Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 7 Seater 2018 review - Mat Watson
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We have four C4's and so far one has had a failed battery, another the wing mirrors have stopped folding in and out, and another has major electronic issues with the dashboard one day being like a Christmas Tree and another shows a single blue light. I read about possible poor electrics before we started using them, and it seems in that respect previous reviews are accurate.
So how does it perform. On average about 53mpg over the 15, 000 miles done in each vehicle so far, not too bad. Power is adequate but can seem a bit leaden with four on board, but it is the handling that lets it down. It does not handle like either of the above two cars mentioned, I know it sits higher but it is vague on bends wanting to understeer and throw you out in to the middle of the road, slow ponderous execution of turns are the order of the day, especially when four or five on board. I would hate to be a small child and having to sit in seats six and seven. And it fishtails like a, well fish in high winds or any cross wind, and I am not talking the strong winds we can experience.
I don't hate this car, but I certainly do not love it, for me it is a boring car that I would not wish to own up to having one sat on the drive. There are far better cars out there for the money, but hey ho, each to their own.
Date: 2022-04-11
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Comments and reviews: 9
chriskeenan1
Owner Review: 1. 6d.
Pros:
Great fuel economy. Road tax is negligible, and free on some models. Beautiful looking- stands out from the crowd. Great seating space in the back and in the front, but rearmost seats are really only suitable for children. Fantastic driving position, and a smooth ride. Handles corners well. Great boot space. Arm rests in the front. Visibility is really good.
Cons: The user interface- buttons for air con and music, are not user friendly. Very fiddly. Your eyes are taken off the road for too much of an extended period while trying to find the right button to press. The touch screen is a bit -laggy- and not very responsive. People over a certain age are best staying away from this car. The front windshield is way too high, and the sun visors don-t do a good job. In fact, they actually block out the rear view mirror at times. No space for the parcel shelf when the rear seats are in place. Accessing the space saver wheel is best done with someone who has a degree in physics. It-s the worst design I have ever seen. It is accessed via the boot, and is attached to a wire. Once you access the wheel, you then have to open a box that is also attached to the wheel/wire to access the jack. All of which would be totally rusted and rendered useless in a couple of years of driving.
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Owner Review: 1. 6d.
Pros:
Great fuel economy. Road tax is negligible, and free on some models. Beautiful looking- stands out from the crowd. Great seating space in the back and in the front, but rearmost seats are really only suitable for children. Fantastic driving position, and a smooth ride. Handles corners well. Great boot space. Arm rests in the front. Visibility is really good.
Cons: The user interface- buttons for air con and music, are not user friendly. Very fiddly. Your eyes are taken off the road for too much of an extended period while trying to find the right button to press. The touch screen is a bit -laggy- and not very responsive. People over a certain age are best staying away from this car. The front windshield is way too high, and the sun visors don-t do a good job. In fact, they actually block out the rear view mirror at times. No space for the parcel shelf when the rear seats are in place. Accessing the space saver wheel is best done with someone who has a degree in physics. It-s the worst design I have ever seen. It is accessed via the boot, and is attached to a wire. Once you access the wheel, you then have to open a box that is also attached to the wheel/wire to access the jack. All of which would be totally rusted and rendered useless in a couple of years of driving.
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TheZontania
Lovely car but big issue is the door column is too far forward thus making entry to an non average-sized person difficult. :( Not sure if it is the same on the smaller version (the 5-seater. Unfortunately, nobody gives you these details (or notices them) So fed up of hearing about 'cheap plastics' - we need to get over the plastic issue, alright?
And Mat, to me, your reviews would be even more brilliant if you added two more people in them - one a short person (to see how they would reach pedals and see over dashboard) and a fat person (to see how easy or hard it would be for them to enter/exit the car and fit behind the steering wheel)
After watching many reviews and test driving several cars, I am beginning to wonder how the NCAP safety stars apply to non-standard sized drivers. For example, would the airbags deploy in the case of a fat driver whose stomach touches the steering wheel? (I am allowed to say the F-word since I am one myself)
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Lovely car but big issue is the door column is too far forward thus making entry to an non average-sized person difficult. :( Not sure if it is the same on the smaller version (the 5-seater. Unfortunately, nobody gives you these details (or notices them) So fed up of hearing about 'cheap plastics' - we need to get over the plastic issue, alright?
And Mat, to me, your reviews would be even more brilliant if you added two more people in them - one a short person (to see how they would reach pedals and see over dashboard) and a fat person (to see how easy or hard it would be for them to enter/exit the car and fit behind the steering wheel)
After watching many reviews and test driving several cars, I am beginning to wonder how the NCAP safety stars apply to non-standard sized drivers. For example, would the airbags deploy in the case of a fat driver whose stomach touches the steering wheel? (I am allowed to say the F-word since I am one myself)
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Terence
Not sure what the complaints are from Matt about the seats. My Brother In Law has 2 kids and he has this car, bottom line is unless your kids are old enough to NOT need car seats or booster seats then you'll likely never use the back 2 seats because you will need to undo the iso fixings for the car seat in order to fold one of the seats to use the back 2. He's never used the back 2 seats EVEN when his parents come to visit because as i said you can't put the child seats in the back row, and you can't stuff grandparents into the back 2 seats - so it's a 2 car journey. Storage is MORE of an issue, not enough for a car of this size. However you have to make compromises when you are a parent and most of these cars spend most of their lives doing 5-10 mile journeys to and from School and the work then off to the shops and kids clubs & activities.
