I'm an early buyer. The car is early production and among the first 10 in Norway. Some faults are there on delivery simply because they aren't ready from the importer. I'm waiting for the original floor mats, and the front parking sensors have to be enabled in the on board computer, which the importer can't access because they haven't got the equipment to connect to the car yet.
Same goes for the rear air suspension which sometimes reports errors on the service-display of the car. Dealer cannot fix this until they have the parts for it. That's what you get for being an eager customer I guess. The car isn't even launched yet in Norway. Deliveries start in January.
Outstanding exterior and interior design. This is (finally) a true Citroën. I dislike the C5, so after owning ZX, BX, XM and Xantia I just had to skip the C5 and buy a Peugeot instead. However, the C4 hatchback had me in love again. But since that was too small for family use, I decided to wait for the Picasso. And the wait was truly worth it.
This car has pretty much the same extremely comfortable yet responsive road handling as in it's older gas/hydraulic sisters. A bit too easy on the steering perhaps, but you get used to it.
The new EMG6 gearbox is very good. Quick and smooth changes, unlike the older "Sensodrive" boxes found in smaller and older Citroëns like C2 and 3.
Plenty of stowage space, you can store stuff for years in this car and never find it again, but the car will still be as tidy and clean as it was when new. Seating arrangement is the best I've ever seen in any MPV.
Lot's of gadgets, which means you need to spend hours reading the instruction book to fully appreciate everything. The car takes care of everything for you. Just start it and go. Exterior lights turn on automatically, and interior lighting as well if it's needed. When you tap the gas pedal, the parking brake releases automatically. If it's raining the wipers take care of the rain. If you're driving in a polluted environment, the parking sensors in the front "smells" the pollution and block the air intake for you. It needs some thinking yes, but once you get a hang of it all, every other car on the road seems like Fred Flintstone's.
Interesting to read your comments as regards the instruction book. A few years ago I worked in the service department of a Vauxhall garage and was constantly amazed by the total inability of virtually all Vauxhall owners to read the instruction manuals.
Initial reviewer here: Yup, reading manuals is an ability drivers today has lost. I guess it doesn't only apply to Vauxhall-drivers. Of course, a car's "user interface" today pretty much has to be industry standard, but that kills individuality, something to be regretted and thankfully at least one manufacturer couldn't care less about it. Thank you Citroën!
Reviews are starting to appear in the media. It seems I bought the "Best family car 2006" according to Top Gear Awards. Also Auto Express has the Picasso as number one among MPVs, ahead of S-Max.
Nice review. If possible, return and write more about your experiences with your car after some time. We are planning to buy an MPV in the beginning of the summer and we cannot disqualify from the list the C4 Picasso. It's extremely beautiful. Since we are living close to each other (Finland) let us know how it behaves during cold starts, how quickly it warms up the huge cabin (without a DEFA-type warm air blower) or defrosts windows.
Enjoy your new car as much as you can and have thousands trouble-free kilometres with your big family!
Owner reports: Thanks for your feedback from Finland. Unfortunately the car went to the garage today because of a water leakage in the luggage compartment. Quite bad I must admit. I expect it will take a week to dry. Service was excellent though. I got a brand new C5 HDi as a replacement while I wait. Otherwise I'm fully satisfied. Completed the first long trip last weekend which returned a very reasonable 5,2 litres pr 100 km. Somewhat more than my previous and smaller Peugeot. But the fuel tank is bigger (60 litres) so range should be similar. Long distance travelling was a joy because of good seats, lovely suspension, low noise levels and a very good stereo with MP3-support.
You ask about heating and defrosting, in this regards I will give the car an "approved" rating. Not excellent, but okay. It doesn't have a webasto-system, but an electric heating assistant which is slower. Defrosting of front and side windows takes between 5 and 7 minutes from -5 Celsius in the morning. Complete defrosting takes 15 minutes. Pretty average I think, but considering the vast glass area I guess it's as good as it gets. No problems driving on slippery roads. Dubless tires, but still completely safe behaviour on both ice and snow. ESP is pretty strict. No sliding allowed there.
To sum it all up: It's an early batch car with a few problems. I expect these to be sorted when I get the car back in about a week. Mechanics, electronics and interior quality seems to be excellent. I've had no reliability issues yet. I feel confident that the car will prove to be good once the early-production issues in mine gets sorted. I have discussed with two other owner who are fully satisfied (and they have a dry trunk as well). And the garage where I bought mine also had two new Honda CR-Vs with water leaks so at least I wasn't alone.
Choose your dealer and garage carefully and I'm sure you will be satisfied. Citroën dealers in Norway and Sweden are competent and service minded. Not so in Denmark and UK I understand. How are they in Finland?
If you have air conditioning try running it as this will dehumidify the air within the car and speed up drying of the wet area.
As regards garages I found it very difficult to deal with many Vauxhall owners. They didn't understand the vehicles they were driving and seemed to think we could magically cure problems that they couldn't even describe. In the UK there is a culture of technical knowledge being an undesirable human trait and this definitely knocks on to car ownership.
From Finland: We finally test drove the C4 last week. Going into a large car like this after our Mazda3, it felt strange. Unfortunately, it has a bus feeling that disappointed me a bit. The day before we had test driven the Renault Grand Scenic and even though you sit higher and more straight than our normal car, it still felt like a car and not like a van.
