Review: Citroen C4 Grand Picasso (2007 – 2013)
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Rating:
Good value seven-seat people carrier. Immensely versatile. Easy to drive, good view out for all passengers. Three Isofix fittings across the centre seats.
Bumpers easily damaged. EGS gearbox requires getting used to otherwise lurches. Serious problems developing with EGS gearbox.
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Citroen C4 Grand Picasso (2007 – 2013): At A Glance
- Insurance Groups are between 13–20
- On average it achieves 91% of the official MPG figure
This is the car that would have surprised no one by becoming European Car of the Year 2007.
Without taking anything away from the Ford S-Max that secured the title (by managing to be both a drivers car and an MPV), the feature-packed C4 Picasso pushes the concept of compact MPV further than it has ever gone before.
Unfortunately it was a latecomer to CoTY and some of the judges did not get enough time to fully appreciate quite how much it offers.
What does a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso (2007 – 2013) cost?
| List Price from | £18,815 |
|---|---|
| Buy new from | £13,908 |
Buy a used Citroen Grand C4 Picasso from £6,998
Citroen C4 Grand Picasso (2007 – 2013): What's It Like Inside?
- Boot space is 208–1951 litres
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| Length | 4590 mm |
| Width | 1830 mm |
| Height | 1680–1710 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2728 mm |
I'll start with the seats. There are seven of them. The rearmost two each pop out of the boot floor with a single tug. The centre three are each full-size separately sliding and folding with ISOFIX tethers on all of them. They also fold flat with one tug, but very usefully the squabs on the outer two fold up so they can be slid forwards individually to give generous access to the rearmost pair. Unlike the Zafira, two centre row passengers can stay in their seats while two more get into the rear pair. At 5' 9" I can happily sit behind myself in all three rows. All five-rear seats can be folded or erected in 30 seconds. And the flaps that give a flat load area are much neater, tidier and stronger looking than those in the S-Max.
Up front, the passenger seat also has ISOFIX fittings and the airbag can be de-activated by keyswitch. Unless you specify an optional DVD player, the cab is ‘walk through' with a flat floor enabling the driver to easily slide across and get out passenger side. All the dashboard functions, including a big digital speedometer, satnav screen (if specified) and now a digital rev counter are in the centre. The electric parking brake switch is bang in the middle. And most of the other controls are on the steering wheel itself. On ‘Electronic Gearbox System' (autoclutch) versions the Reverse-Neutral-Auto-Manual selector is a lever, and manual selection of the six gears is by paddle.
Interior lighting received a lot of attention. On Exclusive models you can change the colour as well as the brightness of the instrument display. Put your hand into a door pocket and it illuminates. There is soft LED lighting everywhere. And even a rechargeable torch in the boot. That LED lighting does not extend to the unusually tall taillights, though. They are lit by projector bulbs.
The view from the driver's seat is extraordinary. The car has the deepest screen on any car anywhere. So deep it requires double sunvisors that first slide down before opening. In the summer you'll be able to spot C4 Picasso drivers by their suntans. The screen is also panoramic. Citroen has managed to eliminate the traditional MPV screen pillar blindspots by thinner A pillars and large front quarter windows. And at no sacrifice in front-end safety as the C4 Picasso has gained the highest NCAP score of any vehicle ever for adult occupant protection.
Other goodies, some of which are model dependent or optional, include self-levelling rear suspension, a parking space measurement system, Citroen's lane departure warning system, cruise control with speed limiter, hill start brake assist, single plug automatic fuel flap (no separate fuel cap), individual climate controls, an air quality sensor and a fragrance diffuser. There's even a separate smaller mirror to watch the kids in the back seats.
Child seats that fit a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso (2007 – 2013)
Our unique Car Seat Chooser shows you which child car seats will fit this car and which seat positions that they will fit, so that you don't have to check every car seat manufacturer's website for compatibility.What's the Citroen C4 Grand Picasso (2007 – 2013) like to drive?
