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CLASS OF THE CLASS
Suspecting that Citroen’s C4 Picasso was the best mini-MPV you could buy, we added one to our long term test fleet. Four months on, we’re very happy with it. Jonathan Crouch reports

Let’s face it, if you’re after a mini-MPV, then you’re not short of choice. Almost every mainstream maker will try to convince you that its product is a market leader. So when buyers in this sector come to us for advice as to which car really best cuts the mustard, then the decision isn’t easy. Or at least it wasn’t until we first tried Citroen’s C4 Picasso.

First impressions were so positive that we decided we needed a second opinion – and several others. As a result, a few months later, this car joined our long term test fleet. We’ve been running it now for nearly four months. And no, our initial impressions haven’t changed. This is still the best mini-MPV you can buy. You want to know why? Fair enough. Let’s start with the basics. There’s a wide choice, with buyers able to opt either for a five-seat version or the Grand Picasso model with seven seats. Affordability comes next. The asking prices are realistic and the running costs (in the case of the HDi diesels anyway) amongst the lowest in the class. But then you could say the same about, say, a Renault Scenic. What sets the Citroen apart? We think avant garde design. It isn’t just that this car is easily the best-looking in the class (though in our opinion it is): it’s just that everywhere you look, there’s a clever piece of design. Highlights include the unique fixed hub steering wheel and the high-topped ‘jet fighter’ front windscreen. If you push your Citroen dealer with tales of poverty, they’ll be forced to admit that this car’s predecessor, the old Xsara Picasoo, is still for sale for a couple of thousand less but please stretch up to a C4 – whatever it takes. Life’s too short for mediocrity. Mind you, clever design is all very well but it’s not much use if the car in question has the build integrity of a fisher price toy. To be honest, Citroen models of the past have been guilty on this particular score but this one seems to be a real step forward in this respect. But then, our car is less than a year old, so you should be able to expect nothing less. Perhaps more to the point, other owners we’ve spoken to are equally happy with their cars.

"Our initial impressions haven’t changed. This is still the best mini-MPV you can buy…"

Our usual range of testers have been grabbing the keys to this car. In fact, our Road Test Editor was so keen to drive it that he abandoned his expensive prestige-brand test model and snaffled the C4 for a week’s skiing in the Alps. It returned grubby but none the worse for the experience. Closer to home, my usual family team have been applying sticky fingermarks all around the interior – that’s my wife, Katie (not guilty of the grubby fingermarks), plus Caris (9), Ellie (7) and baby Amy (2). All three kids are well capable of reducing a spotless car to a playroom mess in no more time than it takes to visit the local shopping centre. On arrival, the setback trays will have been pulled out of their sockets, muddy boots will have decorated the carpets with a liberal coating of slime and a decorative frosting of crunched-out crisps will have been frosted around the rear passenger compartment. Ah, the joys of parenthood. For our long term testcar, we opted for the five-seat version on the basis that Citroen expect to sell rather more of them here in the UK – though apparently, there’s no much in it. Had I had a free choice, I’d have paid the small increment extra to have the extra seats for those times when my mother wants to accompany us to the garden centre or the kids want to bring friends home from school. With a choice of a 127bhp 1.8-litre or 143bhp 2.0-litre petrol engines or 110bhp 1.6 or 138bhp 2.0-litre HDi diesel units, C4 Picasso drivers won’t be wanting for decent powerplants. We went for the 2.0-litre diesel, but the 110bhp 1.6-litre diesel would have been just as acceptable. Either way, you really want a diesel if you’re going for a car of this kind: I can’t really see any argument for buying a petrol unit aside from the price premium being charged up front for the diesel option. Whether you can justify this comes down to a simple issue of how many miles you’re likely to cover. If you’re simply using the car to go to the shops and back, then yes, petrol is probably your best bet. Otherwise, opt for the HDi every time. I mentioned in an earlier report that my wife wasn’t usually intrigued by family cars but she was interested by this one. She still is. Like most people new to the C4 Picasso, her initial attention was immediately drawn to the clever wide-angle panoramic windscreen that rises up and over the front seat occupants, doubling vertical visibility in the front to seventy degrees compared to 35 degrees in a standard MPV. This might sound a little pointless but it actually makes a surprising amount of difference to the ambience inside the cabin. And if you’re a mother with three screaming children to keep quiet on the school run, then that really matters. Not having driven the Citroen C4 hatchback before, Katie was also interested by the Picasso’s steering wheel, which features the same clever arrangement where the wheel turns around a fixed centre hub on which are mounted all the main controls. Why has no one thought of such a simple, eye-catching and clever idea before, she wanted to know? I couldn’t answer that one. The driving experience is, as was its predecessor, geared towards comfort and safety rather than outright handling prowess. But then if you’re buying a car of this kind, then on-the-limit handling is not likely to be high on your list of ultimate priorities. Katie always snorts when I mention it in connection with any family-orientated car. I can see her point. Which brings me back to where I started. If you need a mini-MPV. If you want a mini-MPV (and yes, there is a difference), you still need to try this one. Sometimes things really are that simple. 

