Review
Citroën Nemo mini MPV
Price: £12,445
/5
- Pros:
- Practical seating and sliding doors
- Loads of head room
- Very low running costs
- Cons:
- Poorly equipped cabin
- Flimsy build quality
- Lack of rear legroom
pictured: Citroën Nemo mini MPV 2009 5 door
reviewed by Carbuyer
Van-based Citroen Nemo was co-designed with Peugeot and Fiat, and it offers decent space and a hard-wearing interior for families on a budget. The sliding rear doors make access to the rear seats easy in tight spaces, and don't get in the way if you're trying to strap a child in a booster seat. Small diesel engine is economical yet powerful enough to cope with all but the heaviest of loads.
At a glance
- The greenest
- HDi 75 Nemo Multispace 5dr
£12,445 - The cheapest
- HDi 75 Nemo Multispace 5dr
£12,445 - The fastest
- HDi 75 Nemo Multispace 5dr
£12,445 - Top of the range
- HDi 75 Nemo Multispace 5dr
£12,445
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The Citroen Nemo Multispace is a compact budget MPV with seating for five people, a generous boot and sliding side doors. Resembling the larger Berlingo, the Nemo was developed in conjunction with sister company Peugeot and Italian brand Fiat. Only one engine is available, a 1.2-litre diesel engine producing 75bhp which offers very low running costs. The reasonable sized boot, high roofline and split/folding, tiltable rear seats create a very practical interior. Aimed at families looking for a cheap but practical car that offers more space than a traditional supermini hatchbacks, the Nemo Multispace faces competition from the Nissan Note, Hyundai ix20 and Kia Venga.
Drive
Well suited to pottering around town
High sided and fitted with a small engine, the Nemo Multispace struggles in fast bends and high winds, but the engine feels strong enough to keep pace with other traffic on motorways. The automatic gearbox is impressive, almost matching the manual version's 0-62mph time of 16.6 seconds. It's in town where the Nemo excels however, as the tight turning circle, good visibility, lightly weighted controls and effortless power steering all help to make low speed trips a breeze.
Comfort
Great around town, transporting kids
Up front the Nemo Multispace caters for taller passengers well with plenty of leg and head room. The seats lack support however, especially on longer journeys. In the back, legroom is quite limited and the back rests aren't very comfortable for adults. Suspension settings are well judged, and on smooth roads the lack of wind and engine noise is very impressive. On heavily used, bumpy roads the suspension struggles to cope, and the car jumps around.
Reliability
The Nemo scored a low crash test score
Scoring a rather disappointing three stars in the stringent Euro NCAP crash tests, the Citroen Nemo Multispace is clearly not as accomplished in an accident as some other cars. This score, combined with Citroen's relatively poor reliability record, mean the Nemo doesn't score well in this category. Also, it's suprising that electronic stability control isn't available on any Nemo Multispace models. Nevertheless, both front and side airbags are fitted as standard, along with ABS.
Practicality
Rear sliding doors are an excellent idea
Getting in and out of the Nemo Multispace is easy thanks to the sliding rear doors fitted to both sides. Once inside, rear legroom is slightly limited however, and only the front seats provide enough space for taller adults. The removable rear seats also split, fold and tilt, allowing countless configurations to expand the 365 litre boot up to an impressive 2,500 litres maximum- helpful if carrying awkward items. The large rear tailgate acts a useful shelter if caught out in the rain but it does require considerable space to swing open.
Value for money
Requires additional extras to feel well kitted out
Similarly priced to the larger Citroen Berlingo, the Nemo Multispace is based on the Nemo van and at first seems rather over priced. Some of the interior materials feel very cheap, especially when compared to the Hyundai ix20. Standard equipment levels are also quite poor. Air conditioning costs an extra £535 and rear parking sensors an additional £210. The optional Road pack (£210), includes roof bars and fog lights which as well as being practical improve the looks considerably.
Running costs
The Nemo is a very cheap car to run
The Nemo Multispace is very fuel efficient, returning up to 67.3mpg for the EGS automatic and 65.7mpg for the manual. With emissions of 112g/km it will cost just £30 per year to tax. Parts, servicing, insurance and tyres are all similarly priced to normal superminis.