I liked the Picasso's feeling from the plastics, the soft fabric roof and the huge&comfortable seats on the front. It is quiet and the 1,8L engine felt strong and powerful (unlike the 1,6L of the Grand Scenic that felt like it was an 8valve unit, starving quickly). When we were testing the parking, it felt shorter than the Opel Omega estate parked next to it, but the steering wheel could turn some more.
It is extremely roomy and well equipped car. The prices are still high since it is new in the market, but we were planning to purchase a car in the summer that the twins will get born anyway. I think we will first have to decide if we want an estate or MPV first!
As for Citroen service shops, it is hard to tell since I have no previous experience with French cars.
I'll be waiting for more updates from your life with the Picasso.
From Hungary: It's great to read your comments on the car, I bookmarked the page immediately in the hope you're gonna update it as the experience grows.
We are also going to buy a new MPV as the second baby is on the way. Our current car is actually sufficient, but only for us. In case we'd like to take grandma to a trip, too, it wouldn't work. Citroen C4 Picasso is on the top of our list of nominees :).
Initial reviewer returns with a few comments. The car has driven 7000 km now. No new problems to report. Water leak has been mended. Engine and gearbox really starting to improve performance now. Fuel economy is improving as well.
I still discover new details not mentioned anywhere by anyone. One example is how the gearbox stays in lower gears when running up- and downhill. That's not mentioned in the manual or in any brochure or road test. Maybe it's normal among autoboxes today? I have driven some and they all had to be manually locked in low gear in these situations.
One other funny detail I just discovered today is what happens when I flush the windows or when I'm driving in reverse. In these situations I have noticed that the ventilation fans increase speed. Never gave it much thought until I finally realized what happens today: The outside air vents are closed automatically to avoid alcohol-smell and exhaust fumes from entering the cabin. Now there's attention to detail for you. Still another reason to love this car.
Greetings from Finland!
I have one week old 1.8 C4 Picasso with manual gearbox. I have driven already 1000 km and have only little experience about the car. Positive and some negative features noticed.
Positive: Car is extremely comfortable with long distance driving (quiet, good seats, good audio, good visibility)
Negative: In cold temperature (like -15 C or below) heating system is not functioning as it should. When you stop the car and you stay as low engine rpm (traffic lights, crossings, short term parking) it starts to blow cold air from the vents. When you increase rpm it starts to blow warm air again. I contacted the service and got feedback from importer/factory that this kind of feature has been recognised at-least in some cars. --> reason: water-pump / fan control not sufficient to ventilate heat in low rpm. They don't have fixing instructions yet, but it is coming near future. hopefully soon because winter still continues.
Interior warming in low temperatures takes quite long time. with MAX front window blowing,and then little later automatic AC control I have found that it improves the heating.
From Ireland; Bought a c4 Picasso 1.6 HDI 2 weeks ago. I really love this car. Its so comfortable and feels really upmarket. Haven't read the manual yet so haven't yet figured out how to use all the buttons or what they do! I think dealers should hold a I day course for prospective buyers. That way, you are not as baffled by the buttons. Would definitely recommend this car if one is looking for a 7 seater MPV.
Hi, interested in that writer from Ireland - could you keep us posted on your 1.6 HDi "going forward".
We are in the market for another 7 seater, but not a full size one this time as some of our children are at university. The Citroen seems to be the best of the mid sized MPVs, but I have reservations about the quality of Citroen.
Interesting comments from our friends in the Scandinavian countries, but I don't want a petrol model. Good reviews on the quality issues though.
Owner of reviewed car in the pit lane for a few comments:
I discovered another water leak. This time it's leaking along the front passenger door, a-pillar gets wet and the side bins gets a few drops of water as well. Garage fixed the water leak while I wait. Same cause as in the rear, broken clip.
On the plus-side, the garage has finally got the "proxi" they need to tell onboard computer to shut up about the air-suspension being erroneus (which it isn't, but annoying anyway). They seem to have fixed it. However, they couldn't get the front parking sensors to work. The computer controlling the parking sensors has been removed and sent to Citroën Norway for diagnosis and I guess, replacement.
Have spoken to quite a few other customers, who are completely satisfied and haven't had any of the problems I'm experiencing, so at least a few cars have been properly made. However, I and another owner think the windscreen-flushers are to weak. Dealer modified the other guys flushers, actually replacing them with units from the Xsara Picasso. If you think the same you should complain about it I guess.
Hi everybody.
I will be leasing a C4 Picasso for about 2 months starting this may. I am from Canada, but will be coming to Europe on vacation and I plan on taking a long stroll around the Alps. Can anybody tell me how the car behaves in rolling hills or on mountain roads?
I currently own a 1997 Mazda MPV which is working great. Does anybody know how the two compare?
I'll try to post a message with my impressions after my vacation, but that may have to wait until July.
Thanks a lot.
C4 will feel like a go-kart compared to the Mazda. Every Citroen I've driven (from the AX to the C5) handles like a dream. Haven't driven this one, but based on the past experience you won't have trouble with winding roads. More likely you'll laugh your way across the alps. :-)
I don't think you should compare any car from 1997 with a modern car today. The Picasso will be much more sonically comfortable and it will have a superior suspension to your Mazda. However, steering servo is electric while your Mazda probably is hydraulic. That means less feedback from the steering in the newer car, keep your eyes on the road or you will wander off without even noticing it. The new car will also be heavier, but modern suspension shouldn't make that a problem. If you must buy a new car however, I think the Picasso may be the most exciting around in the breed of family carriers. I love that windscreen. That and the soft suspension makes you feel you're in a helicopter, hovering above everyone else on the road. I think I will buy one.