Facts At A Glance CAR: Citroen C4 Picasso range PRICES: £13,995-£22,430 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 6-9 CO2 EMISSIONS: 150-190g/km PERFORMANCE: [2.0HDi 138] 12.5s 0-60mph / 121mph top speed FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0HDi 138] 35.8 (urban), 55.4 (extra urban) 46.3mpg (combined) STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: ABS with EBD, ESP, 7 airbags, 3-point seat belts. WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/Width/Height 4470/1830/1680mm

SMOOTH OPERATOR
A trip to France showed our long term Citroen Piccasso in a favourable light. Steve Walker reports.

We hit the outskirts of Paris and it became clear something was amiss. Back on home turf, the Citroen C4 Picasso’s satellite navigation system might have been expected to display some local knowledge and pull-out an ingenious short-cut or two. Instead, it was guiding us directly into the teeth of the perfect storm that is the French capital’s notorious rush hour. Some scrolling around and zooming in on the dash-mounted display screen revealed the true horror of a demented route that appeared to take in the Champs Elyse and pass directly beneath the Eiffel tower. This was going to scupper our schedule something rotten. It was time to break out the road atlas, disable the computer and take evasive action.

It’s amazing how some journeys look perfectly manageable on a map. Journeys like the brief squirt from the Calais ferry terminal to the farmhouse we’d rented in the Pyrenean foothills south of Toulouse. In reality, a missed ferry (kindly arranged by P&O Ferries; www.poferries.com) and the small matter of gay Paris being inconveniently located slap bang in our path were complicating matters and the trip was beginning to seem like every one of its 650+ miles. The map book was studied, the worst of the Paris traffic was avoided and before too long the C4 Picasso was ploughing down the sparsely populated autoroutes in the desired southerly direction. With the satellite navigation switched off and in disgrace following its attempted Parisian sightseeing tour, the car settled into its native habitat perfectly. In the UK the C4 Picasso can feel bouncy over our appalling road surfaces but it glided over the well-tended French tarmac with the 1.6-litre HDI diesel engine murmuring away in the background. With the roomy leather seats of our Exclusive model to sit in and a handy armrest to prop a weary elbow on, the Citroen was revealing itself as an outstanding motorway car.

"…for long motorway journeys, there’s very little that’s better at this price"

