2001 Citroen Picasso SX 2.0 HDI turbo diesel

Summary:

A hurried attempt to join the small MPV market

Faults:

Dash panel readings would disappear until dash top slapped, when all readings would re-appear. Needs a new dash panel, and the quote is £250 plus 1hr labour to fit.

General Comments:

Handles OK, but slow with a poor top speed and cruise.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 19th May, 2008

11th Sep 2013, 13:36

How was your first one, since you owned two?

2001 Citroen Picasso SX 1.6i

Summary:

Nice look, but bad build

Faults:

The head gasket went 2 weeks after the warranty ran out at 52,000 miles.

The clutch went at 70,000 miles.

Cd's get stuck often.

There is a problem with the electrics.

The boot won't open.

The power steering gets heavier as time goes on.

General Comments:

Thank goodness this isn't my car, but instead my sisters'. This thing has been in the garage so many times it's put me off Citroen's for life.

She had a Renault Megane for 3 years and it had never developed a problem, but with her second child on the way she decided she needed a bigger car. It was either the Scenic or Picasso; as the Picasso was cheaper she went for that.

The styling is good and it's comfortable to drive and be a passenger in, but the reliability is questionable.

Two weeks after the warranty ran out the head gasket went costing her £500. A year later the clutch went costing her £400; There have been other problems such as the brake lights stopped working for no apparent reason and occasionally the cd player wont play cd's. Also the boot takes some hard work to get into - often a few minutes of constant lifting before it will open!! It often takes a few attempts to start; when it came to having new discs and pads it seems that one of the rear brakes was stuck on due to inadequate brake fluid distribution.

We recently ran over a trainer that was in the middle of the road for some reason and it broke the heat shield on the exhaust!!!! I dont know why!

She took the car to Citroen to have it serviced and they charged £100 for the pleasure. They refused however to stamp the book as it turned out this service was in fact only an oil change and the proper service was £700.

This just worries you; how long will the car last? It's got 92000 miles on it; how many will it have left? We checked the trade in price and it currently stands at around the £1600 mark.

I like the car, but the build quality isn't great so I would just be wary.

Hope this helps.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 3rd September, 2006

2001 Citroen Picasso LX 2.0 HDi

Summary:

This one has been so good that I have just ordered a new 1.6 HDi Exclusive 110BHP

Faults:

Soon after one service, it developed a loud metallic noise at high speed, but this turned out to be the oil filler cap, which had been dropped into the engine compartment by the mechanic and not recovered. It was in the garage 3 times before the cause was discovered.

Other than this, absolutely nothing has gone wrong.

General Comments:

This has been the most reliable and cheap to run car I have ever had. I have had at least 15 cars, including several company cars.

Fuel economy is at its best with a light foot, and it's worth knowing that when your foot comes off the throttle, consumption is zero.

It is deceptively powerful with plenty of torque, though sometimes overtaking needs a bit of forward planning.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th July, 2006

2001 Citroen Picasso 1.8 SX 1.8 petrol

Summary:

A very roomy and well fitted out car

Faults:

So far all is well, except a rather noticeable creaking from somewhere in the front O/S drive shaft area when reversing, then moving forward, needs investigation under warranty.

General Comments:

A very roomy and comfortable, quiet car. We bought it to transport our family of 2 adults and 2 growing teenagers, and it seems to be everything we wanted, and more.

Comments were made elsewhere on this site about soft seats, rolling on cornering and a CD/ radio system that needs upgrading, but we have found nothing wrong in any of those areas.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st April, 2004

13th Nov 2004, 11:33

Couldn't agree with you more re the room of the car for 4 adults and all luggage that you can throw at it. The main concerns are the lack of lumber supports on a lengthy journey, even my previous 1.2 punto had them!!!. Another problem I encountered was the r/n/s/ door could over ride the central locking, a fault that the dealer couldn't rectify. Apart from that agree with comments.

23rd Aug 2005, 10:25

I think the Picasso is an OK car. However since buying it in 2002, at 1 year old, I have had it in the garage over 15 times with the Engine Auto Diagnosis light coming on for no apparent reason. There is nothing wrong with the car, but I need this light turned off just in case there is a problem. The thing is that now it is out of warranty Citroen want me to pay to get the light turned off, when I think it is an absolute disgrace because they should have fixed it in the first place. So far I haven't paid a penny for this problem and I don't intend to. It is an on-going problem and it should have been fixed months ago.