According to a recent media statement by PSA, its big vans and passenger vans are selling very well in European markets. Last September, a night shift was added at the plant which makes the Traveller and its LCV counterpart, the Expert. This was to be for six months, but the additional shift has now been extended “for at least one year”, the French OEM and its partner Toyota Motor Europe (TME) announced at the end of March.
As for Citroën, its equivalents to the Traveller and Expert are the SpaceTourer and Jumpy (Dispatch in Britain), while the Toyotas are the Proace and Proace Verso. All are built at the *SEVEL nord plant in the French town of Lieu-Saint-Amand/Hordain. *Société Européenne de Véhicules Légers du Nord
Bespoke version of EMP2 architecture
PSA and TME revealed all three models at the Geneva motor show in March 2016. The passenger versions are available as an MPV/minivan/monospace for private buyers and as a Shuttle for business users. Up to nine occupants can be carried. The Traveller, SpaceTourer and Proace Verso share powertrains and a platform.
These vehicles were the first to be based upon a modified version of Groupe PSA’s EMP2 architecture. This has the front part of that platform but the rest was developed especially for the Traveller, SpaceTourer and Proace Verso and the van variants.
EMP2’s modular design means that there are two wheelbases (2.92m and 3.27m) as well as two rear overhangs (0.80m and 1.15m). The combination further allows for three body lengths: XS at 4.60m (a claimed first in the segment) with the shorter wheelbase. Then there is the M at 4.95m and XL at 5.30m with the longer wheelbase.
No petrol engines, multiple versions of BlueHDi diesels
There are no petrol engines offered in the Traveller. Instead, multiple version of PSA’s 1.6- or 2.0-litre BlueHDi diesels are available. Each of these incorporates SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) and a particulate filter. The AdBlue tank has a generous capacity of 22.4 litres which Peugeot says will provide a range of 9,500 miles or 15,000km. Unlike most other vehicles which need a urea solution, the Traveller’s AdBlue filler is located in the middle pillar. It only becomes visible when the front passenger’s door is opened.
Depending on how many seats you need, the choice is as noted above, between XS, M and XL variants. Seating ranges from a minimum of five, up to a maximum of nine. It goes without saying that the 5,300mm XL versions show how small many UK parking spaces are. There again, so too do most F segment luxury cars such as the BMW 7 Series, Range Rover and the bigger versions of the Expert’s rival, the Mercedes-Benz V-Class.
