-7m3 STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: ABS / Ladder frame bulkhead / Three-point safety belts with pre-tensioners.

LOITERING WITHIN TENT
Named after a tent and based on a van, unfettered luxury might not be on the agenda in Peugeot’s Expert Tepee but it fills the role that families and businesses need it to. Steve Walker reports…

Peugeot’s Expert Tepee might be a van with extra seats but could its robust practicality be preferable for some families over the niceties of a purpose-built MPV? If your family life feels more like hard graft than domestic bliss, this converted commercial vehicle has all the attributes to ease the burden.

Letting on that its latest large MPV is based on a commercial vehicle was once a sure fire way for any manufacturer to hole the product below the water line before anyone had even ventured aboard. The perception being that vans were second class citizens in the automotive world and no amount of seats or windows was going to turn one into a passable family runabout. Such views were not without merit but modern vans, of which Peugeot’s Expert is one, have progressed beyond the iron maiden ergonomics and Ozzy Osbourne refinement that characterised their forbears. Peugeot certainly deems the Tepee worthy of a place alongside its passenger-carrying models. Citroen’s offers a pair of its HDi diesel engines with the Expert Tepee and both are well-suited to the role. The 1.6-litre 90bhp offering has its work cut out on paper but 180Nm of torque helps and owners will be rewarded for their patience as it plods up steep inclines with low running costs. The more expensive 120bhp 2.0-litre unit has 300Nm to play with and is the one buyers planning on venturing beyond the school run and the supermarket should try and stretch to.

"With rugged build, competent driving dynamics, strong economy and attractive prices, it seems well-suited to its target markets."

Space is all important for any MPV but the bigger these vehicles get, the more important it is for them not to feel bulky to drive. The Expert Tepee manages this feat well with a surprisingly, low and car-like driving position that gradually massages away the realisation that you’re at the wheel of a five-metre long minibus. The Tepee uses independent suspension at the front but the rear retains the torsion beam that the van version needs to carry its weightier loads. The result is a ride that’s on the firm side and can be jarring on poor surfaces. It’s acceptably smooth on good roads, however, and gives a good degree of composure in corners that, once again, belies the vehicle’s prodigious size. A product of the Expert Tepee’s low driving position, large dashboard and comparatively long front overhang is that it can be difficult to gauge where the nose of the car actually is when parking or squeezing into small gaps in traffic. The steering is on the light side but this is a welcome quality when running the gauntlet of the town centre at rush hour and isn’t too off-putting on the open road. Sharply angled windscreen and beefy frontal treatment notwithstanding, the Expert Tepee isn’t what you could term pretty but then, how many large MPVs are? Who really cares anyway, when the Tepee’s boxy shape yields an interior of supreme spaciousness - especially if you opt for the long wheelbase model. Every one of the seats is a proper adult-sized affair and can be folded down or removed completely, so it’s perfectly possible to undo Peugeot’s best efforts and turn the Tepee back into an Expert van again. The seats don’t swivel or fold flat to the floor in the manner of those in some big people carriers but the raw space of the Tepee means it lacks little in terms of versatility. The long wheelbase model’s ability to carry nine people and over 1,200 litres of luggage really is an eye-opener for those with super-sized families or companies that had been resigned to running a full-sized minibus. Access to the rear seating is via twin sliding side doors with the outside seats in the middle row sliding and tilting to let passengers get at the third row. The Expert Tepee’s commercial vehicle origins are reflected in the tough plastics and hard wearing materials employed but it all means that this vehicle is one tough cookie with no trace of gimmicky design features or flimsy detailing. What you see is what you get. Storage runs to a lockable glovebox and overhead compartments plus front door pockets that could be wider and very handy bins in on the sides of the rear seats that will each take a half litre drinks bottle. The model range is a straightforward affair. Pick one of the two engines, one of the two wheelbase options and one of the two trim levels. The L1 short wheelbase Expert Tepee is still a prodigious 4,805mm from nose to tail with the long wheelbase L2 derivative measuring in at 5,135mm. The Comfort trim level forms the entry point and is fairly stingy by passenger car standards. ABS with EBA and a driver’s airbag are included along with a CD stereo and electric front windows but it’s hardly the Ritz. Leisure trim is more like it with body-coloured bumpers and mirrors, air-conditioning, passenger and side airbags, electric folding door mirrors and a heated rear screen, although the third row of seats is optional here. The Tepee offers good, solid three-star accommodation and it seems churlish to grumble when the Leisure with the HDi 120 diesel engine comes in at £21,857. Starting at £18,457, the 6-seater Comfort looks a bit of a bargain too. An interesting option is the pneumatic rear suspension that lets you lower the vehicle’s height to 1,894mm thus allowing access to many height-restricted car parks. Buyers can also specify part-glazed five or six-seater models with a panelled over luggage bay for extra security. The Expert Tepee’s engines have been chosen with operating costs rather than performance in mind and this will suit businesses as well as families with a firm grip on their finances. Combined fuel economy is pegged at over 39mpg for the 90bhp engine and the 120bhp option sups from its tank at exactly the same rate. Choose the long wheelbase version and these figures suffer by 2mpg or so but it’s still a strong showing and emissions of 191g/km and 194g/km for the 90 and 120bhp models respectively are unlikely to prove catastrophic for the climate. Insurance group 7E is decidedly wallet-friendly as well. Bridging the gap between Peugeot’s passenger car range and the marque’s light commercial vehicle line-up, the Expert Tepee has a big job on to convince the public of its large MPV credentials. In the past, seasoned industry observers had a well-practiced sneer held in reserve for any commercial vehicle that tried to pass itself off as a passenger car but times have changed. Modern light vans have reached levels of sophistication that aren’t a million miles away from the passenger car average and we’ve seen in the smaller van-based MPV sector that there is an eager market for affordable, utilitarian people carriers. The Peugeot Expert Tepee takes the voluminous interior of its commercial vehicle progenitor and does enough to make it presentable and comfortable for business or family usage. It also borrows the Expert van’s mix and match range structure, giving excellent flexibility for customers to specify the vehicle in the way they want. With rugged build, competent driving dynamics, strong economy and attractive prices, it seems well-suited to its target markets.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Peugeot Expert Tepee range PRICES: £18,457-£22,557 – on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 7E CO2 EMISSIONS: 191-198g/km PERFORMANCE: [120 HDi L1] 0-60mph 13.5s/ Max speed 99mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: [90 HDi L1] (urban) 33.6mpg / (extra urban) 42.8mpg / (combined) 39.2mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Driver’s airbag, ABS, EBA WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [L1] length/width/heightmm 4805/1986/1980