About the sweet couple of new French vans Peugeot Expert and Citroen Jumpy we have repeatedly. In Europe, they have been on sale since last summer, and in July of this year, Expert and Jumpy should appear in our country. Even in winter, they were equipped for Russia, as well as improvements for our conditions. And now we have been told the Russian prices for Expert and Jumpy.
Compared to the European version (pictured), the ground clearance of the "Russian" Expert / Jumpy has increased to 17.5 cm
It is expected that cargo vans will be the first to enter the market: the “luxury” Peugeot Traveler and Citroen Space Tourer will appear later, and the entry of Expert and Jumpy passenger options to the Russian market is still in question. There is no clarity with the production in Kaluga - at least until the new vans are delivered from France.
Cruise control with speed limiter is standard on all versions
But there is no more uncertainty about prices. Moreover, the price does not depend on the brand now: Expert and Jumpy in the corresponding trim levels cost the same. The cheapest short van with a gross weight of 2490 kg (so that there are no problems with the cargo frame in the capital) with a body volume of 4.6 m 3, a 1.6 diesel engine with a power of 90 hp. and a five-speed "mechanics" is estimated at 1 million 300 thousand rubles. For a similar machine with a gross weight of 3.1 tons (carrying capacity of 1035 kg), they ask for a hundred thousand more. And for the most expensive Expert / Jumpy with a body volume of 6.1 m 3, a two-liter diesel engine with a capacity of 150 hp. and "automatic" Aisin will have to pay 1 million 725 thousand rubles. Is it a lot or a little? How to look.
Russian buyers of Expert/Jumpy will have to pay 48 thousand rubles for beautiful alloy wheels
For example, prices for a Ford Transit Custom truck with a body volume of 5.95 m 3 and a 100-horsepower engine start at 1 million 750 thousand rubles. Volkswagen Transporter with 5.8 cubic meters of space in the back and a 102 hp diesel engine. and even more expensive: at least 1 million 830 thousand. In such a situation, a couple of Expert / Jumpy should be a very attractive offer for Russian buyers.
Oh, how often a dilemma arises - either a lot, but expensive, or cheap, but not enough. Especially when the money is barely enough to not go bankrupt. In the world of light commercial vans, the French twins Citroen Jumpy and Peugeot Expert are designed to solve this problem.
Every week they come to my firm with a check from some government agency, greedy officials constantly “nightmare”, and then the city authorities finish off - they force the trucks out of the city, coming up with new restrictions ... How many problems!
Constructor for a merchant
I just introduced myself as a business owner, and my head was already aching. However, now one less difficult task. The choice of vans for transportation has become more attractive thanks to the new Citroen Jumpy and Peugeot Expert. More attractive in several ways.
First of all - in terms of size and price. Agree, in life, the search for a golden mean often ends in failure, no matter what you choose. It's the same story for vans. There is a simple, as three pennies, and affordable "Gazelle NEXT", where even foglights are considered "luxury". And there is Fiat Ducato or Ford Transit, but they are too big and expensive. So much space for cargo is not for everyone. And I'm not talking about the more comfortable and exorbitantly priced Volkswagen Transporter and Mercedes-Benz Vito.
This is where the PSA concern "shot" right on target with their Citroen Jumpy and Peugeot Expert. Sizes are average. Prices - too, from 1,299,900 rubles.
“Are you carrying air back and forth?” - Belarusian customs officer looked at the empty body of the Citroen Jumpy. Indeed, it would not hurt to load it - empty vans go harshly. And before entering Vilnius, add front parking sensors and a rear view camera to the equipment. Then it would be easier to turn around in the narrow streets and squeeze into the medieval arches.
The new Citroen Jumpy and Peugeot Expert sit right between heels and big vans. These are perhaps the most stylish "merchants" in Russia. However, this is exactly what is expected from the French: concave sidewalls, wide wheel arches and complex optics. In fact, the vans differ in nameplates and front design - Expert has its own grille, headlights and upper bumper with "horns".
Technically, the cars are completely identical - the same engines, the same options. And the same EMP2 modular platform, on which all new cars of the C and D segments are built under the Peugeot, Citroen and ... Opel nameplates. The Citroen SpaceTourer and Peugeot Traveler minivans were built on the same base. French vans will also have a relative from Japan - Toyota ProAce.
The interior of the vans is unified, and the main difference here is the nameplates on the steering wheel. Plastic everywhere is hard, as befits a commercial vehicle, but the designers played with its color and texture, as well as the shape of the parts. What, for example, are some faceted dials.
The front panel is located a little high, because of which the review suffers a little. In addition, you need to reach for the paper drawer and cup holders. A couple more cup holders in more convenient places would not hurt, but there are plenty of niches and pockets of various shapes and sizes - only there are three of them on each door. The open glove compartment on the front panel is designed for smartphones, inside it is a socket and an audio jack.
Usually French cars throw up ergonomic surprises like a handbrake on the left, but here everything is quite standard. With the exception of the washer-selector 6-speed "automatic". At first glance, it is unusual, but there are four standard transmission modes. Plus a separate button for manual gear shifting. Surprisingly, a commercial van has paddle shifters like a sports car.
However, he copes with gear changes without assistance and works smoothly with a two-liter turbodiesel with a capacity of 150 horsepower. The hydromechanical "automatic" Aisin is familiar from PSA passenger cars. For Moscow traffic jams, such a transmission will be useful, although it is more than 100 thousand rubles more expensive than a 6-speed "mechanics". Another engine option for new vans is a 90-horsepower turbodiesel with a 5-speed manual gearbox. There will be no jerky European "robot" in Russia.
