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By
ALISTAIR KENNEDY
7 May 2007
Citroen has never been afraid to try something different so
there’s always a sense of excitement when any new model with the
meshing-gears logo arrives. And the French car company hasn’t
disappointed with its latest offering, the C4 Picasso, a compact
seven-seat people mover that has just made its Australian debut.
First shown at the 2006 Paris Motor Show, the C4 Picasso is
based on the same platform as the Citroen C4 hatch but with its
own distinctive, flowing lines. It follows on from the Xsara
Picasso, a model that was considered for Australia, but never
imported.
The front windscreen of the all-new C4 Picasso is huge,
stretching from the low bonnet almost to the level of the heads of
the front seat occupants. The A-pillar is split into two narrow
pillars with glass between them, again improving visibility at
either side of the car while the rear windscreen is large and
practically-shaped. Add the optional $1750 sunroof which almost
covers the entire roof area and you have a car with just about the
maximum amount of natural light available in a fixed-roof car.
The twin challenges of such large glass areas, especially in
sunny Australia, are excess glare and heat.
There is certainly much more glare than normal from the large
windscreen but this can be largely negated by using the twin
sliding sun visors which extend across the entire window. During
our brief test around northern Sydney we found ourselves
frequently having to slide the sun visors forward but later we
slid them back again to enjoy the benefit of the extra light.
Citroen claims a 25 per cent reduction in UV rays through the
windscreen and 80 per cent from the sunroof. We didn’t
experience any discomfort, although an extended Australian drive
in mid-summer will be the real test.
Citroen Australia likes to keep its model range simple and the
C4 Picasso comes in just two variants; one with a 2.0-litre petrol
engine mated to a four-speed automatic transmission, the other
powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel with a new six-speed auto. The
petrol Picasso will sell for $39,990 and the Picasso HDi for
$44,990.
Citroen expects four out of five buyers to choose the diesel.
Indeed we didn’t get the chance to drive the petrol model during
our test. The diesel engine isn’t as refined as many we’ve
driven and there’s a distinctive clatter especially when the
engine is warming up. But more importantly for the hustle and
bustle of suburban life, at 270Nm, there’s plenty of torque.
Suspension is firmer than we would have expected in a car of
this type but not uncomfortably so. Steering is a little vague but
otherwise Picasso has reasonable road manners.
Picasso’s seven seats are all individual buckets, in a
two-three-two formation. All three rows are at the same level
rather than the increasingly popular and practical theatre-style
raised seating meaning that the third-row pair of seats is likely
to be a little claustrophobic for young occupants. Access to the
third row seats is made easier by a clever double-folding system
on the outside centre seats.
The rearmost seats fold down into the floor when not in use.
And the centre-row seats flip back to butt up against the front
seats to make a completely flat luggage area.
Among many innovative features in the C4 Picasso are the clever
fixed-hub steering wheel that made its debut in the C4 hatch,
downward-pointing ‘puddle’ door lights, remote light
operation, drinks cooler, fold-down tables from the rear of the
front seats, child mirror and a numerous storage areas.
Apart from the sunroof the only other options are grouped into
a $6500 Premium Pack and include a 32-light ambient light pack,
wrap around front sports seats, leather interior, powered and
heated front seats with memory settings, special piano lacquer
trim and folding side mirrors.
A five-seat Picasso variant was released in Europe early this
year but Citroen Australia has no immediate plans to bring it
here. It’s substantially different to the seven-seater, not
simply the same body with fewer seats.
Sales of compact people movers such as the C4 Picasso have
struggled on the Australian market with buyers preferring
similarly sized SUVs instead of cars such as the Holden Zafira and
Renault Scenic. Citroen is banking on a swing away from 4WDs and
more interest in the fuel economy of the Picasso.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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