ANYONE who thinks creature comforts, top notch technology and good handling goes out the window when opting for a ‘practical' car should check out the latest Citroen Berlingo Multispace.

It's billed as a car for enjoying life with its modern design and flexible practicality and in fairness to Citroen it is exactly that.

Admittedly, the upright and somewhat box-like stance may not be to everyone's taste, but this is a car that can provide comfortable seating for five adults with the practicality of sliding rear doors - and they can bring along all the luggage they want.

Eye-catching features include 16-inch alloys, body-coloured door mirrors and black door handles, dark tinted rear and tailgate windows, daytime running lights, front fog lights and plenty more besides.

The interior is beautifully spacious with light flooding through the four-part sunroof. Features include sat nav, air conditioning, a good audio system with CD player and USB and MPs connectivity, Bluetooth, cruise control, plus a child surveillance mirror to keep a watchful eye on the little'uns in the back.

This model also featured the Modutop storage option (£700 extra) which adds roof rails, glass roof sections, and overhead aircraft style storage space.

Powered by a 1.6-litre diesel engine, the Berlingo Multispace can reach 62mph from a standing start in 12.1 seconds and tops out at 107mph. The fuel economy is 55.4mpg on a combined run with carbon emissions of 134g/km.

And when it comes to performance the car actually handles very well and is deceptively nippy. Admittedly, sharp bends have to approached with some caution and you can expect to feel some wind resistance on gusty days, but that aside, it coped admirably with every eventuality.

The all-round visibility is excellent and large door mirrors are an added bonus on a car that is likely to be used on regular school runs.

The Berlingo Multispace is happy weaving through busy city centre traffic, but can certainly hold its own on faster moving motorways too where acceleration through the five-speed manual transmission is both smooth and nicely responsive. That said, on more than one occasion I did look for a non-existent sixth gear.

And a sudden change in the weather shouldn't cause any hold-ups either as the car is equipped with multi-terrain capabilities which can be adjusted via a simple dial to enable it to tackle snow, mud or sand.

Storage options throughout the vehicle are comprehensive with a boot capacity of 675 litres with all the seats in an upright position or 3,000-litres with the seats flat. Elsewhere there is a very deep central bin, split-level glove-box, cup holders, good-sized door pockets along with a storage drawer under the front passenger's seat.

And as one would expect, the Berlingo Multispace is fully equipped with a host of safety features, including anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution, electric stability control, numerous airbags and much more besides. In the Euro NCAP safety ratings the car was awarded four stars out of a maximum five.