Thinking of buying a People Carrier with room for up to seven people? Well, what about if, for not much more, you could get yourself a smart-looking one with space for up to nine folk? That’s what’s on offer from Citroen’s appealing-looking SpaceTourer MPV.

Citroen’s first serious stab at the super-large MPV segment is surprisingly easy on the eye, aiming at what the brand calls ‘a sense of robust assurance without appearing aggressive’. Under the skin, this MPV utilises the acclaimed ‘Efficient Modular Platform 2’ (EMP2) chassis, one of the things that enables this model to offer so much interior space. There’s room for up to 9 spacious seats with 1,500 litres of boot space - or up to 4,900-litres of luggage space if you take out the removable seats. Available in three defined lengths, ranging from 4.60m to 5.30m, the SpaceTourer’s height of 1.90m is low enough to guarantee entry into covered car parks - a relatively rare attribute in this segment.

Sensibly, all the Euro6 units engines on offer in the SpaceTourer are diesels and if your needs are mainly based around lighter people carrying duties and short distance urban work, then the entry-level 95bhp 1.6-litre BlueHDi unit may well be quite sufficient: this engine’s also offered with 115bhp. For heavier payloads and longer journeys however, you’ll be needing the 2.0-litre BlueHDi model which gives you a lot more pulling power and is available with 150 or 180bhp, the most powerful unit mated to the brand’s efficient EAT6 auto transmission.

It’s time the super-large MPV segment was shaken up a bit. For too long, it’s been dominated by the Volkswagen Caravelle and the Mercedes V-Class, both models that sell at rather over-inflated prices. In comparison, this Citroen SpaceTourer looks a far better proposition.

The only real impediment to success might lie in the fact that you can get much the same recipe in this segment from the Peugeot Traveller and Toyota Proace Verso models that share this Citroen’s basic design. Still, if you get the right deal on a SpaceTourer and you’ve a Citroen dealer in close proximity, we think you’ll like it.

CAR: Citroen SpaceTourer
PRICES: £27,950-£34,230 – on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: TBC
CO2 EMISSIONS: 133-151g/km
PERFORMANCE: [115 BlueHDi M] 0-62mph 13.4s/ Max speed 99mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [95bhp 1.6 BlueHDi XS] (combined) 51.4mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and curtain airbags, ABS, ESP, EBA
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [XS] length/width/height mm 4606/1920/1905