Weekend roadtest: Citroen C3 Picasso 1.6 HDI VTR+


No car maker worth an investor’s share can afford to ignore any opportunity to increase their sales. Citroen created the Picasso as a brand within its own brand when it produced an MPV version of its Xsara and now we are seeing their family of people carriers steadily expanding. One of the most popular types of MPV in the last 18 months has been the smaller versions and it’s little surprise that Citroen used all its resources to create the C3 Picasso. This brings much more practicality to what is essentially a super-mini sized platform, notably offering much more luggage space and headroom. The C3 Picasso is available with a range of petrol and diesel engines co-developed with BMW, a few trim levels and is priced from £ 11,800 to £ 15,900. The entry level trim, VT, meets all the needs of a family friendly Citroën MPV. At the heart of the range, the VTR+ trim level, offers some added extras such as air conditioning and alloy wheels.
At the top end of the range, Exclusive trim level, is brimming with luxury touches and unique practical features such as a completely flat folding front passenger seat, and a removable boot torch. It’s also suitable for ipod connectivity and a USB port is available, as well as a highly sophisticated satnav and multi-media centre (right).
The familiar, well developed 1.6 litre HDI engine is a good prospect with plenty of smoothly delivered power available, fairly low noise levels and good economy potential. It is expected to be the best seller in the series, mostly due to demand from private buyers. It feeds that power to the road through a light and progressive clutch and some carefully chosen ratios in the five-speed box which give good acceleration for overtaking while easing it along at an economical rate. Occasionally the noisy and busy engine made me wish an extra gear was to hand. The brakes are as sharp as we expect with Citroen and require only the lightest pressure to bring about very rapid and controlled reduction in speed while the parking brake securely held it on a steep test slope. I would have appreciated greater feel to the steering but its lightness did not detract from its ability to turn the car around in a tight circle or slip into small parking spaces. At higher speed you possibly want better feedback and on wintery roads it is particularly important. Secondary controls come quickly to hand and the eyes can confidently scan the instruments with their clear displays. Heating and ventilation is good throughout and well controlled, backed up by powered windows. For oddments room the C3 Picasso is well provided as a family model. You have plenty of bins and trays throughout the cabin and you can see it has been developed from the cavernous Citroen Xsara Picasso. Behind the seats, the luggage area is easy to load and empty, the capacity gradually being raised to 500 litres maximum as the seats individually fold down. With the seats in place they are also simple to access, have a good adjustment range and have a lot of room for occupants. You can see a lot from the seats and they are reasonably padded and shaped to locate passengers in hard cornering. There is good room for all but the tallest users. Ride quality has traditionally been a strength of Citroen and it’s fairly good in the C3 Picasso but some bumps manage to be felt in the cabin and the suspension bump-thump is surprisingly loud even if its full impact is rarely felt.
This is not a sports car and its road holding is good but not exceptional. It telegraphs its intentions very well and is easily controlled with the modest power available at the wheels. The real strength of the Citroen C3 Picasso is the fact it is nimble, easy to drive, practical, roomy and economical, and these virtues seem to be what many want judging by its sales success. *©ROBIN ROBERTS*

Fact file		Citroen C3 Picasso 1.6 HDI 90 VTR+
Price: £14,000		Insurance group: Ten
Powertrain: 90bhp 1.6, 5sp		C02/ tax: 159gkm/ 19pc
Max speed: 108mph		0-62mph: 14.7sec
Consumption: 55mpg		Running cost: 38.5ppm
Retained value: 36pc		Warranty: 3yrs/ 60k