We managed 44.1mpg on a good mix of motorway hauls and round-town stuff and that’s not a bad score, seeing as we weren’t purposely driving for maximum economy.

As the engine eases up, we reckon we’ll be able to nudge that figure up.

We also got the chance to try out the Berlingo’s second passenger seat when my partner and daughter-in-law both wanted a lift into town – a journey of some five miles.

There doesn’t appear to be any legroom for the middle occupant and as my daughter-in-law is heavily pregnant, we doubted whether both could fit in.

But with my partner swivelling her legs round to the left a bit, we all fitted in snugly.

Mind you, both women said they wouldn’t fancy a long trip under such conditions.

However, I’d still vote this seat a useful addition and the Berlingo and its twin, the Peugeot Partner, are the only vans in this sector to offer such a facility.

The recent snow and ice have given me the chance to test out the traction control system that we have as a paid-for option on our test model – it forms part of a £350 ex-VAT Plus pack which also includes hill-start assist and a passenger airbag.

Until the snow fell I hadn’t experienced this addition, but no sooner had we seen a good fall of the white stuff than that little orange light was winking away on the dashboard, helping to keep me safe on the roads.

I can’t stress how important traction control – or ESP as it’s known – is.

It works away on its own, easing up the power on individual wheels if it feels a sideways skid coming on and it is reckoned to save thousands of lives a year already.

In my opinion, the sooner the EU makes this safety device a standard item by law on all vans, the better.

• In my last long term report I stated that the second passenger seat in the Berlingo is a paid-for option. In fact, it is standard fitment on LX models.