IT'S ALWAYS nice when something far exceeds your expectations. So it was with the Berlingo Multispace.

First impressions weren't good. The Berlingo may come in several eye-watering shades of metallic paint but no amount of garish colours, psychedelic interior trim (can you believe, green seatbelts?) and extra goodies can disguise the fact that the Berlingo started life as a van.

Now it looks like a van with windows and three back seats.

So it was for the first few days. I was suprised by the muscularity of the 1.8-litre engine but resigned to the early onset of understeer and slight waywardness in strong side winds. The Berlingo looked and felt like any one of those angular and upright Japanese funny cars designed for people who like to wear top hats a lot.

But, hey, Citroen has actually made a virtue out of the Berlingo's lofty profile.

There's a deep shelf running the width of the windscreen that's just the ticket for long items like an umbrella. And it's gently angled so rapid acceleration won't dump your brolly in your lap.

In the back I found hand cargo overhead storage nets, perfect for bags of sweets, small maps, a beach towel or even a Game Boy to keep the kids quiet.

Added to the wide and deep door pockets, the capacious glovebox and the handy underseat draws, this car was suddenly starting to make sense.

There's loads of room for back seat passengers, too. Carting a full load of people to Newcastle for an evening out a motoring colleague couldn't stop raving about the legroom and width he had in the back.

Then there's the boot. It's simply massive. I could have easily loaded up a sideboard without dropping the back seats and the family shop looked positively lost. And because the Berlingo is a practical motor, the boot is trimmed with hard wearing and washable plastic.

By the end of my test I was genuinely sad to see the Berlingo return home to Citroen.

It came to remind me of that old Citroen classic, the 2CV. It's got the same funky looks, the same massive sunroof (electrically powered now), the same comfy seats and the same Gallic charm. Heck, other Berlingo owners even waved to me as I passed by, just like 2CV drivers.

If it has a drawback then the only one worth mentioning is the lack of a sliding rear door for passengers.

As it is the Berlingo is a remarkably versatile vehicle. And with prices starting at just £10,840 for the 1.4 version, it's also thousands less than rivals like the Renault Scenic and Fiat's fabulous but freaky Multipla. So it's something of a bargain, too