Citroen C4 Picasso first drive review

French brand tries to turn its people mover into hatchback.

Stephen Ottley

10:1510 February 2015

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Citroen C4 Picasso first drive review

The Citroen C4 Grand Picasso was one of the automotive revelations of 2014.

The French people-mover offered up unique looks, a spacious and clever interior, a strong and efficient diesel engine and a good value proposition. It was enough for it to claim the 2014 Drive Car of the Year People Mover award.

The new Citroen C4 Picasso may have a very similar name, similar looks and similar price, but the French brand wants you to see it as something very different.

The company claims that it drives like a hatch, offers the practicability of a wagon and the ease-of-access of an SUV.

Shorter in both length and wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear wheels) and only available with five seats (still with three individual seats in the second row), Citroen Australia is pitching the C4 Picasso as a regular family hatchback rather than a people mover.

From the driver's seat it's hard to tell the difference between the five-seat and seven-seat variants. Both boast the same expansive windscreen, slightly higher seating position and unconventional cabin layout – with the instrument cluster a centrally-mounted 12-inch high-definition screen.

You notice a difference when you turn it on though, with a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine firing into life, instead of the Grand Picasso's turbo diesel.

The engine has been co-developed by Citroen-Peugeot and BMW and is also found in the Mini range. It produces a respectable 121kW and 240Nm in the C4 Picasso, which is enough to move the car along briskly most of the time. However, there are times when the petrol engine labours to move such a sizeable vehicle, lacking the same sort of low rev range pulling power as the diesel-powered C4 Grand Picasso.

Citroen Australia wisely waited until now to launch the C4 Picasso in Australia, a full year after the Grand Picasso, because it has only now become available with a six-speed automatic transmission. Previously it was only offered with a manual or robotized manual, neither of which would be as popular with buyers as a traditional auto 'box.

Compared to Grand Picasso the five-seater is 174mm shorter overall and 55mm shorter in the wheelbase. Despite the pitch from Citroen that C4 Picasso drives more like a hatch than a people mover, we didn't find that the case during our test drive.

Being taller than a traditional hatchback it leans more in the corners and despite the shorter length it still feels like a longer car than a typical hatch when you push it through some corners. There's noticeable body lean and the steering lacks the type of quality feel and feedback you get in the class-leading hatchbacks.

It feels more like the Grand Picasso, which is good for a people mover but ultimately still feels like a van on the road.

Another similarity the Picasso shares with its seven-seat sibling is its single model line-up, badged Exclusive, which boasts a generous list of standard equipment. Satellite navigation, keyless entry and ignition, a panoramic glass roof, dual-zone airconditioning, digital radio, 8GB music jukebox, cruise control, cloth trimmed seats, 17-inch alloy wheels, six airbags and a self-parking system are all included in the price.

There are a list of options includes partial or full leather seats, 18-inch alloys, electric tailgate, metallic paint and a Driver's Assist Package that includes lane departure warning, active cruise control, active seat belts and smart high beam function.

The boot is still a decent 537 litres with all seats in use and can expand to 1851 litres with the second row seats stowed.

Citroen Australia say it has tried to price the C4 Picasso to fill the gap between the $29,990 top-spec C4 hatch and the $44,990 Grand C4 Picasso (which went up $1000 in January due to exchange rate changes).

But the $40,990 starting price for the C4 Picasso puts it so close to its seven-seat sibling it's hard not to compare the two and imagine buyers cross-shopping them – despite the company's insistence the five-seat Picasso isn't a people mover.

It doesn't help Citroen Australia's cause that the car's traditional European rivals – Opel Zafira and Ford C-Max – aren't sold here, so instead it is up against the BMW 2-Series Active Tourer and Mercedes-Benz B-Class.

The C4 Picasso lacks the same brand cache and driving dynamics of its prestige European rivals but does put up a strong value argument against them.

Indeed there is no arguing that the C4 Picasso is spacious, well-equipped and drives well for a car of its size.

But whereas the Grand C4 Picasso was a revelation because it delivered more than anticipated. The C4 Picasso ultimately delivers a little bit less – less space, less seats and less efficiency from the engine – for a little bit less money.