- Engines range from 1.6 e-HDi EGS to 2.0 HDi Automatic
- Readers report Real MPG to be between 24–60 mpg
Engine range kicks off with a 127PS 1.8 petrol from £14,995 and with a 110PS 1.6 HDI from £16,495. Top models are a 143PS 2.0 petrol Exclusive 6-speed EGS at £19,845 and a 138PS 2.0 HDI 6 speed EGS at £21,695. Emphasis is on the EGS which is the only transmission with the 2.0 litre engines and optional with the 1.6HDI.
So that's what we tried.
An electronic clutch can never give you the perfect shift every time. But because it's an automated process it does give you the same shift every time, eliminating ‘driver error' and achieving a lower CO2 output. Though a little bit slow, this box was the best of its type I have ever tried and was easy to get used to either in manual or in fully automated mode. It did a very good job of eliminating the torque reaction jerk between 1st and 2nd, which is always the biggest challenge.
The standard C4 range speed limiter is a useful feature, enabling you to programme in 30mph, then if you try to go faster your right foot feels like it's pressing on a jelly. The slight danger of this is understeer on wet leaves on a tight bend. You obviously can't set it at 30, keep it there and simply steer.
However, handling is generally all right. Better than the Xsara Picasso. But nothing like as sharp as an S-Max. If you want a Sports MPV you know where to go. But if you want the most up to date compact MPV with the most surprise and delight features, and an autobox, then it has to be the C4 Picasso.
Meanwhile, if you want a really cheap five full seat MPV, the Xsara Picasso soldiers on into the fairly distant future. A replacement is waiting in the wings, but Citroen says it won't be for years.
| Engine | MPG | 0-62 | CO2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6 16V THP Automatic | 33 mpg | 11.7 s | 197 g/km |
| 1.6 16V THP EGS | 40 mpg | 9.8 s | 162 g/km |
| 1.6 e-HDi Airdream EGS | 57–58 mpg | 13.5 s | 120–132 g/km |
| 1.6 e-HDi EGS | 53–54 mpg | 13.5 s | 136–139 g/km |
| 1.6 HDi | 48–54 mpg | 12.7–13.1 s | 135–145 g/km |
| 1.6 HDi 6 Speed | 50–55 mpg | 13.4 s | 135–140 g/km |
| 1.6 THP 16V | 39 mpg | 10.2 s | 173 g/km |
| 1.6 VTi | 38–41 mpg | 12.3–12.4 s | 159–174 g/km |
| 1.8 16V | 35 mpg | 11.9 s | 190 g/km |
| 2.0 16V | 35 mpg | 11.5 s | 190 g/km |
| 2.0 HDi | 42–50 mpg | 10.2–10.7 s | 137–140 g/km |
| 2.0 HDi Automatic | 42 mpg | 10.7 s | 177 g/km |
| 2.0 HDi EGS | 42 mpg | 10.7 s | 137 g/km |
Real MPG average for a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso (2007 – 2013)
Real MPG was created following thousands of readers telling us that their cars could not match the official figures.
Real MPG gives real world data from drivers like you to show how much fuel a vehicle really uses.
Average performance
91%
Real MPG
24–60 mpg
MPGs submitted
281
Diesel or petrol? If you're unsure whether to go for a petrol or diesel (or even an electric model if it's available), then you need our Petrol or Diesel? calculator. It does the maths on petrols, diesels and electric cars to show which is best suited to you.
What have we been asked about the Citroen C4 Grand Picasso (2007 – 2013)?
Every day we're asked hundreds of questions from car buyers and owners through Ask Honest John. Our team of experts, including the nation's favourite motoring agony uncle - Honest John himself - answer queries and conudrums ranging from what car to buy to how to care for it as an owner. If you could do with a spot of friendly advice before buying you're next car, get in touch and we'll do what we can to help.
The ULEZ means I will no longer be able to go the 500 metres to my local supermarkets for my elderly mum - are Blue Badge holders exempt from the £12.50 charge?
What Cars Are Similar To The Citroen C4 Grand Picasso (2007 – 2013)?
Key attributes of the this model are: Versatile interior and MPV.
Unclear on what your next car should be? Use our Car Chooser to pick something that suits your needs.
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What do owners think?
Our view gives your our opinion, based on driving hundreds of cars every year, but you can't beat the views of someone who lives with a car day-in, day out.
- 5 star 33%
- 4 star 17%
- 3 star 17%
- 2 star 17%
- 1 star 17%