Citroen C4 Picasso (7 seater version)

[hchanhle]

It's not a "new" minivan because it's in production since October 2006, but it's arguably the best looking, and most clever one on the (European) market today...

It's a good comparison to the new Chrysler vans, especially on the design and packaging side even though the C4 is a compact/midsize minivan... The Americans are obviously behind in this category...

Here are the major elements.

Panoramic Windscreen & Sunroof: A standard wide-angle panoramic windscreen that doubles the visibility at the front of the vehicle. The vertical angle of visibility is 70o, compared with just 35o in a conventional MPV. C4 Picasso boasts the largest glazed area on the compact MPV market, reaching a full 6.4 m2 with the panoramic glass sunroof.

Interior Lighting & Practicality: The passenger compartment remains just as welcoming and atmospheric at night thanks to a host of original lighting sources, such as light guides under the front fascia, in the door panels and in the headlining that diffuse soft, gentle light inside the vehicle. Lighting can be customised day and night by selecting a colour on the control cluster, and the air conditioning screens at either end of the dashboard are illuminated by yellow lights.

A dashboard-mounted automatic electric parking brake that does away with the mechanical hand brake between the front seats. The reorganisation of the interior has created enough space for four large, closed storage compartments in the dashboard, including a refrigerated cubby that can hold one 1.5-litre bottle or two 0.5-litre bottles.

Dimensions: C4 Picasso is an exceptionally spacious vehicle. Its architecture and dimensions (4.59 m long, 1.83 m wide and 1.66 m high) make for a roomy interior. The three rows of seats can comfortably accommodate up to seven passengers.

Boot Space C4 Picasso offers an exceptionally comfortable interior without reducing the size of the boot. The amount of boot space depends on the interior layout. In the most common configuration, with the seats in row three folded away and the row-two seats pushed right back, the volume beneath the parcel shelf of 576 litres VDA. When all the seats are folded away, maximum capacity is 1,951 litres VDA.

Three Rows-7 Seats: The second row of seats can all be folded away in a single movement without removing the headrests. The 3rd-row seating can be easily folded away under the floor without removing the headrests. The original movements of the seats allow for easy access to the 3rd row. The cushions of the 2nd-row side seats are automatically lifted towards the seat back, much like a cinema seat, by pressing a control. The seats then slide up against the front seat-backs in a single movement.

Engines & Gearbox: The C4 Picasso features a new six-speed electronic gearbox system, coupled to the 143 bhp 2litre petrol engine or the 110 bhp or 138 bhp HDi diesel powerplants with particulate filters.

The quick, precise shifts of the six-speed electronic gearbox system deliver outstanding performance and one of the smoothest drives in its category. This gearbox also helps reduce fuel consumption by 4 to 5 per cent and CO2 emissions by 5 g per km.

[hchanhle]

More pics

[digitalcraft]

What's up with all the minivans, trucks and generally non-sports-car things around here recently? I'm not saying you should stop, or that I mind (heck, if I don't wanna read it its easy to skip past), I'm just wondering if there's a specific reason for all these now?

[Waugh-terfall]

I WANT ONE!!! Just like that but in that nice lime/yellow colour

[hchanhle]

Originally Posted by digitalcraft

What's up with all the minivans, trucks and generally non-sports-car things around here recently? I'm not saying you should stop, or that I mind (heck, if I don't wanna read it its easy to skip past), I'm just wondering if there's a specific reason for all these now?

Why not as they are interesting exercises in packaging... if you want to see sportscars, check the latest camaro, viper... there are plenty on this site as well...

[Rockefella]

Originally Posted by digitalcraft

What's up with all the minivans, trucks and generally non-sports-car things around here recently? I'm not saying you should stop, or that I mind (heck, if I don't wanna read it its easy to skip past), I'm just wondering if there's a specific reason for all these now?

My explanation. Why not? It doesn't hurt to add more cars to the hide-out/database, because some people look for stuff like this. Hell, I may need a picture of this minivan's interior one day.

[cmcpokey]

speaking of that, you should move this to the hide-out

[drakkie]

A quick remark on the car itself. My dad and I test drove one a few weeks ago. The ride itself is very smooth, but still on the shorter bumps, too hard. For a true Citroen it is a bit too harsh. We were very much used to the smooth,comfortable ride in older Citroens.This one was just as the C4 a bit harsh to our liking. The gearbox mentioned is a disaster. It takes very long to shift, sometimes 2+ second !!! Full manual shifting seems to be the better option.

About the interior, it is pretty nice and well finished. IMHO it should've been the COTY and not the S-max.

Anyway I hope we will see many on the road,it seems like a great car to live with daily

[Spastik_Roach]

Very nice looking for an MPV/whatever the buzz-word for them is today. Citroen sure know how to design a car.

[Vaigra]

Originally Posted by cmcpokey

speaking of that, you should move this to the hide-out

http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/forum...itroen+picasso

[cmcpokey]

well, the pics here are not there, so maybe the threads should be merged

[henk4]

Originally Posted by drakkie

About the interior, it is pretty nice and well finished. IMHO it should've been the COTY and not the S-max.

the requests sent up during the premiere in Paris were obviously not convincing enough

[Ferrer]

I quite like it for a Citroen and a van, it looks good and is well packaged. My favourite van is still the Ford S-Max though.