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Not sure what the complaints are from Matt about the seats. My Brother In Law has 2 kids and he has this car, bottom line is unless your kids are old enough to NOT need car seats or booster seats then you'll likely never use the back 2 seats because you will need to undo the iso fixings for the car seat in order to fold one of the seats to use the back 2. He's never used the back 2 seats EVEN when his parents come to visit because as i said you can't put the child seats in the back row, and you can't stuff grandparents into the back 2 seats - so it's a 2 car journey. Storage is MORE of an issue, not enough for a car of this size. However you have to make compromises when you are a parent and most of these cars spend most of their lives doing 5-10 mile journeys to and from School and the work then off to the shops and kids clubs & activities.
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Mihael
greenhouse for growing weggies. panoramic roof is screened only with cloth shade. car refuse to corner at all, seat are crap regardless of trim level (including outrageous expensive napa. Great look, poor storage space in cabin, LCD position and practicality is joke, engines are excelent for city drive, but anemic on open roads - in fact heavier and much older Scenic 2 with less HP on paper are more agile. expensice with higher trim level, plain and un-atractive at base trim levels. all 5 back seats are more or less only for children. visibilty. large glass, but from old Scenic 2 visability is tons better. it is comfort car for passenger, silent in rural road, but noisy in highway. and totaly not fun for driver - compared to old Scenic2. (engines tested: Diesel 110, Petrol 150 turbo.
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greenhouse for growing weggies. panoramic roof is screened only with cloth shade. car refuse to corner at all, seat are crap regardless of trim level (including outrageous expensive napa. Great look, poor storage space in cabin, LCD position and practicality is joke, engines are excelent for city drive, but anemic on open roads - in fact heavier and much older Scenic 2 with less HP on paper are more agile. expensice with higher trim level, plain and un-atractive at base trim levels. all 5 back seats are more or less only for children. visibilty. large glass, but from old Scenic 2 visability is tons better. it is comfort car for passenger, silent in rural road, but noisy in highway. and totaly not fun for driver - compared to old Scenic2. (engines tested: Diesel 110, Petrol 150 turbo.
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Robert
Apart from having a possible seven seats - it's not as practical as the Xsara Picasso, which was beautifully simple and uncluttered, with more open space, especially the oh, so useful, lack of centre console enabling access to the rear without getting out of the car. I spent many hours driving, working and sleeping in my 2. 0hdi.
With the rear centre seat removed and an infill used, it provided a perfectly flat bed with extra length between the front seats. PLUS - it was free of so many unnecessary electronic gimmicks so prone to go wrong. Other people may have made fun of them - but I've never met anyone who owned one who didn't love it!
Sorry, I know the comments should really apply to the C4!
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Apart from having a possible seven seats - it's not as practical as the Xsara Picasso, which was beautifully simple and uncluttered, with more open space, especially the oh, so useful, lack of centre console enabling access to the rear without getting out of the car. I spent many hours driving, working and sleeping in my 2. 0hdi.
With the rear centre seat removed and an infill used, it provided a perfectly flat bed with extra length between the front seats. PLUS - it was free of so many unnecessary electronic gimmicks so prone to go wrong. Other people may have made fun of them - but I've never met anyone who owned one who didn't love it!
Sorry, I know the comments should really apply to the C4!
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Midland
I have the previous model 2009 with the ECG gearbox I wonder if they have improved the drive? mine shudders like hell when pulling away then on cross roads or roundabouts push accelerator pedal down nothing happens by the time it does there's a car looming up on you and the thing surges forward I find it rather tricky to drive plus the fact there's a lot more to go wrong, if I bought one of these I would play safe and go for a manual gearbox because I don't think there's any improvement on this new model.
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I have the previous model 2009 with the ECG gearbox I wonder if they have improved the drive? mine shudders like hell when pulling away then on cross roads or roundabouts push accelerator pedal down nothing happens by the time it does there's a car looming up on you and the thing surges forward I find it rather tricky to drive plus the fact there's a lot more to go wrong, if I bought one of these I would play safe and go for a manual gearbox because I don't think there's any improvement on this new model.
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bumps
You missed the trick Mat, you can store the boot cover when the three rows of seats are up in the recess at either side of the car behind the seats fits great, take another look! the seats are easy to fold out, you do not need to take the covers all the way off as you did, just fold them back grab both straps and pull the seats come up together and fit the space perfectly. If you are going to review a car do it properly.
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You missed the trick Mat, you can store the boot cover when the three rows of seats are up in the recess at either side of the car behind the seats fits great, take another look! the seats are easy to fold out, you do not need to take the covers all the way off as you did, just fold them back grab both straps and pull the seats come up together and fit the space perfectly. If you are going to review a car do it properly.
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The
I went to look at a 2017 one today as I am in the market for an MPV for micro camping/every day family car. I was absolutely impressed with the car and can I just say, putting the seats into any of its multi configuration was so easy, not complicated or a faff. I would love to know or hear a bit more about the engines and reliability. Thank you for doing this review.
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I went to look at a 2017 one today as I am in the market for an MPV for micro camping/every day family car. I was absolutely impressed with the car and can I just say, putting the seats into any of its multi configuration was so easy, not complicated or a faff. I would love to know or hear a bit more about the engines and reliability. Thank you for doing this review.
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David
Looks pretty good. I never think that a car of this size should be expected to carry 7 people plus 7 suitcases. The smallest vehicle that can do that convincingly is a VW Transporter. 5 plus loads of luggage or 7 adults comfortably with a bit of luggage should be fine. Folk think van based people movers are cheap. They are not. This would be much cheaper.
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Looks pretty good. I never think that a car of this size should be expected to carry 7 people plus 7 suitcases. The smallest vehicle that can do that convincingly is a VW Transporter. 5 plus loads of luggage or 7 adults comfortably with a bit of luggage should be fine. Folk think van based people movers are cheap. They are not. This would be much cheaper.
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