The Citroën C4 Picasso is a 5-door family SUV/crossover designed for transporting people. It is a car designed to be affordable, but not cheap. It is a car that comes with a bunch of family-friendly features, some of which can often be found in luxury cars only. Therefore, the C4 Picasso certainly seems promising on paper, but is Citroën C4 Picasso a good car?
The Citroën C4 Picasso is a really good car for what it is because it offers sophisticated and efficient engines which aren’t the most powerful but do the trick for most people. The overall driving experience is subdued but comfortable. The car feels safe, relatively well-built, and like it is going to last a decent amount of time.
The design is not particularly special both inside and out because Citroën is not into making striking cars. However, it seems like many Citroën models age decently well because most of them don’t look as old as they actually are. Reliability-wise, the C4 Picasso is decent, but there are some issues worth talking about.
The values of these are one of the most important reasons why so many people are buying them 2nd hand. Practicality is really good because the C4 is a fairly large car which means that it does not lack space in any way, shape, or form.
Citroën C4 Picasso – The powerplant
The Citroën C4 Picasso engine lineup starts with two different gasoline engine options. The entry-level 1.2L in-line 3-cylinder engine offers 131hp which seems to be okay for this type of car. The more powerful 1.6L 4-cylinder engine offers up to 170hp which is pretty strong for the C4 Picasso. Both of these are fairly smooth and they fit the C4 really well.
The diesel engine lineup starts with the 1.6L 4-cylinder engine that offers up to 120hp. The range-topping 2.0L 4-cylinder diesel engine offers 150hp and is the preferred engine for most C4 Picasso owners, at least in Europe. The C4 Picasso is a FWD car and it comes with a smooth 6-speed gearbox.
You can expect up to 55MPG from diesel C4 Picasso models while gasoline models can return up to 40-45MPG. All in all, the C4 Picasso engine options seem to be really well calibrated and are perfect for a car such as the C4 Picasso.
Citroën C4 Picasso – Design and chassis
The Citroën C4 Picasso looks fairly modern even though it really isn’t. Citroën did a good job while designing the C4 Picasso because it is one of the best-looking cars in this segment. The interior is a bit brash to some, but it gets everything you need. It is not overly well-built, but that comes with the territory as the C4 Picasso is not a luxury car.
The suspension and chassis tuning is tailored toward comfort and ease of use which means that the C4 isn’t going to ruffle any feathers. It is not dynamic by any means and most people tend to agree that it lacks any character as well.
Citroën C4 Picasso – Reliability and common issues
Reliability-wise, the C4 Picasso seems to do okay, but there are some issues worth talking about. The EGS automatic gearbox is known to suffer from clutch-related issues in addition to sometimes being lazy, jittery, and harsh. The electricals such as the windows, the lights, and the A/C are also prone to breaking quite often.
Other issues include problems with the car’s brakes, leaks, and various pieces of equipment such as seat belts and glass roof panels. Overall, it is not the most expensive car to maintain, but it does need maintenance fairly regularly.
Citroën C4 Picasso – Value and practicality
The values of these are now really well positioned which makes the C4 Picasso a really popular car on the 2nd hand market. Many families around the world seem to be satisfied with the C4 Picasso as the overall customer satisfaction results are mostly positive.
When it comes to practicality, the C4 Picasso is actually great as it offers lots of seating and storage space throughout the car. It also comes with a bunch of family-friendly features such as cuppy spaces, charging ports, and armrests. It is a really easy car to get in and out of and the overall visibility is really good as well.
FAQ Section
Should I buy the Citroën C4 Picasso?
It depends on what you want from a car. If you prioritize space, affordability, safety, and ease of use, the C4 Picasso is actually a really good choice. These are the aspects in which the C4 Picasso seems most promising. However, it isn’t fun to drive, it isn’t luxurious, and some might deem the engines to be a bit lazy and lacking character.
If you have the chance, be sure to test drive the car. That way you can easily decide if the C4 Picasso is the car for you. If you do decide to buy one, do a mandatory pre-purchase inspection because you can never be 100% with these cars.
Is the Citroën C4 Picasso safe?
The Citroën C4 Picasso is a 5-star rated car when it comes to safety which means that most people should be more than satisfied with it. It may not be the most modern Citroën family car out there which means that it lacks the very newest safety features and software solutions.
However, most of these are widely considered gimmicks. Therefore, the C4 Picasso can be considered a really safe car, one that deserves your attention. The most important thing is that the C4 Picasso is a 5-star safety-rated car in regards to crash protection.
What makes a good family car?
First of all, a great family car needs to be safe. It also needs to be spacious which means that you should be able to fit your entire family into it without any issues. It also needs to be fairly quiet so your kids can easily sleep in the back. It needs to have a large trunk space so you can use it for holidays long distance trips.
It also needs lots of family-friendly features such as charging ports, lots of storage spaces, easy entry, and great visibility.