New-look Citroen e-Berlingo boosts range to 199 miles

Citroën has given the ë-Berlingo electric MPV a bold new look and boosted its range by 20% in a bid to enhance its appeal.

Arriving in the UK in spring next year, the redesigned ë-Berlingo touts "saloon-like" levels of driver engagement, comfort and interior technology.

Changes under the skin include a new 54kWh battery powering a 136bhp motor, allowing it to travel 198 miles. This represents a 20% increase over the outgoing car, which claimed 174 miles from a 50kWh battery. 

The seven-seater has the ability to charge at rates of up to 100kW, so the battery can be replenished from 0-80% in 30 minutes.

It also has a 7.4kW on-board charger with the option of a more powerful, three-phase 11kW charger for home charging - the former taking 7.5 hours to get it to 100%, the latter 5 hours.

The more efficient powertrain sits underneath a redesigned body which takes influence from the Oli concept car, revealed last year.

The ë-Berlingo now sports Citroën's new oval-shaped logo and new three-segment LED light designs - a feature that will become a staple of the French firm's design language. The front grille has been made much smaller, too.

It also gets the brand's signature Airbumps on the side, which first appeared on the C4 Cactus in 2014.

The interior is less obviously changed, but now hosts Citroën's latest-generation infotainment system via a 10in touchscreen and comes with wireless smartphone mirroring as standard.

This sits alongside a 10in digital instrument cluster, and can be controlled using an improved voice recognition system that's said to be "natural, fluid and easy".

From launch, one trim level is available: Max. This brings 17in alloy wheels, roof bars, a new-look heated steering wheel and seats that have been designed to be as comfortable as possible on long journeys. 

Within this trim, customers can choose the M or XL body, the latter bringing two additional seats behind the second row.

With every seat folded down, total boot volume stands at 4000 litres for the XL - twice as much as in the Mercedes-Benz EQT.

Prices for the new ë-Berlingo will be revealed closer to its UK launch.