Citroen C4 Picasso - Dreadful car!
Discussion
I just spent four days in France with a C4 Picasso hire car. I approached it with an open mind, telling myself I was too set in my ways and that I should be ready to appreciate the virtues of this kind of car.
I knew it was going to be an ugly lump, because it's a car you see around. Indeed a neighbour has one. The interior is roomy. The dash is a mixed bag, with a decent central screen showing speed, navigation, infotainment information and other useful data. There is another, smaller touchscreen below it that deals with most secondary controls. It's not as quick to adjust on the move as the German systems, but it is reasonably intuitive and it works. Less good is the lack of adjustment for the steering wheel, the column-mounted automatic gearchange stalk (I hate these on any car) and the standard French soft seats.
None of this would matter if the car was good to drive, but it is not. It is simply dreadful. There is terrible body roll, but the worst aspect is the gearbox. The changes are unbelievably slow and bog the car down almost every time. Coming off roundabouts, it invariably decides to change down, just as you try to accelerate, resulting in the car seeming to stand still for a couple of seconds, wheel it swaps the cogs. This, of course, turns overtaking into a major challenge, as the same pause results when you use kickdown. The engine is a perfectly adequate diesel that would be fine with a better gearbox. The brakes were adequate, but lacked feel. The steering felt as if it was connected to the wheels by a stretchy rubber band. It did not inspire confidence. The headlights were poor in dipped mode.
On the plus side, it doesn't use much fuel.
There is a gulf in dynamic ability between this car and a BMW, Mercedes or VW at anything close to its price level, so I decided to check reviews, thinking they must highlight the car's manifest shortcomings, but they don't. It gets four or five stars in most. I see plenty of posts on PH from people who like to refer to German cars as "appliance cars", with the message that they are uninspiring, but a BMW 116, another car I have had as a hire car recently, is a car that, while not at all quick, still drives in a way that shows it has a connection with a car like an M5. The C4 Picasso isn't just uninspiring; I actively hated driving it.
I knew it was going to be an ugly lump, because it's a car you see around. Indeed a neighbour has one. The interior is roomy. The dash is a mixed bag, with a decent central screen showing speed, navigation, infotainment information and other useful data. There is another, smaller touchscreen below it that deals with most secondary controls. It's not as quick to adjust on the move as the German systems, but it is reasonably intuitive and it works. Less good is the lack of adjustment for the steering wheel, the column-mounted automatic gearchange stalk (I hate these on any car) and the standard French soft seats.
None of this would matter if the car was good to drive, but it is not. It is simply dreadful. There is terrible body roll, but the worst aspect is the gearbox. The changes are unbelievably slow and bog the car down almost every time. Coming off roundabouts, it invariably decides to change down, just as you try to accelerate, resulting in the car seeming to stand still for a couple of seconds, wheel it swaps the cogs. This, of course, turns overtaking into a major challenge, as the same pause results when you use kickdown. The engine is a perfectly adequate diesel that would be fine with a better gearbox. The brakes were adequate, but lacked feel. The steering felt as if it was connected to the wheels by a stretchy rubber band. It did not inspire confidence. The headlights were poor in dipped mode.
On the plus side, it doesn't use much fuel.
There is a gulf in dynamic ability between this car and a BMW, Mercedes or VW at anything close to its price level, so I decided to check reviews, thinking they must highlight the car's manifest shortcomings, but they don't. It gets four or five stars in most. I see plenty of posts on PH from people who like to refer to German cars as "appliance cars", with the message that they are uninspiring, but a BMW 116, another car I have had as a hire car recently, is a car that, while not at all quick, still drives in a way that shows it has a connection with a car like an M5. The C4 Picasso isn't just uninspiring; I actively hated driving it.
Pauper.
S10GTA said:
Zod said:
OK, let's leave aside the appalling gearbox for a moment. What about the body roll? I know one person thought the steering fine, but I found it bizarrely vague with very little feel.
But its not supposed to be a car to go for a hoon in, its just supposed to transport you and your kids from A-B. Its just a tool for the job?S10GTA said:
Zod said:
S10GTA said:
Zod said:
OK, let's leave aside the appalling gearbox for a moment. What about the body roll? I know one person thought the steering fine, but I found it bizarrely vague with very little feel.
But its not supposed to be a car to go for a hoon in, its just supposed to transport you and your kids from A-B. Its just a tool for the job?Gassing Station | French Bred | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff