ELECTRIC SENSE FOR LARGER FAMILIES (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_citroene-spacetourer_2022

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 69

Back in 2020, the options for full-electric power were growing in the sector for really large MPVs. Here was Citroen's take on this concept, the e-SpaceTourer. In 50kWh form, it won't go particularly far on a single charge, but it'll seat up to nine, help you move house or function as an executive minibus. All without using a drop of fuel. Here, we look at the earlier 2020-2023-era models.

Modelsword count: 3

5dr SUV (EV)

Historyword count: 150

At the beginning of the 21st century's third decade, one of the EV sectors gaining BEV models was that for large People Carriers. This wasn't really because manufacturers thought this to be much of a potential growth area. It was more because really big MPVs are always based on the kind of mid-sized vans that car makers, pressurised by governments, are starting to offer in full-electric form these days. By 2020, the Mercedes Vito, Peugeot Expert, Vauxhall Vivaro and Citroen Dispatch LCVs could all be had in full-EV form. So their MPV counterparts (the Mercedes V-Class, the Peugeot Traveller, the Vauxhall Vivaro Life and the Citroen Space Tourer) also got the BEV treatment. The Peugeot, the Vauxhall and the Citroen were essentially the same underneath, sharing the same Stellantis Group powertrain; it's the Citroen model, badged the 'e-SpaceTourer' that we look at here in its earlier pre-facelift 50kWh 2020-2023-era form.

What You Getword count: 675

Apart from the badge work and the charging flap, it'll be difficult for your neighbours to spot that you've switched your big MPV to full-electric power. This big Citroen is clearly van-derived, but the looks are modern and not too LCV-like. This MPV comes with medium-length (4.95m) 'M' and long 'XL' body lengths. What about inside the 8 or 9-seater cabin? Well up-front, you open the wide driver's door and step up behind the wheel to find yourself in a remarkably car-like interior. Changes to create this all-electric version were few. There's a driver selector toggle where the gear lever would normally be and you get a power flow gauge instead of a rev counter in the instrument binnacle. That's about it. To maximise passenger capacity, you get the dual front passenger bench that would normally be fitted in a Dispatch van. The fascia's focal point is found with the centrally-situated 7-inch colour touchscreen. It includes a 'Mirror Screen' feature, so you can duplicate your smartphone's display onto the monitor via either the 'Apple CarPlay' or the 'MirrorLink' 'Android Auto' systems. What about the rear passenger compartment? Well the battery installation didn't compromised passenger or cargo space in any way. All the rear seats can be removed to reveal a van-like cargo area, but they've heavy and awkward to lift and you'd need a big garage to store them in. The second row, as on all van-based models, is accessed by a sliding side door. Inside in the middle of the cabin, you'll find an outer single seat paired with a two-person bench. It's all a bit minibus-like, but you get ample knee, shoulder and head room. As for the third row of this e-SpaceTourer, well the outer passenger-side seat lifts and tilts forward to aid access, something further aided by the provision of higher roofline than you'd find in something more car-like - say a Ford Galaxy. Once you're in and seated on the three-person bench, you'll be reminded just why medium-sized vans make such a great starting point for a properly large family-sized MPV. Instead of being crammed in cattle-class, as you would be in even the largest car-based People Carriers, there's more than enough space here for arms, legs and heads. What about luggage capacity? Well the space you get with all three rows of seats in place obviously varies depending on the body style you've chosen. With the mid-range 'M' body shape, there's 627mm of length from the back of the third seating row to the tailgate, which means you get 700-litres of cargo space up to the level of the load bay cover - or as much as 900-litres if you were to load to the roof. With the top 'XL' body shape, you'll have an enormous 1,060-litres to play with up to parcel shelf level - or up to 1,500-litres if you were to load to the roof. A lot of the time of course, you'll be using this Citroen with only five seats in place. If on the 'M' model, you fold the third row backrest onto the seat base, you'll increase loading capacity to 1,100-litres - or 2,300-litres if you were to take the third row chairs out entirely. The 'XL' variant with the third row taken out could offer up to 3,100-litres of capacity up to roof level. Finally, let's cover the capacity you'd get when you only need the front two seats. In the 'M' model with second and third row backrests folded onto their bases, you'd have 2,000-litres of space up to parcel shelf level and 3,000-litres up to roof height. If you were to entirely take the second and third row seating out, those figures would each rise by 1,200-litres. To give you an idea of ultimate carriage potential across the e-SpaceTourer range, in an 'XL' model with just driver and front seat passenger in place and all the rear seats removed, the total potential capacity would be a removal van-like 4,900-litres. That's a lot more than you'd get in many sizeable vans.

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