Thoughts on the Citroen C4 Picasso 7 seater?

Dingatron

Our current 01 Zafira 2.0 dtl has pretty much had it so we're looking for another 7 seater. I've been looking at the Citroen C4 Picasso 1.6 VTR+ and first impressions appear good. Anyone have experience with them good or bad and what to look out for? I'm viewing two in the morning so would like to hear some views if possible?

Thanks


ding

merc3ps

A family member has had the 1.6 diesel with the automatic for just over 2 years (from new) and has had no issues. I think they have a nice interior, good quality and the exterior styling seems neat enough for what it is.

Read up on carsurvey.org, parkers and honestjohn for more info but take it all with a pinch of salt, especially honestjohn. I like carsurvey myself.

Scottie99

My wife has the 1.6HDI VRT+ EGS

We've had it 1 year and had no problems. Lots of space, spec, low tax and fuel efficient.

R.O.R

I delivered one to a customer a couple of years ago and thought it was a very good vehicle. Decent performance from the 1.6Hdi (this was a manual) and very good specification.

The only negative that struck me was that it felt like a very big car in comparison to the Zafira I brought back.

I don't the footprint of the Picasso is any larger than the Zafira, but it felt like driving a proper full size people carrier rather than a mini MPV type.

Make sure you get a decent test drive rather than just a look as it may not suit.

Dingatron

Thanks for the comments. We drove a 07 1.5Hdi with 30k on the clock today and I was disappointed with the drive to be honest. I found it very noisy and the rear view mirror was placed directly in my line of view. On the plus it wasn't the worst looking car and was quite responsive etc. Its bigger than the Zafira by about a foot in length but the kids have grown too so the extra leg room is needed.

I had a look at a Grand Scenic 2010 also which I was pleasantly surprised with and also an automatic 08 Galaxy which I expected to be solid which it was. Pricey though.

whowantstwoknow

Would you consider the 5008, though perhaps its too new for your budget?

W

Scottie99

Dingatron wrote: »

the rear view mirror was placed directly in my line of view.

You can adjust the seat downwards, this will remove that problem

johnos1984

Dingatron,

how much are you looking to spend.

My sister just brought back a 2008 G.Picasso 1.6HDI auto with 12k miles and a fcsh in mint condition for €14 all in.

Jusy for comparison sake when your looking. I took it for a long drive and will agree it feels very big at the start but you get used to it quickly.

Anyway, happy shopping and hope that helps

merc3ps

I have a 2010 Grand Scenic. The Grand Picasso is virtually identical in size. Some of the kids prefer the footroom in the +2 seats in the Scenic. I think the interior build quality is higher in the Citroen.

The Cit 1.6 has higher tax than the Scenic 1.5

I am getting about 50MPG from the 1.5.

If you have more questions about the Renault let me know.

I would go for a Galaxy if I could afford it. When the Picasso was being purchased it was 250odd road tax vs the Galaxy's 1000..... plus the auto in the Galaxy pushed the price near to 40k... the EGS auto in the Cit works OK (you have to get used to it) but it was about 32k I think.

Dingatron

whowantstwoknow wrote: »

Would you consider the 5008, though perhaps its too new for your budget?



W

A 5008 is outside our budget. I found it very similar to the Picasso but around +5k dearer.

Scottie99 wrote: »

You can adjust the seat downwards, this will remove that problem

Thanks figured there had to be a way around that as it seemed an odd place.

johnos1984 wrote: »

Dingatron,

how much are you looking to spend.

My sister just brought back a 2008 G.Picasso 1.6HDI auto with 12k miles and a fcsh in mint condition for €14 all in.

Just for comparison sake when your looking. I took it for a long drive and will agree it feels very big at the start but you get used to it quickly.

Anyway, happy shopping and hope that helps

Top of budget is around 22k but I'd want virtually new and in the €156 tax bracket for that. Where abouts did your sis get her's and what was she trading in if you don't mind me asking?

merc3ps wrote: »

I have a 2010 Grand Scenic. The Grand Picasso is virtually identical in size. Some of the kids prefer the footroom in the +2 seats in the Scenic. I think the interior build quality is higher in the Citroen.

The Cit 1.6 has higher tax than the Scenic 1.5

I am getting about 50MPG from the 1.5.

If you have more questions about the Renault let me know.

I would go for a Galaxy if I could afford it. When the Picasso was being purchased it was 250odd road tax vs the Galaxy's 1000..... plus the auto in the Galaxy pushed the price near to 40k... the EGS auto in the Cit works OK (you have to get used to it) but it was about 32k I think.

Grand Scenic we looked at is a demo owned by one of the Renault directors and has all the extras. As a result it appeared to have the nicest interior of all the cars but I'm not blinkered by the toys. There not much good to you when your at the side of the road.

The Galaxy is really a class up. Near the top of our budject, 80k in miles on and tax around the 500 mark is putting me off although its a solid car.

I'm going to see if I can test drive a new Picasso as a comparison as the noise is an issue.

johnos1984

It was a straight deal as a friend in Britain sourced it for her and she went over and collected it

The car cost £9k for a straight deal, its a realistic figure if you can haggle the rest was tax

merc3ps

Dingatron wrote: »

Grand Scenic we looked at is a demo owned by one of the Renault directors and has all the extras. As a result it appeared to have the nicest interior of all the cars but I'm not blinkered by the toys. There not much good to you when your at the side of the road.

The Galaxy is really a class up. Near the top of our budject, 80k in miles on and tax around the 500 mark is putting me off although its a solid car.

