Equipment

Don't expect the latest gadgets and entertainment features in your Nemo. Basic equipment includes remote central locking, front electric windows, heated door mirrors and a CD player. You can get air-conditioning, alloy wheels, cruise control and rear parking sensors, but you'll need to hit the options' list for them.

Space & Practicality

This is by far and away the Nemo's strongest area - there's an unbelievable amount of space for such a small car. You get masses of headroom and more than enough legroom in any seat. Access to the rear seats is easy, too, thanks to the wide-opening sliding doors and the high seats. The boot is huge, and if you need it to be even huger, you can fold down the rear seats or remove them completely for van-like accommodation.

Behind The Wheel

The driving position is good, with clear all-round visibility thanks to the huge windscreen, deep side windows, tailgate glass and large rear-view mirrors. The instruments and controls are sensibly located and easy to use. All Nemos come with full adjustment for the driver’s seat and steering wheel.

Safety & Security

The Nemo Multispace isn't equipped to the same degree as the C3 Picasso or Citroen's other cars. It does have two rear ISOFIX child seat mounting points, an immobiliser and front and side airbags as standard, but you can’t even add curtain ‘bags or stability control as options.

Quality & Reliability

There's no doubt that this is a car that's built to work hard; everything seems to have been designed with durability as the first priority. The plastics, for example, make up for what they miss in visual appeal with a solid feel; and while uncovered, painted metal may be a rare sight in a modern car's cabin, it seems to suit this car’s character.

Buying & Owning

The Nemo is pretty affordable to buy, and thanks to a standard stop/start system, it averages over 65mpg. Resale values are okay for the class, and you can keep costs down by buying a three-year/35,000-mile servicing package up front.

Refinement

The Nemo's cabin is a refined environment considering the car's commercial-vehicle roots. There's not much road noise, and wind noise is barely audible, despite the car's blunt front end. The diesel engine stays smooth and reasonably quiet however you're treating it, but some sharper bumps can occasionally knock through the rear suspension. The gearshift feels slack and imprecise, though.

Ride & Handling

The Nemo is based on a van, so you might expect it to feel a bit uncivilised. Not a bit of it. The suspension has been fettled to give a more passenger-friendly ride. It's soft, so it soaks up bumps pretty easily, but there's not much pitch on undulating roads. Yes, the body leans over in bends, but there's plenty of grip and the steering is quick and direct.

Performance

There used to be a petrol-engined Nemo, but nowadays there's just the one diesel engine on offer. It's not what you'd call quick - in fact, it's weedy at low revs - and it's at its best in town, where it feels quicker than the official performance figures suggest, but it will struggle with a heavy load and isn't especially flexible at motorway cruising speeds.

Citroen nemo pictures