The Peugeot Expert can carry a maximum load of 1,400kg and is available in three body lengths .

High and mighty

The Expert certainly has a presence on the road , with its winged headlights and wide , muscly looking bonnet . The new elevated vertical grille accentuates the Expert ’ s strong facade . The grille features the lion in the centre of a new dynamic , 3D embodiment , instead of the usual horizontal blades . Its trapezoidal Sparkling Grey edging with slight scalp motion in the upper corners enhances the elegance and modernity of the front end .

The sleekly designed side panels are structured with sharp lines and sculpted by concave door sills , which enhance the impressiveness of the smooth wheel arches extending out from them . The fairly low side protections and the solid black front bumper , that integrates air inlets across the entire width of the car , emphasises the robust appearance of the Expert .

When you get behind the wheel you feel higher than you actually are , so the driving position gives you superb visibility of the road out ahead of you . The cab feels spacious and comfortable and offers a range of practical features . There is ample storage space with two glove boxes on the passenger side , an A4 sized compartment on the dash , a pair of cup holders , a luggage compartment beneath the bench seat , and large door bins on both sides .

Twin sliding doors for the load area with electric hands free operation are a very handy addition , and you can also specify Blind Spot Monitoring , Lane Departure Warning and a rear facing parking camera with 180 ° vision .

A seven inch touch screen display on the dashboard gives you control of all your audio options , with Bluetooth and USB connectivity available . I found the touch screen to be unresponsive at times when trying to change radio stations , but the remote control behind the steering wheel means this isn ’ t a huge issue . The only other problem was the radio had a tendency to skip backwards sometimes – at first I thought Moira Stewart was reading the news headlines twice !

Loads to shout about

The Expert vans are available in three body lengths – Compact , Standard and

The Expert boasts a strong , robust and attractive design .

‘ The cab feels spacious and comfortable and offers a range of practical features .’

Long – and three levels of trim finish and are mainly suitable for business professionals who need load capacities of 4.6m3 to 6.6m 3 and to carry two or three people .

The Compact boasts a loading length of 3,320m , the Standard 3,670m load length , and the Long version 4,020m . Width between the wheel arches is 1,260m , and the three vans have a load volume of 5.1 , 5.8 and 6.6 cubic metres respectively . The Compact and Standard models both stand 1,900mm tall and the Long is only 40mm taller . All three versions can carry a maximum load of 1,400kg .

Steady as you go

The Expert offers a steady and smooth ride and is no slouch off the mark either . A prompt on the dashboard guides you up through the six speed gearbox ( automatic gearboxes are available with the 163PS 2.0-litre HDi ).

The manual effortlessly gets up to speed on the open road and while the automatic might be preferable for drivers who spend more time in town , the manual handles surprisingly well in urban areas .

Steering on sharp corners takes a little getting used to even with an empty load , and the breaks are a little oversensitive , but overall the Expert is a very enjoyable and comfortable drive .

42 | February 2017