I'm going to see if I can test drive a new Picasso as a comparison as the noise is an issue.

The more toys... the more there is to break

If you are driving a Picasso with EGS (weird auto gearbox), then give it a chance. It is really strange. Basically it is a manual box, but they added electronic moving of the gears.... so the gearchange is quite slow and feels strange, but it's no different really from driving a manual, in terms of speed. I switched to using the paddles on the steering wheel and found the gearchange to be much faster.

largepants

Probably too late for you now dinatron but I purchased an 08 one recently. I don't get to drive it much at all but I find it perfect for what I want it for. It's economical, plenty of room, cheapish road tax and in my mind comfortable enough. Prob takes a few days to get used to it but shouldn't be an issue after that. I don'tknow what your intended use for it is but I find if perfect for both small and long journeys.And if you can get a deal like johnos1984 did, I'd certainly go for it. I did a fair bit of research and didn't get anywhere near the 14k he's talking about. Thats a cracking deal.Best of luck.

Scottie99

merc3ps wrote: »

The more toys... the more there is to break

If you are driving a Picasso with EGS (weird auto gearbox), then give it a chance. It is really strange. Basically it is a manual box, but they added electronic moving of the gears.... so the gearchange is quite slow and feels strange, but it's no different really from driving a manual, in terms of speed. I switched to using the paddles on the steering wheel and found the gearchange to be much faster.

Must agree, the automatic is very slow but using the paddles is super fast. The 2009 1.6Hdi engine is cleaner than previous years, thus reducing your tax from €300ish(145/150) to €156 (140g)

si_guru

merc3ps wrote: »

The more toys... the more there is to break

If you are driving a Picasso with EGS (weird auto gearbox), then give it a chance. It is really strange. Basically it is a manual box, but they added electronic moving of the gears.... so the gearchange is quite slow and feels strange, but it's no different really from driving a manual, in terms of speed. I switched to using the paddles on the steering wheel and found the gearchange to be much faster.

The EGS has lower emissions than a manual and better MPG!... plus you can chnage the gears with the paddles if you like... the EGS cars have a fridge where the normal gearstick would be..

We have the "exclusive" model which also have self-levelling suspension.

Gear changes take 0.5 seconds... (read the book).. that's not slow. However sometimes you want to use the paddles to make a quick 1 to 2 gear change from down hill junctions.

The auto hill hold is great too... especially if you tow a caravan as I do.

si_guru

...plus unlike the Zafira it has three full seats in the second row.

tipptom

si_guru wrote: »

The EGS has lower emissions than a manual and better MPG!... plus you can chnage the gears with the paddles if you like... the EGS cars have a fridge where the normal gearstick would be..

We have the "exclusive" model which also have self-levelling suspension.

Gear changes take 0.5 seconds... (read the book).. that's not slow. However sometimes you want to use the paddles to make a quick 1 to 2 gear change from down hill junctions.

The auto hill hold is great too... especially if you tow a caravan as I do.

Hi guys,i know this thread is yonks old but its on the button of exactly what I a enquiring about.


We are looking at a 09 exclusive hdi auto model at the weekend,a bit confused about the auto on this,can this be used as a traditional auto or do you always have to button shift,as wife will not wear it if there is not ordinary auto option on it?.


He also says he is knocking 55 mpg out of it?


He has told me he has had the rear suspension air bag done on the rear suspension which I believe was a problem on these,and any other imfo on these cars a few years on from owning this car you have encountered since would be appreciated?

El Kabong!

Yes it can be used as a traditional auto, but the gear changes feel slow. They are just manual gear changes that are automated. It can take a while to get used to it.

I found that if you used the paddles to "manually" change the gears, then it was quite fast.

Our one was getting 44-45mpg but it would have a lot of shorter trips.

If it is the 1.6 HDi then there are well known problems now (also used in Fords). You must check to see did it have the proper oil used. Going forward I would use the proper oil and reduce the serivce interval to 12k miles/1 year.

Also check for leaks on the turbo.
Also, check the injectors are tight, not leaking.

To be properly sure you could drop the sump to check for gunge/buildup.

It is worth doing a bit of preventative checks/maintenance on these engines.

bbam

55 might be the motorway figure on a long run..
Ours is returning 49mpg combined.

Fully manual so no comment on the auto question..

Qwerty?

I get 45ish mpg on the egs, 50 with very careful driving. You can check the computer on it too see what mpg he's getting and it'll show you the mpg over a distance travelled.

Check the eloys pouch, they have a tendency to leak.

tipptom

Guys,i am seriously going of these cars,i know any car you look up on the web that you will get horror storys but there does seem to be a major lot of problems with these around the year I am looking at and there seems to be a lot on the market around this time.


Don't think its worth the risk to the point that I am considering a 07 1.8 petrol verso with Toyota service history,boring,way less mpg,twice the tax per annum but reliable.

bbam

We have ours three years, and its been good..

Now, your buying a well spec'd large 7 seater and its priced about €4-5K below other cars in its class..

In our 3 years of ownership we've spent damn all above regular servicing, and compared to friends who have VW Touran & Ford S-Max or the Zaferia we had before, we've spent about the same on "non service" issues.

So you've already saved min €4k for the back pocket to cover stuff that might blindside you, and its a bigger more comfortable car than the Zaferia or Touran.

Would I buy another??.. I would definitely, but its not suitable to tow our caravan so next year I'm thinking it'll be changed for a Mits Outlander.