I’m 32-years-old, recently married and even more recently, a new father. With the little lad but four-weeks-old, my CarAdvice colleagues decided to hand me the keys to the new Citroen C4 Picasso for the weekend, to put Australia’s newest multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) through its paces.
I must confess that being a new â€" and first time â€" dad, the concept of a ‘people mover’ is something totally foreign to me. It’s therefore more than a little understandable that when I first get my hands on the Citroen C4 Picasso I’m a little indifferent.
MPVs are a very odd shape. Not an SUV â€" though the driver and passenger seats are somewhat elevated â€" but not a station wagon either. Perhaps the best way to approach it is as a hybrid of both. Whatever your view, the look of the French five-seater grows on me over the weekend.
Sitting inside, you immediately notice the bright and futuristic design Citroen has managed to create in the cockpit. The sheer amount of space taken up by the expansive wrap-around windows creates a bit of an illusion, making things feel more glasshouse than car, while the centre-mounted driver display completes the ‘spaceship’ feel.
The C4 Picasso’s contrasting two-tone leather, featured on the seats, dash and inserts, tends to divide opinion. Personally, I’m a fan. To me it feels stylish and quintessentially French. Overall for mine, the whole interior befits the Citroen’s luxury Euro tag.
Teaming a 121kW/240Nm turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder with a six-speed automatic, the front-wheel-drive Picasso proves far more enjoyable to drive than I had expected. I’m sure I’m not the first father to say this, but since the arrival of the little one, I don’t seem to drive at a million miles an hour any more. It goes beyond that too.
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