Citroen Picasso Review: 2015 – Ca Va? Citroen’s Cool Category Bender
What’s hot: Stuffed with high-end features, individual style, big boot and eager engine.
What’s not: The price may be a hurdle for buyers, shame there’s no diesel.
X-FACTOR: More than a hatch, the Picasso blends the airy appeal and space of an SUV with composed, classy on-road dynamics.
Vehicle style: Five-door hatch
Price: $40,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine/trans: 121kW/240Nm 1.6 litre petrol | 6spd auto
Fuel consumption listed: 5.6 l/100km; tested: 8.1 l/100km
OVERVIEW
Citroen has a new Picasso; but this one is not a family bus.
Neither is it quite a typical hatchback: its boot is much larger and it has the long flat roofline of the Grand Picasso (but not quite as long).
That long roofline allows four wide-opening doors, and, inside, like the Grand Picasso, there is a feeling of airy spaciousness quite unique to this car and its stretched bigger bro’.
Also, somewhat uniquely, the Picasso has a higher hip-point to the seating, and a driving position that feels more SUV than hatch.
So, typical for Citroen - the company that does all of its thinking “outside the box” - this new car brings another twist to the conventional hatchback.
The nub of this car is that it does a whole lot of things a little differently, and has a unique personality as a result.
A genuine segment bender, it arrives in one highly kitted ‘Exclusive’ model designation only. There is also just one engine and transmission option: a 1.6 litre 121kW/240Nm turbo petrol and six-speed conventional automatic transmission.
For style, it looks much like the Grand Picasso. But the Picasso is noticeably shorter, lower, and, of course, does not get the third row seating (but a good-sized boot instead). It also has different rear styling.
The hurdle for buyers - we think - will be the price; at $40,990, it might be stretching the friendship notwithstanding the versatile packaging, long standard feature list and six-year warranty.
THE INTERIOR | RATING: 4/5
- 12-inch high-definition display screen, and seven-inch touchscreen
- Satellite navigation
- Bluetooth (and music streaming), DAB+ radio and 8Gb ‘jukebox’
- Park-assist with 360 degree vision, reversing camera and front/rear park sensors
- Dual-zone climate control (with rear air-vents)
- Keyless entry and start, stop/start, electronic park-brake
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Panoramic sun-roof
A ‘Drive Assist Pack’ brings lane departure warning, smart beam headlights, active cruise control and anti-collision warning for an additional $2000; plus, interior ‘Lounge Pack’ trim options include a part-leather pack for $2500 or full-leather for $5000.
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