CITROEN C4 PICASSO – A WORK OF ART?
29 May 2007 - Citroën UK Ltd

Citroen are big in MPVs, multi-purpose vehicles or people-carriers as we know them, they currently have five MPV model ranges.

They have recently launched their new C4 Picasso five-seat compact MPV priced from £14,495. This model range follows the introduction of the larger Grand C4 Picasso seven-seat model in January with prices from £15,025. In addition Citroen also sells in the UK the budget priced but versatile Berlingo Multispace with current pricing offers starting from £8,675. The extremely popular and remarkable value for money five-seat Xsara Picasso is currently quoted as costing from £9,995 and the good news is that this model is not being replaced by the new C4 Picasso but stays on sale until at least 2010. In addition Citroen have their large seven-seat C8 MPV which is officially priced from £15,995. Some of these prices included Citroen’s well publicised ‘cashback’ offers.

It is not always easy being definitive about Citroen’s UK on the road prices as they consider themselves being the champions of offering value for money and they consistently have ‘offers’ which vary from month to month. Citroen’s UK dealers are well used to bargaining with buyers so never really expect to pay the quoted retail price. If one offer has finished, be sure another one will be along for the next month’s tactical pricing marketing campaign.

This flexible pricing policy does not always bode well for future residual values of some Citroen models but with for the new diesel powered C4 Picasso and the larger Grand C4 models, CAP Monitor, one of the UK''s ‘bibles’ of residual values, views the three-year/60,000 mile predicted values better than the Renault Scenic, Ford C-Max, VW Touran, Ford S-Max, Vauxhall Zafira and Renault Grand Scenic.

Although the C4 Picasso has just gone on sale currently private buyers are being offered zero per cent finance over three-years and if you are a company car driver and prefer to contract hire the new compact MPV then £367 per month for three years should get you into the new people-mover.

Citroen are also champion eco-warriors and have a long-term commitment to the development and production of fuel efficient, low emission vehicles. This has been recently rewarded with them being named ‘Car Manufacturer of the Year’ in the Green Fleet Awards.

So are you wise buying an MPV, is it a niche vehicle? Not anymore. Sales figures issued by Citroen’s for the whole of the UK MPV market show that 10 years ago only a few thousand MPVs were sold each year. Last year, due to the increase in the number of MPVs available from most volume manufacturers, UK sales rose to 215,000 vehicles, almost one in ten of all new cars sold. The bulk of these being compact models with five or seven seat options. Citroen says around two-thirds of all compact MPVs sold in the UK are five-seat versions and just over half of these were equipped with diesel engines, a figure which is considerably higher than for the new car market as a whole. Around 60 per cent of five-seat MPVs are bought with company money meaning 40 per cent are sold to private buyers, far more than the 30 per cent of retail sales registered for the seven-seat models.

So we know how many MPVs are sold but who is buying them? There is no doubt that some families who have in the past have bought medium sized soft 4x4s, Honda CR-Vs and RAV 4s for example, because of the high up command driving position, versatile passenger and load carrying space and status, have transferred their loyalties to MPVs. Some of this is to do with moral and social obligations created by the current anti 4x4 lobby and higher fuel and road taxes. Whilst 65 per cent of compact MPV registered owners are male, women are often the primary driver. However Citroen says 71 per cent of five-seat compact SUV buyers do not have children living at home compared to 39 per cent of seven-seat MPV owners. Two out of five MPV buyers are already retired.

Given today’s UK motoring climate of high taxation on fuel and road use, congested roads where out and out performance is irrelevant, green issues and the need for one comfortable do-it-all vehicle in a family, no wonder MPVs are big business. Especially if they follow Citroen’s lead for sharp pricing, versatile design and green credentials.

Views
The Citroen C4 Picasso is officially priced from £14,495 to £19,345 for petrol models and £15,995 to £21,195 for diesel versions. There are two petrol engine options, 1.8i litre with a five-speed manual transmission and 2.0i litre with Citroen’s fuel saving EGS six-speed electronic automated manual gearbox. Diesel models also have two engine options, the excellent 1.6HDi unit with five-speed manual or six speed automated manual transmissions and a 2.0HDi unit with the electronic automated manual gearbox. Depending on the model chosen there is the choice of LX, SX, VTR+ and Exclusive specification options. Diesel models are expected to account for two-thirds of sales equally split between the two engines and VTR+ and Exclusive are the likely equal best selling levels of specification.

My test model was the C4 Picasso 1.6HDi VTR+ with the EGS electronic transmission priced at £18,195. Add in the options, which included a navigation system, parking sensor pack, security pack and 17-inch alloy wheels and the total price was £21,245.

Although all the body panels from the B post rearward are different for the five-seat C4 Picasso over the seven-seat Grand C4 Picasso variant, the overall shape is still that of an egg or oval. This design provides for the maximum use of seating space, width, height, length, legroom and load space within the overall length of a C-segment medium sized car just 4,470mm long.

The C4 Picasso has five individual seats and the rear row of three individually fold down to create a flat load carrying floor with a carrying capacity ranging from 500 to 1,734 litres and a maximum load area length of 1,870mm. Throughout the vehicle there is a vast array of clever storage boxes and compartments, it is very user friendly and very well thought out.

Just some of the items of standard specification include, height, reach and tilt adjustable steering column, wide angle panoramic windscreen with slide and fold down sun visors, manual air conditioning, electrically operated front and rear side windows, electrically operated and heated door mirrors, sunblinds for the rear side door windows, halogen headlights, front fog lights, welcome lights, rechargeable torch, front seat armrests, digital instrumentation, multi-function on-board computer and cruise control.

I expected the 1.6HDi diesel engine with the EGS high-tech clutchless manual gearbox to struggle in a car of this size. It was just not the case. Whilst the EGS gearbox does take some getting used to and it dulls initial acceleration whilst it makes up its mind to select first gear I was soon completely used to it and didn’t notice the unconventional changes in gear. I’m not sure I like the automatic electronic handbrake system though. The engine power output is 110bhp with 240Nm of torque from 1,750rpm. Top speed is 112mph with 0-62mph taking a modest 13.4 seconds. With the EGS automated manual transmission, which is linked electronically to the engine management system for optimum gearchanges, the CO2 levels are marginally lower than the conventional five-speed manual gearbox, just 155g/km with an official fuel consumption figure of 49.6mpg. The test car returned a realistic 43.5mpg.

MILESTONES: Citroen C4 Picasso 5-seat 1.6HDi 110hp EGS VTR+. Price: £18,195 (£21,245 as tested). Engine: 1.6-litre, four-cylinder high pressure common rail direct injection turbodiesel, 110bhp, 240Nm of torque. Transmission: 6-speed automated manual with electronic stability programme and traction control. Performance: 112mph, 0-62mph 13.4 seconds, 49.6mpg (43.5mpg actual), CO2 150g/km, VED Band C £110, Benefit in Kind taxation 20 per cent. Insurance group, 7E.
For: Interior space, comfortable versatile seating and good load space, clever storage compartments, large glass areas, airy, practical and pleasing styling, reasonable cost effective performance.
Against: Unrefined handling, poor ride comfort over bad road surfaces and at low speeds, pricey with all the options - look for a discount.

Miles Better News Agency

www.citroen.co.uk

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