I’m a father and I have two young kids. Over the years I have learned the importance of space when travelling in a car. Even after our first child arrived I had to get rid of a BMW 5 Series (E39) because the boot didn’t have enough height to carry the Moses basket, the bulky buggy and a myriad of cuddly toys. The Citroen C4 Picasso is not a massive car but with its formula of interior and exterior design, Citroen really delivers in offering a roomy and spacious car to growing families.
Inside and Out
With this car Citroen are targeting families and grandparents. If you get a Citroen C4 Picasso which is kitted out with a highly-spec’d trim you can expect to find leg-rests, massaging seats, a removable centre console, touch-screen technology, an very good infotainment system and so much more. Seating within the Citroen C4 Picasso is comfortable, and the big hook for growing families will be the fact that this is one of the few vehicles on the road which actually has room to comfortably place three baby seats in the second row. The back seats are also ideal for adults. The seats sit separately and they are on rails, so they can be moved backward and forward for that extra room.
The boot allows for plenty of space and because the rear seats are on rails this area can expand. These seats also fold-down, so if you want to treat this vehicle like a van, it is easily done.
Each Citroen C4 Picasso comes with a 7″ touch screen with the usual Bluetooth, USB and iPhone capabilities. Depending on the spec and trim you opt for, this touch-screen offers various levels of accessibility. One of the models I tested had a “Gestion Jukebox”, which allows the driver to store up to 8GB of music into the system. I felt that the SatNav was overly complicated however.
Outside, the Citroen C4 Picasso is nice enough for what it is. There are very few MPV type vehicles that I would class as being overly stylish. It’s curvaceous enough, and on the plus side it seems to be taking some pointers from DS range - which can only be a good thing!
Drive
Citroen use very efficient engines and they are generally inexpensive to run in terms of fuel. In Ireland they are available with: e-HDi 115 e-HDi 115 (Airdream 6-speed manual), the HDi 90 (manual), e-HDi 90 (Airdream ETG6), e-HDi 115 (Airdream ETG6) and BlueHDi 150 (6-speed manual). Some new engines are to be launch to the C4 range soon enough including a PureTech 110 and a HDi 100.
My main test vehicle was the e-HDi 115. I found it to be a bit slow off the mark but outside of that I found it to offer a very smooth ride. Body-roll can and should be expected from a vehicle of this ilk, but I’ve certainly encountered worse. The steering could also offer a bit more response.
Citroen tells us that the top speed of the vehicle I drove is 188km/h and that this vehicle can achieve 0-100km/h in 12.6 seconds. Maximum torque of the vehicle measures in at 270Nm at 1750rpm.
Prices and economy
On paper the Citroen C4 Picasso will offer you 3.8litres per 100km. In terms CO2 emissions we are looking at a car which will be very inexpensive to tax. If you go for the e-HDi 90 engine for you will be looking at figures as low as 98g of CO2 per kilometre. The model I drove offers a combined drive figure of 4l/100km whereas it burns 104g/CO2 per km.
Prices start from €24,295 and standard equipment includes: Panoramic windscreen with sliding interior sun blinds, halogen headlamps, Daytime-running LEDs, flat tyre indicator, Stop and Start (with break energy recuperation), and much more. If you feel like spending more money some of the optional extras include: Reversing camera, Park Assist 360, keyless entry and start, etc.