The 110bhp 1.6-litre diesel engine will sit on its cruise control at 85mph very happily on French autoroutes, returning nearly 45mpg even at that velocity. If you’re not a fan of cruise control, and many aren’t, there’s also a handy manual speed limiter function that will prevent you inadvertently creeping over the posted limit. With a maximum speed of 125mph, the C4 Picasso had plenty left to give, so when driving it without the cruise or the limiter switched on, it was easy to accidentally creep up towards the three figure mark on empty, featureless autoroute sections. The positive opinion of the Picasso was shared by all four occupants as legroom in the rear of our five-seater model was very generous. There’s plenty of storage space in the car as well and our Exclusive model seemed to have had every conceivable option levered into it. As well as the sat nav, there was the optional hi-fi pack, metallic paint, big alloy wheels, leather heated seats and front parking sensors. Most of these options are unabashed luxuries but if you’re shopping for a C4 Picasso, I’d strongly recommend the parking sensors. The front of the car disappears from view beyond the steeply raked windscreen and even the tallest drivers won’t be able to see the extremities while manoeuvring in tight spots. The journey south was completed without any more undue drama and the C4 Picasso was presented with the slightly different test of a week on the mountain roads of the Pyrenees. The ESG automatic gearbox works fine when driven in a relaxed fashion in automatic mode but try to press on a bit up the steep inclines and tight bends that characterise the roads in the area and it can get confused. To avoid the auto ‘box changing down at inopportune moments, the manual paddle shifters can be selected and these give far more control. The other aspect of the C4 that takes a little getting used to is the brakes which are very much all or nothing. Trying to reduce speed and stop smoothly in the Citroen is quite an art, especially at low speeds where the merest tickle of the substantial brake peddle brings everything to an abrupt halt. The C4 Picasso was not the most engaging car to hurry along a mountain road with its soft ride and tendency to lean in corners but the memory of how it had excelled on the long straights of the journey down meant that most indiscretions could be easily forgiven. The column mounted gear selector is sometimes awkward to use when manoeuvring at low speeds and the central display isn’t ideally located for checking your speed but there were plenty of other aspects of the car that worked beautifully. We even managed to use the boot light that doubles as a detachable torch on one particularly dark night - a feature that I had previously written–off as a useless gimmick. On the return leg, the Citroen C4 Picasso took to the motorways with the same composure it has shown on the way down and rounded off a trip that had shown the car in an extremely favourable light. As an all-round family vehicle, the Picasso is a real winner and for long motorway journeys, there’s very little that’s better at this price.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Citroen C4 Picasso range PRICES: £13,995-£22,430 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 6-9 CO2 EMISSIONS: 150-190g/km PERFORMANCE: [2.0HDi 138] 12.5s 0-60mph / 121mph top speed FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0HDi 138] 35.8 (urban), 55.4 (extra urban) 46.3mpg (combined) STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: ABS with EBD, ESP, 7 airbags, 3-point seat belts. WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/Width/Height 4470/1830/1680mm

PIC OF THE PACK?
Citroën’s C4 Picasso brings a new sophistication to the mini-MPV market. It’s available in Grand guise as a seven-seater for big families and as a smaller bodied five-seater for those with more modest reproductive aspirations. Andy Enright tries the five seat model

These days, it’s not good enough just to launch one mini-MPV: you have to launch two. Hence cars like Renault’s Scenic and Grand Scenic and the model we’re looking at here, the Citroen C4 Picasso, the five-seater stablemate to the French maker’s Grand C4 Picasso.

Citroën certainly offers plenty of MPV choice to an apparently hungry market. There’s the van-based Berlingo Multispace for budget buyers, or the old Xsara Picasso for those of them who can’t cope with being mistaken for a delivery driver. Above the C4 Picasso models, there’s also the larger C6. But do you really need something that big? The answer for most mini-MPV buyers is probably not – and for them, this 5-seat C4 Picasso, priced from £13,995, may prove to be a perfect package. Citroën’s original Xsara Picasso was a testament to the French company’s boldness and clever dealer support. In the year preceding its launch, an intriguing case study played out in the mini-MPV market. The Vauxhall Zafira was launched, going down the rather unexciting route paved by the Renault Scenic. Also launched that year was the Fiat Multipla, a hugely superior car that was bold and refreshing. And, it transpired, a commercial flop, in this country at least. It seemed that the mini-MPV market rewarded conservative design. Citroën disagreed and their radical egg-shaped Xsara Picasso soon went on to become the best-selling vehicle of its type, helped by aggressive price promotion and a focus on the things that really mattered to UK buyers – space, rugged build and utility. This latest C4 Picasso aims to show that bold design and keen pricing can once again be a winning tactic. With a choice of a 127bhp 1.8-litre or 143bhp 2.0-litre petrol engines or 110bhp 1.6 or 138bhp 2.0-litre diesel units, C4 Picasso drivers won’t be wanting for decent powerplants. The driving experience is, as was its predecessor, geared towards comfort and safety rather than outright handling prowess. Although the C4 Picasso’s athletic stance is the first thing to catch your eye, the second is the wide-angle panoramic windscreen that rises up and over the front seat occupants, doubling vertical visibility in the front to seventy degrees compared to 35 degrees in a standard MPV. Vauxhall may have already offered a similar thing as an option on the latest Astra but this is the first time it’s been fitted as standard to an MPV and the effect is just stunning, the sheer acreage of glass in front of the driver being at first a little unnerving.

