| A Week at the Wheel | Le Mans, France | Citroen C4 Picasso 5-seat |
The compact MPV market is probably the segment that has grown the most over the last decade. From nowhere Renault ripped up the rule book with the
Scenic and now nearly every manufacturer has an offering in the sector. One of the most successful of these was the Xsara Picasso of which Citroen sold 235,000, thanks to keen pricing, aggressive marketing and a solid product. The new C4 picks up where the Xsara left off and naturally spawned an MPV variant.
Rather than produce another bland inconspicuous blob, as many of its rivals have, Citroen has created a bold and individually stylish car. It genuinely turned heads - in a good way - everywhere we went, even if our test car didn't enjoy the benefits of one of the best colours available. The large glass house is integrated nicely into the design, with the profile and three-quarter angles offering equally interesting and pretty views. It's a true Citroen design that stands out brilliantly from its rivals; they vanish inconspicuously into the background when parked next to the C4 Picasso.
Inside, the innovation is equally impressive. Ergonomics, practicality and space are the keywords. It perhaps isn't as stylistically bold as the exterior, but it is massively spacious for a five-seat family car with plenty of room in every dimension - including the boot - for almost every eventuality. It coped admirably with our annual pilgrimage on
EuroTunnel to Le Mans, swallowing tents and all the associated paraphernalia required with consummate ease and providing comfortable accommodation for all of its occupants.
Flexible seating ensures the optimum configuration can be adopted to cater for any occasion and the boot is plenty big enough with all five seats in place, becoming cavernous with the rear seats stowed and offering a nice flat load space too. Given many seven-seat rivals have a rear row only useful for short spells (that includes its larger seven-seat brother) and many people don't have that requirement for the extra seats, the Picasso 5-seat offers the perfect blend of passenger and luggage space.
In the cabin, great efforts have been put into making the atmosphere light and bright. The glass house is massive, offering a great view of the world outside, whilst tints ensure there isn't such an easy view in. Up front, the dash is deep and the driver sits a long way back from the foot of the screen and the nose of the car. In some conditions the steep angle of the A-pillar can cause some issues with visibility, although that additional front quarter-light helps. The sun blinds retract further into the roof lining adding further to the feeling of a massively airy environment, although I wouldn't like to have to front the cost of a replacement screen.
The dials and visual interfaces with all the car's controls are placed in the centre of the dash, possibly negating the need for different tooling and parts for left- and right-hand drive variants, but also clearing the view out of the front of the car and making it easier for the passenger to adjust or set a variety of controls, although strangely, the master controls for the air conditioning resides to the right of the steering wheel. These would be better placed more centrally.
The driver enjoys control of everything required via the myriad of buttons on the steering wheel, itself something of a statement in that the central hub doesn't turn; you need to be careful with hand placement at first to prevent catching a finger or two. The switches themselves require a degree of familiarisation, but once mastered are a real boon that eliminates the need to reach across the dash or take your eyes of the road.
Driving the Picasso, one is aware of its size, which requires a degree of circumspection in enclosed spaces, but it's an effortless drive with light controls. The 1.6 HDi engine is a fine choice with plenty of torque for its modest capacity and it also benefits from decent manners. We racked up over 1,000 miles at the wheel and it performed admirably. Only on open A- and B-roads was it found lacking as overtaking manoeuvres required long straights or lots of planning. It also returned an average of over 35mpg; which is a fine result given the high-speed cruising we undertook in France and the fact that it was fully loaded.
The suspension errs on the side of comfort, as you'd expect, and there is a fair amount of pitch and roll in normal driving. The trade off is a supple ride that cossets the occupants and soaks up virtually every type of road surface with aplomb. Only high speed undulations unsettled the car, when it could feel a little floaty. Overall it's perfect as a family wagon though.
One black mark on the package is the automated manual 'box that, regardless of attempts to adopt a more catered driving style, has a very poor shift quality, lurching between gears - a characteristic that is exacerbated by the relatively soft chassis. It's a strange choice in that it offers the benefits of neither a manual nor an auto' and finds itself resting in a no man's land of transmission choice. It can be shifted manually via paddles on the wheel, but the quality never gets better and it received blanket criticism from passengers and drivers alike. It's by no means a deal breaker, but it needs to be tried before purchase.
Overall the new Citroen C4 Picasso 5-seat is a great car. The previous generation Picasso was a huge sales success, but some of that must be attributed to the fact that it was available for as little as £10k at times. This new car is an entirely different kettle of
poissons. It looks, feels, drives and
is significantly more expensive than the outgoing car, but not excessively so. The prices may have increased, but so has the capability of the car and Citroen isn't profiteering; the prices remain sensible and highly competitive, particularly given equipment levels. This car is already a success, winning a variety of awards at launch and selling 40,000 units in the first few months on sale. It's a deserved reward for the quality of the product.
2007 Citroen C4 Picasso range overview
| Model | UK (£ on-the-road) | Ireland: (€ on-the-road) |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 1.8i 16V 125hp LX | £14,550 | n/a |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 1.8i 16V 125hp SX | £15,550 | n/a |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 1.6HDi 16V 110hp LX | £16,040 | n/a |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 1.8i 16V 125hp VTR+ | £16,250 | n/a |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 2.0i 16V 143hp EGS SX | £16,800 | n/a |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 1.6HDi 16V 110hp SX | £17,040 | n/a |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 2.0i 16V 143hp EGS VTR+ | £17,500 | n/a |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 1.6HDi 16V 110hp EGS SX | £17,540 | n/a |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 1.6HDi 16V 110hp VTR+ | £17,740 | n/a |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 1.6HDi 16V 110hp EGS VTR+ | £18,240 | n/a |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 2.0HDi 16V 138hp EGS VTR+ | £19,340 | n/a |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 2.0i 16V 143hp EGS Exclusive | £19,400 | n/a |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 1.6HDi 16V 110hp EGS Exclusive | £20,140 | n/a |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 2.0HDi 16V 138hp EGS Exclusive | £21,240 | n/a |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 1.8i 16V | n/a | €26,400 |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 1.8i 16V Ambiance | n/a | €27,600 |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 1.8i 16V Dynamique | n/a | €28,800 |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 1.8i 16V Privilege | n/a | €31,850 |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 2.0i 16V Privilege EGS | n/a | €35,650 |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 1.6HDi 110 | n/a | €29,200 |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 1.6HDi 110 Ambiance | n/a | €30,400 |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 1.6HDi 110 Dynamique | n/a | €31,600 |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 1.6HDi 110 Dynamique EGS | n/a | €32,400 |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 1.6HDi 110 Privilege | n/a | €34,650 |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 1.6HDi 110 Privilege EGS | n/a | €35,450 |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 1.6HDi 110 Exclusive EGS | n/a | €36,300 |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 2.0HDi 138 Exclusive EGS | n/a | €40,000 |
| Citroen C4 Picasso 2.0HDi 138 Exclusive Auto | n/a | €41,000 |
