If an outstanding small van with the quality and driver comfort of a car is what you want for work (and maybe something for the weekend), consider the Peugeot Partner.
Whether you are self-employed or a fleet manager, this smart bit of kit with large payload, cutting-edge tech and safety features, has trims to suit any business. Each model has a distinctive front design. 2 lengths, Standard and Long, with the same roof height and payloads ranging from 680kg to 1009kg. The Partner Crew Van has a long body with a 5-seat arrangement, 3-seat rear bench and mesh bulkhead, which folds and moves to create space.
Spec and trims
You can choose from 4 Partner trim levels. The fleet-minded Partner S, the Partner Grip, geared for building and construction and Professional Asphalt with its car-like kit. Standard kit includes a small steering wheel with dashboard and dials set above, double rear doors, full steel bulkhead, single slide side door (twin doors standard on Long and Crew), reach and rake adjustable steering wheel, auto lights, 6 load hooks in the load area and Bluetooth.
The Partner Grip trim adds grip control with switchable traction control for different surfaces, a 30mm raise roof height and mud and snow tyres for that extra grip. All are FWD whatever the model. Partner Grip, Professional and Asphalt all get 3-seat cab layout and a multi-flexi folding seat, (plus electric parking brake), where seats flip and fold for storage (the through-load facility for the bulkhead handles longer item loads).
The Partner Professional edition gets rear park sensors, cruise control and touchscreen DAB radio with Apply CarPlay, Android Auto plus 2 USBs. On top of this spec the Asphalt trim adds body-coloured bumpers, alloy wheels, Sat-Nav and rear and nearside cameras. But you can upgrade to these features on lower models too. A nice touch with the Partner is its car-like tech – automatic emergency braking and front camera (Safety Pack) for lane assist and speed limit recognition. Van security is also top notch with a remote-control lock with deadlocks and a separate load area opening and immobiliser.
The higher spec van alarm warns you of attempted break ins, while the sporty cockpit has overhead storage. All models and engines come with Stop-Start and electric windows, steel bulkhead, sliding side door (double on Long/Crew) and a reach and rake adjustable steering wheel. Also, 6 lashing edges for cargo floor, trip computer and central locking with deadlocks.
Pack addons
Peugeot also offers value for money packs addons. ’Surround Rear Vision Pack’ adds front/rear parking sensors and rear/nearside camera for blind spot warnings. ‘Safety Pack’ adds lane assist, speed limit recognition and active brake alert. ‘Safety Pack Plus’ adds to this, auto main beam, tiredness alert and traffic sign recognition. ‘Drive Assist Pack’ has adaptive cruise control on selection models.
Engine and fuel efficiency
This great small van is good on fuel economy, 52.3mpg and 50.7 mpg (HDi). The Blue HDi diesel (75, 100, 130hp) comes with a 5-speed gearbox for all lower engines, while the 130 has an 8-speed automatic gearbox.
Payload and load space
Partner’s payload is 680kg (Partner Blue HDi 75) and races up to 1,009kg (for the Blue HDi 100 in Standard body). The Long van holds a 940-954kg payload, while the Crew van holds 845kg. The Standard has 3.3m3 volume, which goes up to 3.9m3 with multi-flex (giving an extra 600 litres of space when the front passenger seat is folded, and bulkhead door opened).
The Long van has 3.8m3 load space (4.4m3 with multi-flex), while the Crew, has 1.8m3 space with all 5 seats in place (3.5m3 with the bulkhead forward in 2-seat mode, or 4m3 with rear seats folded and bulkhead open). You can fit a Euro pallet inside the Partner (1,550mm max load width and 1,236mm load height). The load length is 1,817mm on the Standard and 2,167mm on the Long (3,090mm/3,440mm with multi flex).
