CITROEN’S SENSE OF SPACE

Models Covered

(5 door MPV: 1.6 petrol, 1.6, 2.0 turbodiesel [VTR, VTR+, Exclusive, Exclusive+])

Introduction

If you need a family-sized five-seat MPV but don't necessarily want one, look straight to this car, the second generation Citroën C4 Picasso, launched in 2013. It's extravagantly designed and comes with some genuinely innovative features. The basics of space, safety and cost-effectiveness are all taken care of, but where this model really excels is in the other things: style, technology and a very emotive feel. It's a bit special. Here's how to bag a used one.

The History

Picasso. The name that launched both a generation of art and a several generations of small Citroen people carrier. The great Spaniard’s family fell out with each other over the decision to grant this French car maker use of Senor Pablo’s famous name, but it’s certainly been worth the legal wrangling for Citroen. By 2013, the brand had chalked up over three million Picasso model sales, the success story starting with the Xsara Picasso, launched in 1999. In 2007, that model was replaced by a far more modern successor, the C4 Picasso, a car that in 2013 was re-launched in the futuristic second generation guise we’re going to look at here.

At launch in 2013, it faced a difficult task. Then, as today, the People Carrying market was very different from the one Citroen started with at the turn of the century. Many buyers in this sector now demand more than five seats and even those that don’t may well feel that the latest generation of more practically-orientated Focus-style family hatchbacks, Qashqai-like Crossovers and small SUVs offer many MPV-like virtues. On top of that, by 2013, Citroen was also offering the only slightly smaller C3 Picasso supermini-MPV to buyers, a car that could offer many of this C4 model’s virtues for a useful price saving.

Hence the need here for a very clever piece of product design indeed, one that clearly speaks to family buyers who need practicality but don't want to sacrifice style. Which is how we ended up something so glassy and futuristic-looking, a car that comes stuffed with hi-tech gadgetry and fitted with a more up-to-date range of more efficient engines. This MK2 model C4 Picasso sold until mid-2016, when it was replaced by a lightly facelifted model.

What To Look For

Most buyers of the second generation C4 Picasso model that we surveyed were very satisfied but inevitably, there were a few issues with some cars. One owner had a problem with the electronic handbrake that stuck on and stranded him. Others complained about starting problems, electric window squeaking and an engine management light that kept coming on in the dash binnacle. One owner had a problem with a drive belt that came off the runners. Look out for all these things when you check out used stock.

On The Road

Climb aboard a MK2 model C4 Picasso and before you even set off, it’s clear that this is going to be a somewhat different experience. There are no conventional instrument dials and nothing directly in front of you, with key driving information instead displayed on a giant centre screen in the centre of the dash.

The first thing that’ll probably grab your attention though, is a windscreen that stretches up and almost over your head, affording a panoramic view not just of the road ahead but also sky above. The wishbone-shaped windscreen pillars have glazed centre sections to further boost visibility and there’s a low window line that not only makes manoeuvring easy but should also give children a better view out and potentially stop them feeling sick.

The engine choice is naturally weighted towards diesels because that's what Citroën does very well and it's also what British customers want to buy. The 1.6-litre e-HDi 115bhp variant is the big seller, but you can save quite a bit by opting for the entry-level 90bhp 1.6-litre HDi model which doesn’t have the so-called ‘Airdream’ e-HDi efficiency tweaks but isn’t really much more expensive to run.

If you do want something with a little more mid-range pulling power, then you could go for the THP 155 petrol version that uses a MINI Cooper S 1.6-litre turbo engine that, not surprisingly, moves this car on rather swiftly, making sixty two mph in 9s on the way to 130mph. For all the reasons we’ve already given you though, we don’t think such a performance package suits the character of this car. No, if funds permit, the optimum C4 Picasso engine is the one at the top of the line-up, the impressive Blue HDi 150. Its performance figures are virtually identical to those of the THP petrol, yet it’s got around 50% more pulling power and is around 50% more economical. Enough said.

Overall

Not every family needs seven seats in an MPV and for those that don’t, this MK2 model C4 Picasso offers a smartly-styled, hi-tech equipped and very practical alternative. Though not especially enjoyable to push hard, that’s because it’s aimed exactly where it should be targeted – at mums and dads rather than at driving enthusiasts, with impressive long distance comfort you’ll also appreciate on the school run day-in and day-out.

It’s a joy to look at, as different and refreshing in design as it will be to own. In short, the Citroen we used to know is back. The manufacturer that took risks, created magic and brought us cars that sat apart from the ordinary norm. Cars exactly like this one