"Citroën needed to box rather clever with this C4 Picasso and it looks as if they’ve pitched it almost perfectly"

It’s almost like the cockpit of a jet fighter. By slimming down the windscreen pillars, the effect of airiness and front visibility is increased still further. It’s not just a styling affect either, the added field of view making it easier to spot motorbikes, cycles and pedestrians coming while preventing the usual craned neck when negotiating small roundabouts. I’m not sure if someone at Citroën has been getting a backhander from a glass manufacturer because the C4 Picasso also features the biggest sunroof in its class, the extensive side windows too help edge it towards having the largest glazed area of any mini MPV. All of this glass means that the vehicle needs a seriously punchy air-conditioning system to prevent it become a mobile propagator. The C4 Picasso utilises its available space very well. That wheel at each corner stance doesn’t just look good, it also maximises space for the all important passenger cell. The boot has a 500-litre capacity which is about par for the course for a five-seater vehicle. Fold the rear seats down and there’s a massive 1.734 litres of available space. The C4 Picasso goes head to head with cars like the Volkswagen Golf Plus, the Ford C-Max, and the Renault Scenic – in other words, the quality offerings in the mini-MPV sector. As such it’ll need more than just a pretty face to succeed. Automatic and sequential manual gearboxes are offered to free up floorspace and at prices around £500 cheaper than the Grand C4 Picasso, it looks solid if not spectacular value. Citroën needed to box rather clever with this C4 Picasso and it looks as if they’ve pitched it almost perfectly. No other mini-MPV looks as good and none will be able to rival the technology that the French company can borrow from the C4 hatch and lever into the Picasso. That includes functions like an electronic automated manual gearbox, lane departure warning systems and the clever fixed hub steering wheel. Options like video screens in the headrests will be very popular with family buyers as will the Picasso’s five-star EuroNCAP safety rating. Although it departs from the Xsara Picasso’s spectacularly successful cheap and cheerful philosophy, the added utility of this model isn’t hard to appreciate. My guess is that most Citroën customers will be happy to pay the premium.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Citroen C4 Picasso range PRICES: £13,995-£21,695 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 6-9 CO2 EMISSIONS: 150-190g/km PERFORMANCE: [2.0HDi 138] 12.5s 0-60mph / 121mph top speed FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0HDi 138] 35.8 (urban), 55.4 (extra urban) 46.3mpg (combined) STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: ABS with EBD, ESP, 7 airbags, 3-point seat belts. WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/Width/Height 4470/1830/1680mm

FRENCH FLAIR
What’s the best mini-MPV you can buy? We think it’s this one, Citroen’s C4 Picasso – and we’ve put our money where our mouth is by adding one to our long term test fleet. Jonathan Crouch and family having been putting our new arrival to the test

This is where it counts. Great design is all very well but it’s not much use if the clever ideas don’t translate into day-to-day durability. When Citroen’s C4 Picasso was launched in five-seat and ‘Grand’ seven-seat forms, rivals had to admit that it was very clever. Opinion was divided however on whether the car would stand up to rigorous family day-in day-out use as well as some of its rivals, particularly the pricier ones.

