Citroen SpaceTourer toughened up with 4x4 E Concept

Following last year’s launch of the Citroen SpaceTourer MPV, Citroen is to reveal a rugged concept version at next month’s Geneva Motor Show.

The Citroen SpaceTourer 4x4 E Concept is powered by a 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine, which, as the name suggest, drives all four wheels. The E Concept has an extra 60mm of ground clearance over the standard SpaceTourer, while protective skid plates, aluminium roof bars and snow chains should make it pretty capable off road – assuming it makes it into production.

The standard Citroen SpaceTourer made its debut at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, and this van-based MPV can seat up to nine people; it’s aimed at both big families and business customers.

The SpaceTourer is built on a version of the platform already used for the Citroen C4 Picasso and Citroen Grand C4 Picasso, allowing the brand to offer it in three different sizes.

The standard-wheelbase version is be 4.6 metres long, while the M and XL versions, based on a longer wheelbase, measure 4.95 and 5.3 metres respectively. All can carry loads up to 1,400kg, and the XL version offers an impressive 2,932 litres of boot space with the third row of seats folded down.

The new SpaceTourer is only available with diesel engines, which makes sense given the load-lugging jobs the car will be used for. There are five different diesels to choose from, starting with an entry-level BlueHDi 95 – the only one of the five without stop-start technology. This returns 51.4mpg and has CO2 emissions of 144g/km. The most economical option is the BlueHDi 115, which is capable of 55.4mpg and 133g/km of CO2, while the most powerful choice is the BlueHDi 180 (48.7mpg and 151g/km of CO2).

Practicality is key for a big MPV and the SpaceTourer boasts a number of features to make it easier to live with day to day. The car’s sliding side doors can be opened automatically by the driver or by waving a foot under the corner of the rear bumper if your hands are full, for example.

The rear window of the SpaceTourer opens to allow access to the boot if it’s not possible to open the bootlid, and there are plenty of handy touches around the cabin, including a refrigerated glovebox, plus tables, sun blinds and power sockets for rear passengers.

The SpaceTourer is offered in two trim levels in the UK: Feel and Business. The Feel model will be available in all three lengths with five, seven or eight seats and is intended for families and buyers who need a large car for leisure purposes.

The Business model is available in the same three sizes, but with up to nine seats. It’s intended for professional transport use, such as taxis and hotel shuttle buses. Both models have sliding and folding seats, which means the interior can be configured for more legroom, boot space or total number of passengers as needed.

Citroen says the interior of the SpaceTourer is about calm, serenity, space and an uncluttered appearance. Equipment includes a seven-inch tablet-style infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and MirrorLink technology, sat nav, a head-up display, ‘smart beam’ headlights an parking assistance.

Available safety technologies include active cruise control, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, driver attention alert, road-sign recognition and active safety braking. All of those systems combined with the SpaceTourer’s construction led Euro NCAP to award the car the maximum five stars when it was crash-tested.

The Citroen SpaceTourer is on sale now, priced from £28,550.