We review the Citroen C3 Picasso from price to economy and all its features
WHEN it comes to artistic elegance on the football field, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto’o are the Kings of Europe.
And Citroën chose the beautiful Spanish city to underline their position as people carrier kings of Europe with a brand new state-of-the-art C3 Picasso.
State-of-the-art ... C3 Picasso
The French firm have 22 per cent of the market, which means one in five people carriers bought in Europe has the double chevron badge on the bonnet.
The C3 is Citroën’s fifth MPV alongside new workhorse versions of the Nemo and Berlingo Multispace, five and seven-seat C4 Picassos and the eight-seat C8.
But the latest Picasso joins a new breed of small MPVs which have all the styling and kudos of a 4x4 without the gas guzzling fuel habits, plus added practicality.
The successful Nissan Qashqai started the craze, now it’s a sector that this year will see the arrival of the funky Kia Soul, the Nissan Cube and Toyota Urban Cruiser. It’s fitting that the C3 was unveiled in Barcelona, the city where Picasso lived through his cubism period, thought to be his finest work. And I think the C3 is one of Citroen’s finest works.
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It has a look which will appeal to different age groups, but especially a younger audience. The model’s greatest talents remain with its class-leading space and flexibility, that boasts split folding rear seats that can slide back and forwards to meet your needs, or be easily folded away for maximum load space.
Boot space with the seats up is 500litres that rises to 1,506 with the seats flat, compared to 222 and 700 for the Kia Soul, while the Renault Modus is 217 and 1,195.
Inside it’s another example of Citroën’s improvement in the quality of materials, with soft touch upholstery and nice chrome finishes to the trim. Four engines will be available, a 1.4 and 1.6 petrol and two different power level 1.6 turbo diesels. I’d go for the diesel because of the extra power and the better fuel economy at 56.5 and 60.1mpg.
Unlike a Picasso painting or a Barcelona footballer, the C3 Picasso’s real ace is value, with prices starting from £11,495 for the 1.4 and the 1.6 diesel £12,595, although the top of the range £15,595 will stretch families on a budget and appeal to older buyers looking to downsize.