Citroen C4 Review (2006 to date)

Quick Summary

The Citroën C4 Picasso is a car that rewards a little research and it's well worth taking a look at a few examples - not only to play one vendor off against another. The pick of the range is probably the 1.6-litre HDI model with manual gearbox in SX trim, but any of the diesels are a good bet and Citroën has even been very sensible with the petrol engines as well. The Grand version is a good value choice, assuming you have off street parking: it's quite tricky to manoeuvre into a tight spot, parking sensors notwithstanding. The car is too new at the moment to build a definitive picture of long term reliability but so far the signs look good.

Overall:

Models Covered:2006- to date:5 door Mini-MPV, standard wheelbase and long wheelbase Grand, 1.8, 2.0 petrol, 1.8HDI, 2.0HDI diesel [LX, SX, VTR+, Exclusive]

A LASTING IMPRESSIONIST?

Deviating from a winning formula can be a big risk. Citroen knows this as well as any car manufacturer, having had a long history of big hits followed by rather impressive failures. The company has found it hard to hit a consistent winning groove and in replacing the massively successful Xsara Picasso with the far more complex C4 Picasso, did it deviate from the recipe for success? Sales suggest otherwise, the C4 Picasso finding a new swathe of customers who appreciate a little more luxury. This now translates into decent choice for the used buyer.
Used Citroen C4 for sale

History of the C4

The Xsara Picasso was always one of those vehicles that showed quite how little motoring journalists matter. Rather disliked by most motor noters, the public couldn't get enough of it. Perhaps it was the keen pricing, the endlessly inventive incentives from dealers or just the fact that here was cheap family transport that wasn't Korean: all of that was enough to sell it to families up and down the country. Its successor, the C4 Picasso, is cut from very different cloth. We like the C4 Picasso and, it seems, so does the British car buying public. Vive le concord.The long wheelbase Grand C4 Picasso appeared towards the end of 2006, with the more compact model joining it in September 2007. The C4 Picasso was sold alongside the Xsara Picasso, Citroen rather running out of commitment and hedging their bets with both product lines. The engine selections consisted of 1.8 and 2.0-litre powerplants, petrol or diesel and four trim levels.
Used Citroen C4 for sale

Citroen C4 Road Test

The 138bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine of our long term test vehicle will sit on its cruise control at 85mph very happily on French autoroutes, returning nearly 40mpg even at that velocity. If you're not a fan of cruise control, and many aren't, there's also a handy manual speed limiter function that will prevent you inadvertently attracting the attention of les flics by creeping over the posted limit. With a maximum speed of 125mph, the C4 Picasso had plenty left to give, so when driving it without the cruise or the limiter switched on, it was easy to accidentally creep up towards the three figure mark on empty, featureless autoroute sections. Like many diesel cars, the C4 Picasso wasn't quick to warm up on a cold morning and if you're merely sitting with the rear window demister on, the radio playing and the engine off, the car will go into a power save mode within a few minutes where it switches everything off, at one point doing so with impeccable timing right at the climax of the Champions League draw.The Citroën's steering wheel always draws comment. This features a clever arrangement where the wheel turns around a fixed centre hub on which are mounted all the main controls. Not only does this make using the controls simpler, it also means that the airbag stays in the same position and can thus be better designed to cushion the driver's head in the event of an accident. If you're not looking to spend the kind of premium money that our top spec test vehicle cost when it was new, there are plenty of less costly but still appealing choices in the C4 Picasso line up. With a choice of a 127bhp 1.8-litre or 143bhp 2.0-litre petrol engines or 110bhp 1.6 or 138bhp 2.0-litre HDi diesel units, drivers won't want for decent powerplants. We went for the 2.0-litre diesel, but the 110bhp 1.6-litre diesel would have been just as acceptable. Either way, you'll probably want a diesel if you're going for a car of this kind but whether you can justify the price premium for an oil burner comes down to a simple issue of how many miles you're likely to cover. If you're simply using the car to go to the shops and back, then yes, petrol is probably your best bet. Otherwise, opt for the HDi every time.
Used Citroen C4 for sale

Buying a Citroen C4

Unlike its rather utilitarian predecessor, the C4 Picasso is a distinctly complex car, bringing to the mass market many technologies previously only seen on high-end luxury models. As such, it will pay the potential buyer dividends to do a painstaking check of the electronic functions. Of particular importance will be a check of the EGS gearbox to make sure that it engages gears cleanly and does not drop into a false neutral when it is decelerating to a standstill in 'automatic' model. Apart from a rather insubstantial parcel shelf, the interior feels fairly well screwed together although the dealer fit satellite navigation can be frustratingly idiosyncratic in some of its route selections.
Used Citroen C4 for sale

Citroen C4 Typical Pricing

Prices for the C4 Picasso start at just under £11,000 for an 07-plated 1.8i LX. The SX trim adds £1,000 to that price and the VTR+ starts at £12,300. The 2.0-litre petrol model was popular, partly because it was offered with the EGS sequential manual gearbox and an SX model with this robotized manual 'box starts at £12,500 on an 07 plate which looks decent value. The diesel-engined variants have proven to be the biggest sellers and the pick of the range may well be the 1.6 HDI SX trim. This is available from £13,600 with a manual gearbox and £14,000 with the EGS transmission. The more powerful 2.0-litre HDI diesel opens at £15,600 in VTR+ trim, again on the 2007 07 plate. Model for model, Grand C4 Picassos add around £750. Insurance ranges between Group 6 and Group 9.
Used Citroen C4 for sale

Citroen C4 Parts

(approx. based on 2008 1.8i C4 Picasso LX excl VAT) A clutch assembly is around £110 and an exhaust system about £425 including a catalytic converter. Front brake pads are around £55 a pair with rears retailing at around £45. A radiator is about £175, an alternator about £300 and a starter motor £255.
Used Citroen C4 for sale