Fleet Times was recently invited to the press launch of the new Citroen Relay at the headquarters of Trafficmaster just outside Milton Keynes. With just a couple of glimpses of the new model Gary Pollard had little information about the new model and what it has to offer fleet operators and white van man…

Citroen welcomed us with their usual hospitality and Phil Reed (Citroen UK’s PR man) catered to our every whim in his usual larger than life manner.

The reason Citroen decided to host the launch at Trafficmaster’s HQ and not, as is the norm, at a plush country house or hotel is because of the link up with Citroen in which every Relay comes fitted as standard with ‘SmartNav’ Trafficmaster’s sat nav system – which we will come to shortly.

On arrival at Trafficmaster, Citroen had lined up an army of Relays and positioned one in the foyer for us to view. As we gazed into the open loading space we realised just how huge it was.

We were topped up with coffee and cakes before being whisked off to the presentation of the Relay by Citroen’s commercial vehicle operations director Robert Handyside. Citroen now sell more than 25,000 vehicles a year into the commercial vehicle market and one in five vans sold in the UK come from Citroen.

Handyside told us that the New Relay is the fourth version since its launch in 1995 and now offers the buyer a choice of over 70 derivatives of the model. The model designation is easy and simple to understand and reads as follows:

• There are four gross vehicle weights,four heights and four lengths.
• Gross vehicle weights 30 (3.0 tonne), 33 (3.3 tonne), 35 (3.5 tonne) and 40 (4.05 tonne).
• Lengths L1 (short), L2 (medium), L3 (long) and L4 (extra long)
• Heights H1 (standard), H2 (high) and H3 (extra high)

…so a Relay 33L3H1 would be a 3.3 tonne long wheel base van of standard height – simple…

Handyside contined: “The unique standard fitment of sat nav and stolen vehicle tracking in new Relay vans is a major benefit for operators who otherwise have to pay up to £2000.00 + vat for sat nav on rival models.

“This, together with the Relay’s premium quality, intelligent design and advancd technology, clearly positions it at the top of the market.

In order to back up this statement we were then ushered outside and given the keys to one of the fleet lined up in the car park.

Climbing into the cab I couldn’t help but notice the car-like feeling in the cab and the space behind me for the load area was cavernous. This is a seriously spacious van and well in front of its rivals.

We were instructed to follow a route that had been programmed in to the excellent SmartNav that took us through all manner of driving conditions. They armed us with the traditional Yorkie bar, chewing gum and bottles of water and we were off.

The model is extremely responsive. A slight drawback was the the steering felt a little light when not loaded, but nothing to lose any sleep over.

Overall impressions of ride, handling and performance were very good and comparable to its rivals in this sector. I wouldn’t say it out-performed them but it is certainly a match for them. The sat nav system operated superbly and we reached our three destinations with the minimum of fuss and in total comfort.

I sometimes feel that CV manufacturers sometimes overlook the comfort of the driver when designing new models; strange when you think that the drivers of these vehicles cover some astronomical distances. However Citroen seem to have covered all aspects of driver comfort, entertainment, storage and safety.

The Relay is available with a range of engines: the 2.2hdi 100 (100bhp), the 2.2 hdi120(120bhp) and the 3.0 hdi (160 bhp). All these engines have designed to run on 30 per cent bio-diesel and offer terrific fuel economy and with the addition of a fuel tank that can hold up to 125 litres, downtime can be kept to a minimum.

ABS is standard and ESP is available as an option – a system which includes hill start and traction control. Security is a bit of a headache for fleet operators and they will be pleased to know the Relay is equipped with remote central locking, deadlocks and an engine immobiliser. In addition to this a perimetric anti-theft alarm is an option.

All these features plus the stolen vehicle tracking system all contribute to the Relays low insurance group ratings of group 5, 6, and 7.

A demonstration was held to show us the class leading load space and rear load height (just 530mm) and the tight turning circle (1.6m better than Crafter or Sprinter) to leave us all in no doubt that the Relay is relay, relay BIG and the van equipped for everything.

Throw in residuals predicted to remain at 50 per cent plus, and there is not a lot more you can say.

The Relay is a well designed, well engineered, class leading model and I am sure will continue to strengthen Citroen’s position in this sector.

The Citroen Relay is available now. Prices start from £13,750 plus VAT.