Peugeot was slow at getting into the light-commercial in the modern era, but has come in boots-and-all in recent months. Not only introducing a small van called the Peugeot Partner, but also a big mover titled the Expert. We have spent the last week shifting things around in a Partner and will soon get into its big brother as well.

France is synonymous with style so there's a healthy dose of chic in the looks of even a vehicle as apparently mundane as a van. Partner has large sculpted headlights that sweep back almost to the windscreen, thus following the latest bold theme in the current generation of Peugeot passenger cars.

The side windows in the doors are aimed at the hazards of loading docks and tight city traffic. So the windows cut well down and forward to give a big glass area. Then there are the very sensible bumpers, not only at the front and rear, but also on the side. If you’ve ever had the mind-boggling experience of seeing vehicles parked in Paris you will understand why.

The cabin is as stylish as the body, with neat curves and interesting angles. The gear lever for the five-speed manual transmission sits in an extension under the dash, to make for easier movement from one side to the other during deliveries.

Partner’s cabin is set up with three bucket seats abreast. The outer front seating positions are big and comfortable and remained so during long trips at the wheel. The centre seat is more comfortable than it looks and has reasonable knee space, but is really aimed at short term use. After all this is a small-medium van, not a giant load hauler.

Standard features include air conditioning, cruise control, power windows and door mirrors, and a driver’s airbag. A passengers’ airbag is optional at only $250.

Behind the cabin, stylists have taken a back seat (crook pun!) and have worked at maximising load space with a large, boxy body. Loading is easy because the rear doors go right up to the roof and open through 180 degrees. The sliding side doors also go to the full height of the body.

Peugeot Partner can haul a handy 850 kilograms in standard format, or 750 kg in the L2 variant. The latter has a longer body than the Partner L1, giving it the ability to transport loads up to 2050 millimetres long. The L1’s interior length is 1800 mm. Folding flat the front passenger seats means loads a further 1200 mm longer can be carried.

The Partner L2 has twin sliding side doors as standard; the Partner L1 either has solid sides, or one or two doors as extra cost options.

Though carrying big loads is obviously the number-one priority, the Partner is also designed to provide comfort and refinement. That’s partly because it’s sold in some markets as a small people mover, but also because European drivers demand vehicles with good on-road dynamics. Something that we really appreciated in our test vehicle because we did a lot of driving in it.

Power for the Peugeot Partner comes from petrol and diesel engines. Our test van had the more powerful of the two turbo-diesel units, the one that seems to be appealing to the majority of owners in these early days. With 66 kilowatts, and 215 Nm at a handy 1750 revs. It has plenty of pulling power at the engine speeds used in day-to-day driving.

The small-medium van market isn’t nearly as popular in Australia as in Europe, our operators generally going for the extra size of one-tonne vehicles. But those interested in cutting initial purchase and fuel costs should take a close look at models such as the new Peugeot Partner. It has good interior space but, best of all, is a real pleasure to drive from the point of view of handling and road holding. An area in which the Asian-sourced one-tonners often lag.

The complete Peugeot Partner range with prices (excluding on-road costs) is:

L1 1.6-litre petrol: $21,990

L1 HDi 1.6-litre 55 kW diesel: $23,990

L1 HDi 1.6-litre 66 kW diesel: $24,490
L2 HDi 1.6-litre 66 kW diesel: $25,490