Both vans are driven in a passenger way. Fuel consumption turned out to be quite light - in the region of 7-8 liters. The driver's seat with lumbar adjustment and armrest is well profiled, the back does not get tired of it. However, the three of us ride in the cab for long distances closely. It will not be superfluous to order a soundproof partition of the cab - the body resonates noticeably.
Style and charm do not prevent the vans from fulfilling their intended purpose: to carry goods. Jumpy and Expert are available in three body styles: 4.6, 5.3 and 6.1 cubic meters. The euro pallet enters the body across, and through the sliding side door - a narrow part. A special Moduwork system with a rising passenger seat and a hatch in the cab will allow you to load four-meter long items.
And the French brands decided to choose the “commercial front” for the offensive. We tested the new Peugeot Expert and Citroen Jumpy - an intermediate link between the small Partner/Berlingo heels and the big Boxer/Jumper chests. To make it clearer, the format of the trucks is most reminiscent of the Volkswagen Transporter.
Actually, the “French” will have to fight with the Volkswagen Transporter and Ford Transit. Who will win? The final score of the meeting will depend on many conditions: in particular, the cost of ownership and leasing features. Therefore, before the release of new vans, the Russian office worked very carefully on the financial side.
Why are the "French" better than the Germans?
1. Price. Expert and Jumpy cost the same. The simplest short van with a gross weight of 2490 kg can be bought for 1 million 300 thousand rubles. It will be a 90-horsepower 1.6-liter diesel car capable of holding 4.6 cubic meters of cargo. For the most expensive truck - with a 150-horsepower two-liter diesel engine, a 6-band automatic and a 6.1-cc body - dealers will ask for 1 million 725 thousand rubles.
And these are very attractive price tags! For comparison, for a six-cube Ford Transit Custom with a 100-horsepower engine and a manual transmission, you will have to pay 1 million 750 thousand rubles. The eminent Volkswagen Transporter with a 102-horsepower engine, which has a cargo compartment of 5.8 cubic meters, is even more expensive: in the basic version - at least 1 million 830 thousand.
2. Suspension. The route of the first test passed along the roads of Vilnius, which resemble the central streets of our provincial cities: there are no deep potholes, but there are more than enough patches and bumps. And here the vans performed "perfectly well." The suspension is not just soft, but dense, collected - as representatives of both brands assure, specially reinforced for our conditions.
Another advantage is that the cab is very quiet even when the vehicle is empty. And since the latest generation of Expert and Jumpy are built on the lightweight EMP2 platform, the twins also feel lighter and more dynamic than their competitors.
3. Transmission. On the first test, there was no base 1.6-liter (90 hp) diesel version, which is sure to provide the bulk of sales. But the two-liter car is a real bomb: 150 hp. power and 370 N∙m of torque for a three-ton truck - the perfect balance. By the way, powerful protection is installed under the engine crankcase - this is only for Russia.
And well done to the PSA concern that they decided to invest in a classic 6-band machine from the range of the Japanese Aisin. In traffic jams, the box behaves well - unlike robots, which begin to shift gears back and forth. Consumption? In the torn urban rhythm, it was not possible to burn more than 7.5 liters of diesel fuel on an empty car.
4. Equipment. Every manufacturer of commercial vehicles is trying to come up with some special truck "tricks". For Citroen and Peugeot, the reclining passenger seat has become such a “gadget”: you raise the pillow and you get an additional cubic meter for transporting luggage (there is a hatch in the partition for transporting long items, but this will not surprise anyone).
There is also one useful "driving" notion taken from the world of cars. The optional Grip Control system allows you to select the “dirt”, “snow”, “sand” modes - such an imitation of a differential lock is quite enough to take the load to some village (and only a madman can seriously consider a van as an off-road vehicle).
The salon can be two- or three-seater: however, it’s better not to send three large men together on a long journey - it’s a bit crowdedWhy are the "French" worse than the "Germans"?
1. Visibility. Apparently, in France there is a shortage of mirrors: very small “blanks” are installed on Jumpy and Expert. Moreover, mirrors - without wide-angle sectors! An unacceptable solution for a delivery vehicle. Or is it done on purpose so that the client will spend money on optional parking sensors or a rear-view camera? You can also grumble at the wide pillars.
2. Brakes. This, of course, is a matter of habit, but for some reason the French always make the brake pedal very sensitive ... It seems that you barely press it, and the car literally “stands up”. But from another strange feature of the Expert / Jumpy models - in the previous generation, the handbrake lever was located to the left of the driver - the engineers, fortunately, got rid of it.
We carry cargo
It is unfortunate that cars for Russia are deprived of an extremely useful option that is praised by the European press: the French were the first to put the “hands free” system on delivery vans - when you pass your foot under the side door and the electric drive moves it. Comfortable! But expensive. And Peugeot and Citroen have chosen a different strategy for the Russian market.
But manufacturers "adjusted" the characteristics of the vans to the capital's standards, since Moscow is one of the main markets for LCVs. So, the passport carrying capacity of the vans does not exceed a ton, which allows you to drive inside the Third Ring, and since the gross weight is less than 2.5 tons, the cars are not afraid of the “cargo frame” (a ban on leaving the main highways).
So the French are bringing really thoughtful, comfortable and maneuverable cars to the market. With high-quality ergonomic interiors. Only the question of reliability remains: how, for example, will Euro-6 engines behave, into which urea needs to be poured? But this question will remain unanswered for some time.
