Citroen Grand C4 Picasso Exclusive+ BlueHDi 150 review | New Release - Car News Mar 2014

16:26 Tuesday 25 Mar 2014

It's fifteen years now since Citroen launched the Xsara Picasso, the first model in the French firm's line-up to wear the Picasso badge.

Since then, the Spanish artist's name has become synonymous with MPV in the Citroen dictionary, symbolising the idiosyncratic charm common to all of Citroen's load-lugging family wagons.

The latest model to be given the Picasso name is this, the new Grand C4 Picasso, the seven-seat version of the C4 Picasso five-seater which was launched last year. Based on Peugeot-Citroen's new EMP2 platform (which also underpins the excellent Peugeot 308) the new Grand Picasso is lighter, cleverer and more efficient than the model it replaces. But is it good enough to challenge for the class lead? Well, that's what we're here to find out.

Our first thought when we first clapped eyes on the Grand C4 Picasso was just how appropriate its name is. With sharp, angular styling features and those bonkers front headlights, the Grand C4 Picasso could almost have been designed by Picasso himself. It looks like a cross between Guernica and a spaceship, bringing a touch of individuality to a fairly staid and conservative corner of the market.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso

Thankfully, Citroen has pulled the same trick inside the cabin. With a high-mounted central instrument panel and a distinct airiness to the cabin common to all Picasso models, the Grand C4 Picasso is typically Citroen-esque. The windscreen stretches way up above both the driver and the passenger, and a full length glass panoramic roof bathes the interior with light.

It's a very easy car in which to get comfortable, thanks to supportive seats and, in the passenger's case, an electronically-operated footrest. The passengers in the second row of seats also benefit from plenty of space, and while the rear-most seats are generally unsuitable for adults, this is to be expected from a car of this size. Fold the rear seats flat and you get an impressive 632-litres of boot space.

Sit yourself down in the driving seat, however, and the first thing which will strike you is the distinct lack of buttons. Citroen has moved all of the major functions to a central touchscreen, and while this makes for an appealingly minimalist dash, it does have some shortcomings in terms of usability. If you're not used to the system, doing something as simple as changing the temperature requires you to take your eyes off the road for a worryingly long amount of time. On the plus side, once you've learned the ins-and-outs of the system, you'll find it becomes second nature.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso

But the Grand C4 Picasso's party piece is the sheer level of kit available on the car. The range-topping Exclusive+ model we drove had pretty much everything you could reasonably expect from a car of this type, with DAB radio, MP3 and USB connectivity, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, two front cameras to assist you at blind junctions, sat-nav, adaptive cruise control and massaging seats.

Two features which we particularly liked were the active seat belt system, which automatically tightens the seatbelts when you set off, and the bird's eye view parking system which, as its name suggests, gives you a bird's eye view of your own car to help you park.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso

On the road, the Grand C4 Picasso delivers a composed, if not particularly exhilarating, driving experience. The steering feels vaguely disconnected from the front wheels and there's slightly more body roll than we'd like; however, the chassis provides plenty of grip and a surprising amount of agility, making the Picasso a surprisingly enjoyable car to drive.

One criticism we would have is that the six speed manual gearbox, while precise, is a tad notchy, and while our test car had just a handful of miles on the odometer, switching seamlessly from first to second already required more than a modicum of mechanical sympathy.

The engine we had in our test car is a 2.0-litre diesel unit with 148bhp and 273lb-ft of torque. It's an excellent power-plant, providing plenty of pull while remaining quiet and relatively composed right up to the upper echelons of the rev range.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso

It's an efficient engine too, with Citroen claiming a combined economy figure of 65.7mpg. While this will be a bit of a stretch to achieve in everyday driving, we still managed to coax more than 50mpg out of the Picasso, even with a relatively lead-footed driving style.

Prices? Well, the range-topping model we had comes in at the not-inconsiderable sum of £26,855, without options; however, you can get a boggo-spec model for just £19,200 and prices are competitive across the line-up.

So, should you buy a Grand C4 Picasso? Well, on the evidence we've seen here, the answer is unquestionably in the affirmative. We were genuinely impressed with the Picasso's good looks, interior and all-round driving experience, and while it does have a number of failings, none of them were big enough to tarnish our overall impression of the car.