Citroën C4 Picasso

The Citroen C4 Picasso, while being an odd looking vehicle, definitely demands attention. Its quirky looks and powerful 1,6 diesel powerplant set it apart from more pedestrian-looking MPV’s in its class. This, however, still didn’t make me any more excited to drive it. Personally, its frog-like looks put me off, but after getting inside, my mind soon changed.

The interior of the C4 Picasso is one of the most pleasant and neatest interiors I’ve seen in a while. It features lots of tactile fabric-clad surfaces and feels well put together. The cabin is uncluttered and spacious, and there are lots of storage nooks for all the detritus that inevitably accompanies families wherever they go. Things can be stored in the door pockets on all four doors, there is a handy storage bin low down in the centre of the vehicle, and two nifty storage bins that sit on the dash, well hidden, but easily accessible with just the press of a button.

Whilst I was more than impressed with the interior of the C4 Picasso, a lot of its features about it left me confused. First off, there’s the parking brake. I hopped in the Picasso, and instinctively reached out my left hand towards the area where the lever usually is. What did I find? Absolutely nothing. So after some searching, I found the switch that electronically controls the parking brake. It’s positioned near the top of the dash and almost out of arms reach, which made things a little difficult, not only because of its position, but also because being electronic and all, it hesitates to kick in or disable when you want to use it.

The controls for the air-con sit to the right of the steering wheel, just above the driver’s knee. While it is easy to access, it seems out of place. It’s not exactly where one would usually find controls for the air-con. It doesn’t make things difficult, just confusing. The centre hub of steering wheel features various buttons for controlling various features. Only the outside ring of the wheel moves, so when you take a corner, it gets complicated. Yes, it makes it easier to access the controls because it wont turn with the wheel, but because I’m used to putting my hands on the inside of the wheel when I take a corner, my hands were constantly hitting the stationary hub.

The instrumentation for speed, engine revs and petrol levels, sits in the middle of the facia. Being a driver who frequently checks how high I’m revving in order to check how long I can pull in one gear for, (not that I did that with this test vehicle) the placement of the digital rev counter was a little dangerous as it meant that I’d have to completely take my eyes off the road to check on it.

As nice as I found the interior of this vehicle, there are just too many things that you have to get used to. It probably isn’t the first vehicle someone would drive, and most likely not the last either, so just when you think you’ve mastered all the controls in this vehicle, you’re forced to drive something else, where the controls are all in a different place and work in a different way, and you’re confused all over again!

The rear space in the C4 Picasso is plentiful, with lots of legroom for rear occupants, even with the front seats pushed quite far back. Access to back is easy, and the three rear seats can be folded down quite easily to create more boot space, which on its own is already sufficient. Strapped to the side of the boot is a nifty shopping trolley called the Modubox that can be easily removed when needed. Also, if you’re ever in need of a torch, the boot light doubles up as one when removed from its holding place.

An adjustable steering column that can be moved to suit both height and reach made finding a comfortable driving position in the C4 Picasso’s a doddle. The gear lever sits a little too far forward, but it doesn’t detract form the drive itself. The 1,6-litre turbodiesel under the bonnet of the C4 Picasso is mated with a five-speed manual gearbox and delivers its 82 kW at 4 000 r/min and 240 N.m at 1 750 r/min in a smooth progressive manner. The ride is compliant and comfortable – the only draw back of the driving experience would be the vague steering. You can’t get much of a feel for it, and if you didn’t actually see the vehicle turning in the direction you want it to, you would loath to admit that your steering input had anything to do with it.

All in all, the C4 Picasso is a comfortable drive and has a lot to offer in terms of comfort, space and practicality…its oddball instrumentation and vague steering may not meet everyone’s approval, though.

The Citroën C4 Picasso will be the subject of a CAR Magazine road test in an upcoming issue. At the time of publishing, the list price and final specification for this model had not yet been finalised.