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our test drives or view them all

Citroen C3 Picasso 1.6 HDi 110 Exclusive

HOW come the same company that turns out the dreadfully unsatisfying Pluriel soft-top can create a family star as superb as the C3 Picasso?

I just don’t get it! Citroen won’t admit it, but it shot itself in the foot with the daft Pluriel a few years ago and now the same design team has come up with the C3 Picasso – and it’s a cracking family holdall.

Affordable, cute, practical and very cheap to run, the nine-model range starts from £11,495 for a modest VT trimmed 1.4 VTi petrol and tops out at a still keen £15,595 for the outstanding 110bhp 1.6 HDi Exclusive model I had on test.

This is a comfortable and well-appointed five-door compact MPV that comes in 110bhp Exclusive trim complete with a diesel particulate filter. It’s a remarkable package that turns heads and, even when loaded with boat equipment for a 130-mile round trip to the west coast, refused to burn any more than one gallon every 55 miles. That’s astonishing considering I averaged 48mph and had a 1300 foot climb over the Dava to contend with in addition to heavy summer camper van traffic all they way there and back!

It’s as near a perfect family vehicle as you’ll get. Nearly, but not quite! I’m disappointed Citroen insists on making electronic stability programming a £350 option – apart from the fact that these excellent safety systems should be standard on all cars I am sure the additional cost it might add to every C3 Picasso would be a lot less than the option price it demands.

However, it’s a solitary moan about an otherwise sensible set of family wheels.

The 100bhp 1.6 16-valve HDi turbodiesel on my Exclusive test car is part of the industry-leading oil burners produced by the PSA Group. The C3 Picasso is also available with a less powerful 90bhp version without a DPF in VT, VTR+ and Exclusive trim for £12,595, £13,695 and £14,795. Any of that trio will guarantee frugal fuel consumption and low insurance costs.

If your motoring covers less than 15,000 miles a year, you might want to consider the C3 Picasso’s five petrol options – a 95bhp 1.4 VT costing from £11,495 to a 120bhp 1.6 in Exclusive trim at £14,795. These multi-valve units are smooth, but if you plan to carry heavy loads opt for the 1.6 with better pulling power than the modest 1.4.

I liked the C3 Picasso. It is a sensible and clever design that ticks lots of boxes.

Even the Exclusive’s £200 "Black Pack" option of dark finish 17-inch alloys with 45 section cover didn’t impact too heavily on the car’s ride quality. Despite my dislike of noise-generating low profile covers the 205/45 Michelin tyres did little to upset the Picasso’s in-built ride refinement and road noise was impressively low.

That’s more of a tribute to French suspension design and overall sound deadening than it is about the wheel and tyre choice. The standard Exclusive wheel and tyre combination is a 16-inch alloy with 50 section cover – which suggests it could be quieter still.

As a driver’s car it’s light with good visibility for parking, something helped by its chunky and tall box-like shape. The steering is on the light side, but accurate while the manual five-speeder copes well with the engine’s fine 161lb.ft of torque from 1750rpm. The change is slick and while it could benefit from a sixth gear for easy cruising, the standard gearbox is more than adequate.

Where I find the Picasso’s style jarring is the dash. It’s practical with a large lidded storage bin in a flat top surface fronted by four chromed ventilation outlets. The central console is good too with easy access to the radio and climate control. But it’s what happens next that I find hard to accept. The instruments are mounted quite far from the driver in the middle of the dash and close to the large shallow-angle windscreen. Nothing really wrong with that except the speedo is a trendy digital affair backlit naturally with light flowing in from outside. Alongside is a function panel in orange. In fairness it all works, but looks like Andy Warhol had returned from the dead and let loose on the design. A bit too funky for me.

Seating is good. The seat backs are supportive and there’s plenty of adjustment – even in the back where the Exclusive’s trio of split and fold rear seat backs can be set at a variety of angles for individual comfort.

It’s at the back of the Picasso that things get really clever. Drop the seats and both back and squab fold gracefully flat in one easy movement. The gap that’s left between the seat hinge and the solid load floor is simply covered by a firm flap that bridges the area to leave one long load space.

Even with the rear seats in place there’s a mighty 500 litres of cargo room, but with the rear seats folded away that soars to 1506 litres – enough for some pretty serious family detritus. Underneath the strong cargo floor is a shallow hidden compartment that sits above a Spacesaver tyre and tools. All very practical.

The Exclusive is no lightweight. It’s chunky and weighs in empty at nearly 1.4 tonnes. Fully loaded it can tip the scale at more than 1.7 tonnes. That’s an interesting statistic on a car that’s a compact 4.08 metres long and 1.62 metres tall and proves that there is substance in its construction.

All C3 Picassos are well equipped but the Exclusive does best with ABS braking, front and side airbags, climate control, rear parking sensor, four electric windows and cruise control in addition to RDS/CD radio, alloys, power steering, remote central locking and an immobiliser.

Even at Exclusive level there are plenty of options to personalise your C3 Picasso. A huge panoramic glass roof with blinds costs £520 while part-leather is £350 and a Citroen MyWay sat-nav and Bluetooth pack is priced at £700. Metallic paint costs £395.

Clearly designed with a family in mind it is also fitted with a clever wide-angle rear view mirror so the front occupants can keep an eye on children in the back.

It’s a great package. Excellent value with a solid, well-built feel. It’s good to drive, very economical and if you buy a Servicing Pack for £200 you’ll get free servicing for three years or 35,000 miles.

Rating: 8/10

FINAL THOUGHT: It looks funky, has an elevated driving position, is packed with storage ideas, is frugal, rides comfortably, is spacious and is great to drive. Citroen has a family jackpot on its hands with the well-assembled C3 Picasso. A superb family holdall delivering excellent value with the most impressive model being the 90bhp 1.6 HDi VTR+ at £13,695.

Citroen C3 Picasso 1.6 HDi 110 Exclusive

• Price: £15,595
• Capacity: 1560cc
• Power: 110bhp
• 0-62mph: 11.2 seconds
• Maximum speed: 114mph
• Economy: Combined 56.5mpg; Urban 43.5mpg
• CO2 emissions: 130g/km
• ESP: Standard on HDi 110 but £350 option on other models
• Insurance: Group 5