Citroen Nemo Multispace road tests and consumer car reviews

Citroen Nemo Multispace TDi 2009

I’ve had this car from new, for some two and a bit years now. What attracted me is the headroom; my 3 sons are all 6’4" and over and, as you might guess, their parents, cousins, even aunts are snow-covered too. Plus its economy, going under 55mpg is a rarity for me. Pulling away from stopped is very much hit or miss; it isn’t all that keen to accelerate. It’s a very "practical" car. Boring. Clarkson would hate it. But the fuel bills are half what I had before, even allowing for fuel price rises. OK, I hate having become an old fogey, I’d much rather be driving something more fun, but, if you really want something that will (reliably, so far) get from A to B cheaply and with no fuss and packed with five tall (thin) adults and their suitcases - it can’t be bad..

Citroen Nemo Multispace 2011

The Nemo is the worst car that I have ever driven and this is all down to the sensodrive gearbox. The first problem arose when the vehicle was about 2 months old, the car was parked on a hill, I started the engine, engaged forward in automatic mode and without warning the car started to go backwards, I hastily braked narrowly avoiding another car. Tried selecting first in manual mode but no response eventually called the RAC who disconnected the battery but this did not cure the problem so the vehicle had to towed to Yeomans of Plymouth, the citroen dealer. They had the car for a week and I was assured that the problem had been rectified. The problem kept re-ocurring , sometimes when on the move I would sudenley loose all the gears. Took the car back to the dealer, this time it was there for three weeks and they eventually fitted a new gear box. Two weeks ago I started the car and once again could not select any gears, so for the third time the car was taken back to the dealer, they have requested a mechanic from Citroen head office to look at the car and they are now going to fit a new sensor, bare in mind that the car is now only about 9 months old. Other problems are:- In the winter the heater is useless, the windscreen ices up on inside and takes a long time to thaw out. . The rear seats are not easy to remove and refit and and are very heavy. I also found Yeomans of Plymouth very unhelpfull, very unfriendly staff, the complete opposite to the description on their website.

Responses to this review

I also have had no end of problems with the sensodrive gearbox: not changing when it should, very sluggish or when it does decide to change, pulling out into traffic can be quite hair raising. Citroen have had mine back, reset it and it was better for approx six months and now it’s just as bad or maybe bit worse. I Would not recommend it to anyone unless they have nerves of steel or a death wish. Citroen, get it sorted please! - Pattie Lloyd from Kent

Citroen Nemo Multispace hdi 2010

Car purchased for its ease of access for my elderly parents. I feel you get what you pay for with this car. Spring and summer driving is fine. Hard winter causes problems. Heater is useless, demister is poor, snow blowing into car via heater vents, windscreen icing up on inside and taking forever to thaw out. Rear sliding doors freezing shut and door controls sticking when pressed in. Poor traction on slippery roads. Good car for comfort, quiet ride and front end visibilty good. Poor visibilty to rear which becomes apparent when trying to manouver in supermarket car parks at night. Loads of space in the boot and even better with seats folded flat. Rear seats not easy to remove and refit and fixing brackets stand proud which makes extra space useless for some loads, unlike my previous Renault Scenic. Very disappointed with fuel consumption for diesel engine, averaging less than 45mpg with rural driving which seems poor compared with citroens figures. If you thrashed the engine you would probably achieve about 35mpg. Still, for a new car as said before you get what you pay for, and aside from faults listed is probably good value for a MPV and I would certainly recommend for anyone who drives for elderly or infirm parents.

Citroen Nemo Multispace 2010

Though only having my Nemo for just a week now, I can say that I feel it’s going to be a good car. The drivers seating is exceptionally comfortable, with lumbar support, seat cushion height adjustment, added together with the fully adjustable steering wheel. Being quite a tall fella, this has won me over. I feel that one critism I must make is, I believe it’s underpowered, I have the 1.4i Petrol, and you have to work really hard to get it up to a respective speed. I miss the power on roundabouts, a gap appears in the traffic, you go for it, then foot down and sadly not enough power is at your command. Also on taking deliverey of my car, I found that the stowage net was missing, the alignment tool when changing wheels was missing, also a plastic catch which the plugs of the boot cover snap into also was sadly missing. all small items I know, but for a new car should have been checked throughly. Still I am still happy with my purchase.

Responses to this review

I agree that the 1.4i petrol is fairly gutless. Overtaking requires balls of steel and a tailwind, however you get what you pay for, not many other one year old cars can be bought for £6.2k from a main dealer. I have however found that the lack of power combined with snow tyres makes it very competent in the snow. Mine has to put up with being driven two miles a day on rough tracks and also drives across fields regularly and it’s not broken yet. Strangely despite the lack of power, it has been used to tow a trailer grossing at 750kg a few times (yes I know it’s only rated at 600kg) and it didn’t seem to struggle any more than usual. Strut top bearings replaced under warranty after two years and 26,000 miles, this is a known fault and is characterised by the front coils twanging whilst manouvering. Averaging 39mpg which isn’t bad - Paul from Yorkshire

Citroen Nemo Multispace 1.4 diesel 2009

Downsized from Berlingo Forte but found it almost as spacious for carrying goods. Not so good for passengers, can only fit 2 child seats in rear, but slim adult will fit between them. Side vision not so good to rear but great wing mirrors. Mats in front not a good idea as they slide round too much but bare floor easy to keep clean. Could do with a bit more storage e.g. under floor as in Berlingo or over windscreen. This is my 1st brand new car and will probably be last (due to my age not car) and this car is great for someone with arthritis like me as easy to get in and out of. Daughters both think it is ugly but both use it when they need to carry goods so it can’t be that bad. Recommend it for young famlies, older people and anyone with buly things to carry. Not for style concious or boy racers.

Responses to this review

I love my Nemo. It’s been bought also as a replacement for a Berlingo Forte which was a much loved and used family car. It was used to carry tons of stuff including cats in cat cages, presents luggage etc up and down the motorway with no problems. When the Berlingo came to the end of its life and had become uneconomical to keep going, we started to look for either a new or used car. The new Berlingo was too big for our needs and we therefore looked at the Nemo and the Qubo. The Nemo won on tons of points - running costs on the diesel, servicing every 2 years (yes 2!!), low VED, space and full size spare (a rarity these days). Not the prettiest car in the world I agree but incredible value for money when you look at everything in reality. I would buy another one at the drop of a hat! - Kathryn Richards from England

Great functionality, space, comfort etc. Unfortunately not without problems, ECU failure at 7500 miles (9pm and -4C. Had to wait 3 hours for Citroen Assist) and now am having to wait 4 weeks for a replacement heater cable (snapped) at the coldest time of the year (9000 miles). Also experiencing ’pinking’ and dislike of moving off when damp! We love the concept but not the problems!! - Joe Hodgson from Herefordshire