Determined to prove the doubters wrong, Citroen offered us one for our long term test fleet to be put under the microscope by the most determined testers of all: my family. I should introduce them at this point: my wife, Katie, has to cope with Caris (9), Ellie (6) and baby Amy (2). All three kids are well capable of reducing a spotless car to a playroom mess in no more time than it takes to visit the local shopping centre. On arrival, the setback trays will have been pulled out of their sockets, muddy boots will have decorated the carpets with a liberal coating of slime and a decorative frosting of crunched-out crisps will have been frosted around the rear passenger compartment. Ah, the joys of parenthood. Of course, this is exactly the kind of use Citroen’s designers had in mind when they designed the C4 Picasso, the successor to the Xsara Picasso which for quite a long time was the UK market’s best selling mini-MPV. It only offered five seats, which in today’s compact people carrying market would be seen as something of a limiting factor. These days, it’s not good enough just to launch one mini-MPV: you have to launch two. Hence cars like Renault’s Scenic and Grand Scenic and, in this case, the model we’re looking at here, the Citroen C4 Picasso, the five-seater stablemate to the French maker’s Grand C4 Picasso. We opted for the five-seat version on the basis that Citroen expect to sell rather more of them here in the UK – though apparently, there’s no much in it. Had I had a free choice, I’d have paid the small increment extra to have the extra seats for those times when my mother wants to accompany us to the garden centre or the kids want to bring friends home from school. With a choice of a 127bhp 1.8-litre or 143bhp 2.0-litre petrol engines or 110bhp 1.6 or 138bhp 2.0-litre HDi diesel units, C4 Picasso drivers won’t be wanting for decent powerplants. We went for the 2.0-litre diesel, but the 110bhp 1.6-litre diesel would have been just as acceptable. Either way, you really want a diesel if you’re going for a car of this kind: I can’t really see any argument for buying a petrol unit aside from the price premium being charged up front for the diesel option. Whether you can justify this comes down to a simple issue of how many miles you’re likely to cover. If you’re simply using the car to go to the shops and back, then yes, petrol is probably your best bet. Otherwise, opt for the HDi every time.

"My wife isn’t usually intrigued by family cars but she was interested by this one…."

My wife isn’t usually intrigued by family cars but she was interested by this one. Like most people new to the C4 Picasso, her initial attention was immediately drawn to the clever wide-angle panoramic windscreen that rises up and over the front seat occupants, doubling vertical visibility in the front to seventy degrees compared to 35 degrees in a standard MPV. This might sound a little pointless but it actually makes a surprising amount of difference to the ambience inside the cabin. And if you’re a mother with three screaming children to keep quiet on the school run, then that really matters. By slimming down the windscreen pillars, the effect of airiness and front visibility is increased still further. It’s not just a styling effect either, the added field of view making it easier to spot motorbikes, cycles and pedestrians coming while preventing the usual craned neck when negotiating small roundabouts. Not having driven the Citroen C4 hatchback before, Katie was also interested by the Picasso’s steering wheel, which features the same clever arrangement where the wheel turns around a fixed centre hub on which are mounted all the main controls. Why has no one thought of such a simple, eye-catching and clever idea before, she wanted to know? I couldn’t answer that one. Citroens have always specialised in clever ideas of this type – but they haven’t always been as impressive when it comes to the longevity of fit and finish. To date, the C4 Picasso is proving impressive in this respect. There are no major squeaks and rattle, plus, despite the children’s best efforts, nothing has been prised away from its mountings. The car’s a mess of course – but then it’s difficult to do much about that. At least all the surfaces are easy to wipe clean of the inevitable sticky fingermarks and muddy bootprints. The driving experience is, as was its predecessor, geared towards comfort and safety rather than outright handling prowess. But then if you’re buying a car of this kind, then on-the-limit handling is not likely to be high on your list of ultimate priorities. Katie always snorts when I mention it in connection with any family-orientated car. I can see her point. I’m not sure if someone at Citroën has been getting a backhander from a glass manufacturer because the C4 Picasso also features the biggest sunroof in its class, the extensive side windows too help edge it towards having the largest glazed area of any mini MPV. All of this glass means that the vehicle needs a seriously punchy air-conditioning system to prevent it become a mobile propagator. The C4 Picasso utilises its available space very well. That wheel at each corner stance doesn’t just look good, it also maximises space for the all important passenger cell. The boot has a 500-litre capacity which is about par for the course for a five-seater vehicle. Fold the rear seats down and there’s a massive 1.734 litres of available space. Rivals to this car include models like the Volkswagen Golf Plus and Touran, the Ford C-MAX and the Renault Scenic – in other words, the quality offerings in the mini-MPV sector. As such it’ll need more than just a pretty face to succeed. Automatic and sequential manual gearboxes are offered to free up floorspace and at prices around £500 cheaper than the Grand C4 Picasso, it looks solid if not spectacular value. But that’s no problem as long as Citroen really have got the quality to match the design flair that’s so evident on this car. All the early signs based on this test suggest that they have. In the meantime, does anyone know a good car valeter……..  

