Citroen Relay Tipper Review

The Citroen Relay Tipper at a glance

The tipper van has been a staple of the commercial vehicle world ever since its very first iteration as a late 19th century farming vessel. For today’s industrial challenges, the Citroen Relay Tipper is an excellent choice for delivering on a range of haulage tasks. Dubbed by its manufacturers as the “Ready to Run” Tipper, this model is both sturdy and highly practical, built with commercial use in mind.

Features include a purpose-built loading area and a work-friendly cab space, perfect for the busy schedules of bricklayers, landscapers and refuse collectors. With two length versions available, you’re guaranteed to find the perfect balance between loading capacity and up-front seating to suit your business.

Read on for a complete overhaul of this vehicle’s driving specifications and interior features, with an analysis of how these are designed to complement commercial use.

Engines and Spec

The Relay Tipper is built to complement Citroen’s 2.2 litre diesel engine, which provides 165 bhp as standard. This delivers top-quality torque and vehicle manoeuvring capabilities, even when the van is packed with heavy cargo. It is worth noting that this is Citroen’s newest HDi diesel engine, which is designed to be more fuel efficient and environmentally sound than previous engine models.

This model comes with two length options, where the L2 single cab delivers a maximum payload of 1222 kg, compared to 1033 kg for the L3 crew cab option. These payload options are pretty impressive for this van type, where loading capabilities are furthered by the vehicle’s state of the art tipping unit, powered by an electro-hydraulic power pack. This tipper utilises underfloor tipping gear that includes overload and hose burst protection for added peace of mind.

The body itself is also built for robustness where a steel bulkhead, gantry and zinc plated corner pillars are all designed to protect your vehicle from the elements and keep you safe in the event of a collision. A hard-wearing ladder rack with galvanised mesh infill will also help to make loading easier, whatever your cargo requirements.

Interior

The Citroen Relay Tipper varies in loading space depending on the length you’ve chosen. The L2 delivers an impressive internal length of 2870 mm, whilst the crew cab L3 is a shorter 2670 mm, but provides an extra row of seating to accommodate larger on-site teams.

The load deck is designed with regular use in mind, where it is crevice-free to eliminate any clogging risks, whilst lashing rings are an essential feature for keeping your cargo secure. This is perfect for transporting large loads of bricklaying or groundworks equipment, or for ensuring your materials stay in place until you arrive at your construction space.

Within the cab, the seating area is designed to deliver excellent lumbar support complete with front door armrests and non-slip floor covering. The driver’s seat includes further adjustable elements designed to ensure long-drive comfort if you’re on an extended delivery or refuse collection route.

This model also makes the most of the cab space in terms of additional dashboard features.  A comfort gear lever is included in the dashboard to boost your driving enjoyment, whilst extra technology such as bluetooth connectivity, air conditioning and a digital radio are all added to ensure your cab area feels like home.

The Relay Tipper doesn’t compromise on interior storage either, with two glove boxes and overhead shelf storage units. There is also the option to add an extendable writing panel, which can help to make the cab area into an effective on-the-go office space where you can manage all your business needs in a compact space.

Additional safety features ensure that this vehicle is driver-friendly as well as robust and practical. Central locking and alarm lights protect your vehicle in an emergency, whilst optional grip control technology can assist in driving over difficult terrain. A safety cut-out switch is also incorporated into the handset to help you manage the tipper unit, an essential feature for collecting waste or delivering construction materials  in tight suburban areas.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Impressive payload and loading capabilities to appeal to a range of construction industries
• Powerful tipping mechanism to make loading and unloading easier
• Comfortable and spacious cab to make long delivery routes more pleasant for the whole crew

Cons

• A degree of compromise involved when choosing between additional crew space or loading capacity with the L2 and L3 lengths
• More environmentally friendly vans are available if you’re worried about the carbon footprint of your business
• Parking sensors not included as standard which could reduce manoeuvrability in residential areas

The Verdict

So the Citroen Relay Tipper has a range of excellent cargo management features that have been purposefully designed to support commercial use. If you’re a refuse collector, bricklayer or landscaper, you will find this vehicle’s payload and tipping mechanism exceptionally useful.

Contact us today at Van Sales UK to find out more about our full selection of new and used vehicles.