With the help of Peugeot Traveler (and its constructive twins Citroen SpaceTourer and Opel Zafira Life), we want to find out whether a minibus really is a worthy alternative to family crossovers.
After all, it is not for nothing that they are bought by commercial organizations, but also by private traders. So there is something!
Peugeot Traveler
Maneuverability
Driving a Traveler is no more difficult than a spacious SUV or crossover. High landing, large glass area, comfortable, albeit medium-sized, mirrors – visibility is better than many modern cars.
You sit higher than most drivers. And over the roofs you can see much further. So you get a valuable edge – you noticed a dangerous situation earlier, it was safer and more comfortable for you and your passengers to get out.
The fact that you are driving a car with a length of 5.3 meters (we have an elongated version of the L3H1, where the rear overhang is 35 cm more) is only remembered when maneuvering in yards and parking lots. But you don’t feel any discomfort (especially horror) – you just squeeze it gently and look in the mirrors. A short hood and rear parking sensors allow you to confidently (albeit not always the first time) climb into tight spaces. Although I would not refuse parking sensors in the front and a camera in the back for greater accuracy (they are only on the top version of Business VIP). These assistants help to capture millimeters, reducing the number of “landing approaches”.
although not every parking space in the garden is ours. With such dimensions! Often you have to rearrange – then the nose sticks out, then the tail sticks out on the road. And I had to refuse to spend the night in the garage – it does not fit.
Dynamics and consumption
Diesel 150 forces and 370 Newton meters is enough to drive smoothly and at the same time confidently stay in the flow. And both in the city and on the highway. Sometimes you even forget that you are driving a car that weighs over two tons. Incidentally, a two-litre diesel engine is just as easy to carry both empty and loaded Travelers.
Nicely tuned machine. It softens the dip at low revs, slides into gears gently and in a timely manner, and doesn’t freeze on downshifts. Expertly chosen gear ratios: the bus accelerates like a passenger car. And what’s important – it consumes fuel in a passenger way. In mixed city-highway journeys, the average consumption was 8.5 l/100 km. Suddenly!
For passengers
There are six full seats in the second and third rows (if you don’t take the Business VIP version with two separate seats in the second row). All passengers have a lot of freedom in all dimensions. In addition, the backrests are angle-adjustable – you can sit back and relax. Children on long journeys did just that. Or led an active lifestyle, even in the dark. The rear light does not interfere with the driver’s driving behaviour. Overall, great car for family trips and trips!
In the back rows there are also their own air conditioners with a “stove”. They are turned on by the driver and passengers can adjust the temperature and flow. But if the outside temperature is not extreme, there is no need to activate additional airflow – the main heating and air conditioning system is sufficient.
A clear disadvantage of a high-floor car: it is difficult for young and old to climb into the cabin. The intermediate step is high above the ground and there are no handles on the pole to grab onto. You need to get out from behind the wheel and buckle up. In addition, in rainy weather, the legs of wet plastic slide off (it happened!).
for freight
With full seats, it fits in the trunk…almost a cube of luggage. And this is if you load flush with the backrests. Mainly it is convenient to transport large objects (household appliances, furniture, barrels) – everything that fits in a reclining passenger car (sometimes even with the seats folded down) can fit in the trunk of a minibus. Over 1.3 meters from floor to ceiling! Slightly narrower in width and almost a meter to the rear. The third row can also be moved forward – the “useful” torso length will increase by about 10 cm.
It’s even cooler to transport long stretches in Traveler. Medium (cornices, plinths) fit under the seats – “three meters” reaches only the front seats. Need a little longer? Fold the backs of the right seats – from the tailgate to the windscreen you get a corridor that is more than 4 meters long!
Traveler has dozens of options for organizing the cargo space. For example, fold all the backrests and put something not too heavy on them (for example, I transported bicycles). You can even turn the car into a van by pulling out both rows of seats. But here you can not do without an assistant. And although the rows can be divided into parts (they are “divided” according to the 2 + 1 formula), it is all the same – it is difficult and inconvenient to handle the double section.
TOTAL
Spacious, practical, economical! Traveler has enough earnings to seriously consider whether to buy a minibus instead of a crossover? To finally put the finishing touches, we swapped the Traveler’s 2-wheel drive for a 4-wheel drive. We collect new impressions and will certainly share them soon.
Peugeot Traveler, 2.0 (150 hp), A6
- Manufacturer -PSMA Rus LLC, Russia
- Year of issue — 2022
- In operation “Behind the wheel” – from May 2022
- Mileage at time of report – 42,000 km
Operating and maintenance costs (37,000-42,000 km)*
- Maintenance costs (37,000-42,000 km) 21 900
- Of which for fuel (diesel, average consumption 8.5 l/100 km) 21 900
- Cost 1 km running $4.38
* Excluding transport tax, as well as the costs of OSAGO and Casco policies.
In our “Park ZR” section you can ask a question about the operation of each editorial car.
A bus has appeared in our park. Of course, with the prefix “micro”, under the passenger category, with seating for seven passengers and a driver.
