Citroen's people-pleasing Picasso

The Citroen Picasso looks good, and it's practical - with a list of add-ons for Africa.

The French carmaker has certainly sacrificed a good few croissant-and-coffee hours to create a multipurpose vehicle that is not only pretty to look at but also exceptionally well equipped with a user-friendly interior that is comfortable, easy on the eye, and practical.

The latest Picasso, which has just arrived at local dealerships, was enthusiastically received when it was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year and Citroën has high hopes that its latest multi-purpose vehicle will become a new class trend-setter and give its South African sales a boost.

How about a little Seduction... Or something more Intensive?

Initially two derivatives, Seduction and Intensive, will go on sale locally. Both are pushed along by a 1.6-litre turbo diesel engine that produces 85kW and 270Nm which is transferred to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.

At the launch drive we crossed two mountain passes between George and Oudtshoorn and although the Picasso Intensive version we drove cruised along gamely when the road was level, on the inclines and when overtaking it did require quite a of bit soup-spoon stirring, to keep it up to pace. (The new Picasso only comes with a manual box with no option of automatic transmission, which could count against it in the mum's taxi stakes).

On the media launch drive we were only two adults per vehicle but with a full load of luggage and passengers on board the Picasso might feel a tad sluggish in spite of its claimed top speed of 189km/h and 0-100km/h dash of 11.8 seconds.

There's plenty of space - and the tailgate is powered.

The manufacturer claims consumption of 4-litres/100km for the combined cycle and emissions of only 105g/km but, as in the case of all cars, these are figures achieved in a perfect test environment, far removed from everyday reality and certainly not while the Picasso was fully-loaded and criss-crossing mountains or long undulating roads in buffeting winds.

What I did like about the Picasso is the confident way it sat on the road. It felt solid and the ride quality is really good, thanks to some clever engineering tweaks, the MPV's wider track, overall weight shedding of about 140kg, and electronic stability control with intelligent traction control.

Optional extras for Africa

However, where the latest Citroen really waves the cool flag is with its extensive comfort, convenience and safety features, plus lots of clever technology - most of it standard on both models. The list of optional extras (some of which are only applicable to the more expensive Intensive version) raises the ante even higher.

Most of these are too complicated to describe in detail here and opinions on some of them are poles apart - such as the Lane Departure Warning system, which causes the seat belt to tug firmly at the shoulder of the driver each time a white or yellow line is crossed even while overtaking on a dual-lane carriageway. I found it so irritating I was at the point of unclicking my seatbelt altogether before locating the magic button which turns this "function" off. Fortunately, many of the wizardry are managed via the vehicle's 'settings menu' and are actually quite straightforward to operate. The 7-inch screen with its seven touch-sensitive buttons controls all in-car functions including satellite navigation, dual-zone climate control, and an audio system with six speakers, USB connectivity, Bluetooth with media streaming and an additional USB socket all within a finger's reach.

The Picasso’s kerbside appeal more than matches its classy ride and stylish living quarters.

Some of the standard or optional safety features I liked include the automatic electronic parking brake, cruise control with speed limiter, a blind spot monitoring system (only available as optional extra on the Intensive model) and daytime-running LEDs which are good safety features and add to the Picasso's visual attraction.

Comfort and convenience features that appealed include one-touch electric windows, automatic aircon, a "find my car" function that lights up the interior and triggers the hazard lights (perfect for locating your vehicle in a large dimly lit airport parking lot on a dark and rainy night), fold-down aircraft style tray tables, three separate rear seats and, on the Intensive model only, a driver's seat massage function and front passenger seat equipped with a 'relax' function to provide massages (it even has an electric footrest!).

Pretty and practical

The Picasso is both pretty and practical, boasting with a generous 537-litre luggage area which can be enlarged to a very spacious 1851-litres when the rear seat backrests are folded forward. A handy powered tailgate is operated by the press of a button.

Additional equipment on the Intensive variant includes LED front indicators, kerb lighting, a removable and rechargeable boot light/torch, interior mood lighting, integrated, retractable rear side window blinds, rear seat conversation mirror, and front fog lamps with a cornering function.

When it comes to features, take your pick.

click to enlarge

Impressive as they are, the standard and optional extras, plus packaged options, require some careful studying and actual evaluation because add-ons could bump up the purchase price by considerable margins. It is also important to note that some options are only available on the more expensive Intensive model which already is the R20,000 more expensive choice.

The Picasso's kerbside appeal more than matches its classy ride and stylish living quarters with an instantly recognisable Citroën chevron-badged front end, neatly furnished with slender headlights, slim LED running lights and fog lights, a neatly lined side-view, attractive alloy wheels and wider road-hugging stance.

The Citroën C4 Picasso comes with a three-year/100,000km warranty, five-year/100,000km service plan, three-year 24-hour roadside assistance, with the extra cost option of extending the warranty to five-years/100,000km. There is also an option of purchasing Citroën Freedrive, which consists of a five-year/100,000km warranty and a five-year/100,000km maintenance plan.

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