Brilliant But Barmy
by David Finlay (05 Nov 07)

Although it has several features which make me want to bang my head against the nearest wall, there's no doubt that the C4 Picasso is in many ways an absolutely brilliant compact SUV which puts the efforts of rival manufacturers firmly into the shade.

The Picasso comes in both five- and seven-seat forms, and although the five-seater is very impressive in its own right - as well as being the prettiest car in the class by some way - you'll need to go for the larger model if you want access to the maximum practicality that Citroen offers.

It has a maximum load capacity of 1951 litres (nearly 200 more than its smaller sibling), and the ease with which it's possible to fold down the second and third rows of seats to achieve this is the result of some quite brilliant design work. At the UK launch of this car I saw Citroen's head of PR go through the process with just one hand, while using the other to eat an apple; it wasn't a planned demonstration - he was peckish and I'd interrupted his lunch - but it was nevertheless one of the most memorable things I've ever seen on a press event.

The top position in the C4 Picasso seven-seat range is held by the 2.0 HDi Exclusive tested here. Its 138bhp turbo diesel engine is familiar from many other Citroens and Peugeots, and it's a reasonable enough choice, though the 1.6-litre HDi available elsewhere in the range provides nearly the same performance along with much better fuel economy.

The Exclusive is, of course, the best-equipped of all Picassos. Among other things, it comes as standard with an interior lighting pack (optional on other models) which creates a tremendous ambience and makes the Picasso seem of far higher quality than is actually the case.

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