Citroen Relay Review

Citroen Relay 2.2 HDi 100 - THE 100 CLUB

With a 160bhp unit in top spot and a 120bhp mid-Ranger, it would be easy to overlook the 100bhp entry-level engine in Citroen’s Relay Range. It would also be a mistake.

Can a driver really get away with just 100bhp to propel his large panel van? You could certainly imagine the stereotypical tea swilling, Sun worshipping white van man feeling a little emasculated with a mere century of horses to get him and his gutbuster breakfast physique from A to B. After all, there are superminis out there with way more power and a lot less bulk to shift.

The entry level Citroen Relay models set out to prove that 100bhp is plenty but will buyers and operators be convinced?

First, let’s remind ourselves that historically, 100bhp has not been an inconsequential power output for a commercial vehicle and even in the large panel van sector, it’s a far from piffling amount of grunt. The old Relay produced just 86bhp in entry-level form and its great rival the Vauxhall Movano campaigns with an 82bhp entry-level option. It’s only in the context of the ever more powerful vans and passenger cars which have been materialising over recent years that 100bhp starts to appear even slightly weedy. The question is whether the average light duty van operator actually needs an engine like the Relay’s 160bhp 3.0-litre lump or the 184bhp 6-cylinder unit that can be specified in the Mercedes Sprinter. We took to the road in the entry-level 2.2-litre 100bhp Citroen Relay to find out.

The Relay’s 100bhp powerplant bears little comparison to the kind of 100bhp diesel units found in compact passenger cars and just to prove it, let’s compare the two. With its sizable 2.2-litre capacity, the Relay’s lump is in a far more relaxed state of tune than a typical supermini engine. The 1.6-litre HDi diesel that Citroen will sell you in their C3 produces an impressive 110bhp but, crucially, it’ll give you 181lb/ft of torque at 1,750rpm while the Relay’s engine makes its 184lb/ft maximum torque available all the way from 1,500rpm to 2,800rpm. The panel van engine is designed to be tractable across a wider section of the rev Range, giving it the gumption to cope with heavy loads, steep inclines and devilish combinations of the two without drama or frenzied cog crunching on the driver’s part.

"The 100bhp HDi powerplant complements the smaller Citroen Relays in some style…"

Out and about in the 3.0-tonne short wheelbase, standard roof Relay (the 30 L1H1, for those familiar with the van’s less than obvious model designation structure), the 100bhp 2.2-litre engine makes a solid first impression. The van was without any cargo to hamper its progress but it pulled strongly and smoothly from low in the rev Range just as the pancake flat torque curve suggested it would. The five-speed gearbox fitted to these models (you get six-speeds with the more powerful Relays) aids smooth progress, slipping neatly enough between the well-spaced ratios and motorway speeds in fifth don’t have the engine working overly hard. Engine noise is well suppressed; unfortunately it’s the creaking and road roar emanating from the loadbay that do a lot of the suppression. Fit the optional bulkhead that separates cabin and cargo area and you’ll have a more refined van.

Whether the 100bhp engine is powerful enough will be down very much to the kind of usage that individual operators have in mind. The model we tested is capable of accommodating a 1,155kg payload but if your Relay is to be regularly burdened with that kind of weight, the 120bhp or 160bhp engines will be better equipped to make composed progress. Equally, if frequent long distance motorway trips are on the agenda, the bigger engines will be more relaxed companions and the variable power steering that accompanies them makes the Relay less of a handful at these velocities. The standard steering set-up on the model we tested was extremely light, combining with the Relay’s excellent turning circle to make parking and manoeuvring in busy areas a doddle. At higher speeds, it didn’t really inspire confidence when slight changes in direction were called for.

The Citroen Relay is available in over 70 different bodystyles with gross vehicle weights extending up to 4.0 tonnes but the largest panel van you’ll find with the 2.2-litre 100bhp engine fitted to it is the 3.3-tonne medium wheelbase, high roof. Whichever Relay body operators choose, they’ll be getting one of the most practical and thoughtfully designed loadspaces in the class. The loading height of 560mm will help keep the chiropractors from your door while the whole area out back is uniformly shaped with limited wheel-arch intrusion.

Quality in the cabin might not be up with that of some rivals, notably the Mercedes Sprinter and Volkswagen Crafter, but the overall design is more user-friendly with a multitude of storage options available to lose that vital piece of paperwork or Ginsters Buffet Bar in. All Relay models feature Trafficmaster satellite navigation and vehicle tracking as standard and this will be a major selling point with its traffic update and speed camera warning facilities also included. Be warned, however, that these add-ons are only offered with a one month subscription where you get three years use of the sat nav and tracking technology thrown in.

Thoughtfully, the manufacturer has also laid-on a comprehensive options list so that it’s quite possible for user choosers or generous bosses to really go to town. All models feature an overspeed warning to help drivers stay within the limit but there’s also an optional speed limiter that makes breaking it impossible. Automatic headlamps and wipers are also standard but there’s a reversing camera, climate control, Bluetooth connectivity and all sorts of other technological titbits to consider as options - if you have the spare cash.

Given free reign and the company chequebook, most van drivers would opt for as much power as the manufacturer in question sees fit to offer in a panel van but is it really necessary? On the evidence of this test, when operating mainly in busy urban areas with a modest payload in tow as many operators do, it’s not necessary in the Relay. The 100bhp HDi powerplant complements the smaller Citroen Relays in some style, keeping costs down with minimal drawbacks in terms of on road performance. Parting with cash unnecessarily is something that all good companies are loath to do and Citroen’s entry-level panel vans will be more than adequate for many.