Facts At A Glance CAR: Citroen C4 Picasso range PRICES: £13,995-£22,430 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 6-9 CO2 EMISSIONS: 150-190g/km PERFORMANCE: [2.0HDi 138] 12.5s 0-60mph / 121mph top speed FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0HDi 138] 35.8 (urban), 55.4 (extra urban) 46.3mpg (combined) STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: ABS with EBD, ESP, 7 airbags, 3-point seat belts. WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/Width/Height 4470/1830/1680mm

VIVE LE DIFFERENCE!
With most mini-MPVs looking depressingly similar, Citroën has broken the mould with the daring C4 Picasso. We bagged one for our long term fleet to see if it was as easy to live with as claimed. Andy Enright reports

Kids are the great levellers. My nephews totally levelled the interior of uncle’s Toyota Previa in less than two hours and with the keys to our Citroën C4 Picasso in hand, the two urchins expecting an afternoon at the Wacky Warehouse and a long term test report to deliver, things weren’t looking good. So, as any responsible adult would do, I dumped the kids on the in-laws and set off to gain a less stressful perspective on Citroën’s bold mini-MPV.

Later I could find out just how it was possible to inflict a head wound on another seven year old while buried in a ball pit or how long the top of the play slide could be defended against Polish marauders. Right now I had other things to do. Things that involved booking a ferry on the internet, sneaking my skis out of the attic without Mrs Enright spotting me and sloping off on the premise of road testing the Citroën. The optional satellite navigation set for Chamonix, France, ski buddy in tow, weekend now officially blown, excuses being rapidly formulated, we headed south. Some things were apparent straight away. Bundling all of our gear into the back of the car without ruining rearwards visibility meant that the parcel shelf had to be taken down. This would not seem to be a particularly difficult activity and in no other car have I been reduced to the indignity of consulting the manual to perform said feat, but the C4 Picasso’s shelf comes in two pieces with a rather odd fixing mechanism. Once eventually discombobulated, there was plenty of room for bags, skis, helmets, poles and all kinds of other things that weren’t strictly necessary for a ski weekend but which were brought just in case. With the seats in place, there’s 500 litres of space below the parcel shelf. Start folding and dismantling things and you end up with a cavity that we suspected was going to be larger than our suspiciously cheap Chamoniard duplex.

"Our C4 was fitted with all the bells and whistles, but it’s the fundamentals rather than the fripperies that impress most"

