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By
EWAN KENNEDY
1 September 2008
As well as entering
the fray of the light-commercial Australian market with a large
van called the Expert, Peugeot is also importing a smaller van
with the equally interesting title of Partner.
Partner
is less commercial than Expert, indeed in many other countries
it’s sold with added seats as a tall station wagon. So the van
variant benefits from the comfort and refinement built into the
suspension and steering.
But
first a word or two about style. It’s probably impossible for
the French to come up with a vehicle, no matter how apparently
mundane, that doesn’t have a healthy dose of chic in its looks.
Partner has large sculpted headlights that sweep back almost to
the windscreen. These follow a similar theme to the ever more
adventurous one we are seeing in the latest generations of Peugeot
cars.
The
big side windows in the doors bite deeply down and forward,
actually entering the area of the side guards. Thus they provide
not only fascinating looks, but also improved outward visibility,
a very handy feature when negotiating tight delivery docks and the
like. While on the subject of tight spaces, grab a look at the
oh-so-sensible bumpers. Bumpers not only front and rear, but also
on the side.
The
rear does succumb to an attack of boxiness, seems even the Peugeot
stylists had to bow down to the demands of the engineers and
maximise load space. The rear doors go right up to the roof and
open through 180 degrees. The sliding side doors also go to the
full height of the body so this small van is incredibly easy to
load and unload.
Partner’s
cabin is interesting in that it’s set up with three bucket seats
abreast. We did test the centre position during our initial road
test, and found it to be more comfortable than it looks. Then
again, we wouldn’t be keen on spending a lot of time there.
The
cabin is as stylish as the body, with neat curves and interesting
angles proving that a van doesn’t have to be boring. The gear
lever for the five-speed manual transmission sits in an extension
beneath the dash. This is to clear space for movement from one
side to the other during deliveries, and to provide reasonable
kneeroom for the aforementioned centre passenger.
Standard
features include air conditioning, a driver’s seat that adjusts
for height as well as in the other conventional ways, cruise
control, power windows and door mirrors, and a driver’s airbag.
A passengers’ airbag is optional at just $250.
Peugeot
Partner can haul a handy 850 kilograms in standard format, or 750
kg in the L2 variant. The latter has a longer body than the
Partner L1, giving it the ability to transport loads up to 2050
millimetres long. The L1’s interior length is 1800 mm. Folding
flat the front passenger seats means loads a further 1200 mm
longer can be carried.
The
Partner L2 comes with twin sliding side doors, Partner L1 either
has solid sides or is offered with one or two doors as extra cost
options. The wheelbase is the same in both vehicles, the extra
length all being behind the rear axle line.
Power
for the Peugeot Partner comes from a choice of petrol and diesel
engines, with a strong emphasis on the latter, as befits operators
in the commercial field. The petrol unit is a 1.6-litre producing
66 kW, and 132 Nm at a usefully low 2500 rpm. Much more likely to
be selected is a pair of turbo-diesels. These have capacities of
1.6 litres; but a different state of tune sees them deliver either
55 or 66 kilowatts. Torque is 185 Nm and 215 Nm respectively, both
at a handy 1750 revs.
We
have sampled the 66 kW turbo-diesel and came away most impressed
with the pulling power of this economy engine. Just as surprising
was the way the 1.6-litre petrol worked, we have sampled it in
other Peugeots and are amazed by how much is available from such a
small unit.
Though
Peugeot Partner is, obviously, aimed at the commercial operator,
we can see some lateral-thinking private buyers using them as
two-plus-one seat station wagons that can transport all sorts of
interesting bulky items.
Peugeot’s
new Partner van is reasonably priced at:
L1 1.6-litre petrol: $21,990
L1 HDi 55 kW 1.6-litre turbo-diesel: $23,990
L1 HDi 66 kW 1.6-litre turbo-diesel: $24,490
L2 HDi 66 kW 1.6-litre turbo-diesel: $25,490
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Marque Publishing Company
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