There was no doubt that our C4 Picasso was a very pleasant place to be, helped by the fact that it was not only the top of the range model, but seemed to have had every conceivable option levered into it. As well as the sat nav, there was the optional hi fi pack, metallic paint, big alloy wheels, leather heated seats and front parking sensors. Most of these options are unabashed luxuries but if you’re shopping for a C4 Picasso, I’d strongly recommend the parking sensors. The front of the car disappears from view beyond the steeply raked windscreen and even the tallest drivers won’t be able to see the extremities while manoeuvring in tight spots, as we were when we managed to get boxed in at Dover ferry port by a Transit driver who then fell asleep in the queue for the ferry. Once on home turf, the Citroën performed well. The 138bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine will sit on its cruise control at 85mph very happily on French autoroutes, returning nearly 40mpg even at that velocity. If you’re not a fan of cruise control, and many aren’t, there’s also a handy manual speed limiter function that will prevent you inadvertently attracting the attention of les flics by creeping over the posted limit. With a maximum speed of 125mph, the C4 Picasso had plenty left to give, so when driving it without the cruise or the limiter switched on, it was easy to accidentally creep up towards the three figure mark on empty, featureless autoroute sections. Not too many vehicles I’ve sampled have made that eight hour blast to the Haute Savoie more bearable than the Picasso. Our accommodation turned out to be not in the centre of Chamonix, but up a rather vertiginous track a couple of kilometres out of town. Even on the standard tyres, the Citroën coped with the churned up slush quite well. I had an AutoSock, a pair of nylon bags which act like snow chains, in case we struggled but a bit of perseverance was all it took. The next morning temperatures had plummeted to minus 10 and at that point I was cursing the metallic finish on the wheel-mounted gear shifters. Eventually I was forced to drive the car with gloves on, so frigid were many of the metal controls. Like many diesel cars, the C4 Picasso wasn’t quick to warm up on a cold morning and if you’re merely sitting with the rear window demister on, the radio playing and the engine off, the car will go into a power save mode within a few minutes where it switches everything off, at one point doing so with impeccable timing right at the climax of the Champions League draw. While I’m certain that kids can rapidly turn a car’s cabin from pristine to post-apocalyptic in a matter of minutes, ski mountaineers aren’t far behind. With muddy boots, sharp ice axes and crampons, sticky Power Bars and lots of sweat, picking up some friends from a ski tour through the Aiguilles Rouge Nature Reserve would decide whether the C4 Picasso could really walk the walk. One scuff from a ski boot buckle on the back of one of the seats was the damage report afterwards, so it managed that mission fairly well. Hailing from America, that land where car design seems fixed ten years in the past, the skiers were amazed by the Citroën’s steering wheel. This features a clever arrangement where the wheel turns around a fixed centre hub on which are mounted all the main controls. Not only does this make using the controls simpler, it also means that the airbag stays in the same position and can thus be better designed to cushion the driver’s head in the event of an accident. If you’re not looking to spend the £23,000+ that our test vehicle cost, there are plenty of less costly but still appealing choices in the C4 Picasso line up. With a choice of a 127bhp 1.8-litre or 143bhp 2.0-litre petrol engines or 110bhp 1.6 or 138bhp 2.0-litre HDi diesel units, drivers won’t want for decent powerplants. We went for the 2.0-litre diesel, but the 110bhp 1.6-litre diesel would have been just as acceptable. Either way, you’ll probably want a diesel if you’re going for a car of this kind but whether you can justify the price premium for an oil burner comes down to a simple issue of how many miles you’re likely to cover. If you’re simply using the car to go to the shops and back, then yes, petrol is probably your best bet. Otherwise, opt for the HDi every time. The great thing about the C4 is that it marries bold design with genuine everyday usability in a very effective manner. It looks great, drives well and is extremely safe. Yes, it is a technologically complex vehicle and a few of its idiosyncrasies can be a little annoying. What’s not up for debate is that it gets all of the fundamentals right and does so with some style. We get some long term cars through that barely leave the car park over the course of a few months. With the Citroën, I have had to devise some very underhand schemes to get my hands on the keys. Trouble is, I think my wife is now wise to ‘em all!  

Facts At A Glance CAR: Citroen C4 Picasso range PRICES: £13,995-£21,695 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 6-9 CO2 EMISSIONS: 150-190g/km PERFORMANCE: [2.0HDi 138] 12.5s 0-60mph / 121mph top speed FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0HDi 138] 35.8 (urban), 55.4 (extra urban) 46.3mpg (combined) STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: ABS with EBD, ESP, 7 airbags, 3-point seat belts. WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/Width/Height 4470/1830/1680mm

LIVING THE HIGH LIFE
The plushest 5-seat mini-MPV you can buy is made by Citroen. If you need absolutely all the bells and whistles, then you need a C4 Picasso Lounge. Jonathan Crouch reports

Just because you’ve got to change your car, it doesn’t mean you have to change your life. Take the onset of having a family. It might well mean that you have to tick a different box on your company car requisition form, or pick up a different pile of brochures, moving from a luxury saloon to a family-orientated mini-MPV. But why can’t you have both? Citroen don’t see why not, hence their launch of the car we’re looking at here – the C4 Picasso Lounge.

This is very possibly the plushest small people carrier you can buy, though the £23,995 asking price, steep as it is, doesn’t really reflect that. Before you turn the page, deciding that for this kind of money, you could get something up-spec with a Germanic badge, just check out what this C4 Picasso includes. It’s full of exclusive equipment such as full black leather upholstery for the four large individual armchair style seats, chrome wheels and a vast panoramic sunroof. There’s curvaceous black bodywork, a sporty rear spoiler and a special chrome grille. It’s mainly inside however, where this car really makes its sales pitch. The four individual luxury leather upholstered chairs, complete with adjustable head and armrests, offer maximum space and comfort, whilst aural comfort is taken care of by laminated windows to reduce road noise and a Philips designed NXT sound-system with state-of-the-art flat-panel speaker technology to produce a clearer, all-round Hi-Fi sound quality. As with all C4 Picassos, you get a roomy interior in which you can really sit back and relax. This is the five-seat bodyshape: for seven seats, you’ll need to opt for the ‘Grand Picasso’ model, not available in ‘Lounge’ guise. The unique panoramic windscreen is enhanced in this case by a massive sunroof that allows light to pour into the cabin, creating a bright and spacious environment. At night time, the interior is bathed in atmospheric and functional illumination, including convenient reading lights for rear passengers. LEDs in the door handles and adjustable mood lighting strips in the front console and door panels help to create a calming environment.

"This is very possibly the plushest small people carrier you can buy"

Under the bonnet of this variant, you get the responsive 2.0 HDi 138bhp engine that most buyers looking for a plush C4 Picasso will choose, the unit mated in this case to a 6-speed fully automatic gearbox that delivers smooth acceleration with a top speed of 118mph and almost 40 mpg on the combined cycle. One of the first things you’ll notice upon getting behind the wheel is this C4’s unique fixed-centred controls steering wheel which puts many of the car’s main functions at the driver’s fingertips, ensuring that his or her attention is maintained firmly on the road.  Comprehensive driver assistance equipment includes cruise control, speed limiter, front and rear parking sensors, automatic digital air conditioning as well as rain-sensitive wipers and automatic headlights.  In addition to being one of the most comfortable vehicles on the road, with its self levelling pneumatic rear suspension, the C4 Picasso Lounge is also one of the safest, with its 7 seat stablemate having been awarded a maximum 5-star protection rating by Euro NCAP. Equipped with all the latest Citroën safety technology, the Lounge features ABS with EBD and EBA, ESP with traction control, seven airbags and a reinforced body structure to protect occupants and absorb the energy of an impact. Although the C4 Picasso’s clever steering wheel may be the first thing to catch your eye, the second will certainly be the wide-angle panoramic windscreen that rises up and over the front seat occupants, doubling vertical visibility in the front to seventy degrees compared to 35 degrees in a standard MPV. Vauxhall may have already offered a similar thing as an option on the latest Astra but this is the first time it’s been fitted as standard to an MPV and the effect is just stunning, the sheer acreage of glass in front of the driver being at first a little unnerving. It’s almost like the cockpit of a jet fighter. By slimming down the windscreen pillars, the effect of airiness and front visibility is increased still further. It’s not just a styling affect either, the added field of view making it easier to spot motorbikes, cycles and pedestrians coming while preventing the usual craned neck when negotiating small roundabouts. I’m not sure if someone at Citroën has been getting a backhander from a glass manufacturer because the C4 Picasso also features the biggest sunroof in its class, the extensive side windows too help edge it towards having the largest glazed area of any mini MPV. All of this glass means that the vehicle needs a seriously punchy air-conditioning system to prevent it become a mobile propagator. This car utilises its available space very well. That wheel at each corner stance doesn’t just look good, it also maximises space for the all important passenger cell. The boot has a 500-litre capacity which is about par for the course for a five-seater vehicle. Fold the rear seats down and there’s a massive 1.734 litres of available space. The C4 Picasso Lounge goes head to head with the plushest versions of cars like the Volkswagen Golf Plus, the Ford C-MAX and the Renault Scenic – in other words, the quality offerings in the mini-MPV sector. As such it’ll need more than just a pretty face to succeed. Or a long specification list. Mind you, Citroen dealers’ legendary willingness to ‘do a deal’ might just do the trick. And it does really look the part in black….

Facts At A Glance CAR: Citroen C4 Picasso Lounge PRICE: £23,995 - on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 9 CO2 EMISSIONS: 195g/km PERFORMANCE: [2.0HDi 138] 12.5s 0-60mph / 121mph top speed FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0HDi 138] 35.8 (urban), 55.4 (extra urban) 46.3mpg (combined) STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: ABS with EBD, ESP, 7 airbags, 3-point seat belts. WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/Width/Height 4470/1830/1680mm