Citroen C4 Picasso - gadget or car?

The first Citroen Xsara Picasso resembled a Tyrannosaurus egg, but delighted drivers with its practicality and achieved considerable success. The next generation, the C4 Picasso, was advertised as the Visiovan. Although the car was not a market leader, it still offered a lot that attracted more fans. However, this time it was the turn of the new generation C4 Picasso - no longer Visiovan, but Technospace. What ideas did Citroen come up with this time?

Pablo Picasso is considered one of the greatest artists of the 1999th century, and because Citroen wants to have outstanding cars, in 4 he created a line of cars signed with the artist's name. The idea caught on, which made drivers fall in love with French minivans, seasoned with interesting ideas. To be honest, I never really liked French cars, but I have been looking at Citroen for a long time. In the end, he began to produce cars that are not ashamed to get out of the house, introduced the exclusive DS line and is not afraid of innovative solutions. All this freed me from prejudice, and with curiosity I went to the Polish presentation of the new CXNUMX Picasso in Warmia and Mazury. And this despite the fact that the road from Wroclaw to those parts is a real crusade, which perfectly reflects the degree of my curiosity.

CITROEN C4 PICASSO - A NEW FACE AGAIN

After winning the war in a traffic jam in the center of Toruń, I finally made it to Iława and was greeted at the hotel entrance by a few dozen C4 Picassos. In the case of Porsche, Audi or Volkswagen, it is sometimes difficult to guess whether the new model is the next generation, because they are so similar to each other. However, Citroen is focusing on radical changes so that no Picasso is like the previous one - and this is also the case here. Although the appearance is a matter of taste, I decided to collect the opinions of friends and they were still extreme. Initially, I myself was of the opinion that the front end would look better if I secretly sprayed the low beams with a paint-colored spray - but the LED strip on the sides of the grill itself after dark would not have done much. However, the more I looked at the front of the car, the more I began to like it. The back end really made me laugh. A rising damper with reverse light, characteristic lamps with light rectangles and a license plate under their lines - just scratch the Citroen emblem with a fork and stick a four-ring logo instead, so that it all resembles a pre-facelift Audi Q7. The profile of the car is already unique. The thick, chrome-plated C-band is like a dainty bracelet on the arm, but perhaps most striking is the car's proportions. The C4 Picasso has lost 140kg, and to make it even more fun, it now weighs the same as the smaller C3 Picasso. The body, in turn, is shortened by 40 mm due to the reduction of overhangs. Now its length is 4428 mm. However, this does not mean that passengers will have to change into mannequins, unfasten their legs and transport them in the trunk before the trip due to lack of seat space. Due to the fact that the wheels were significantly offset to the edges of the body, the wheelbase increased to 2785 mm - the result was exactly 5,5 cm of additional space inside. The track has also been increased, and the width of the car is now 1,83 m. The secret of these changes lies in the new EMP2 floorboard. It is modular, you can change its length and width - something like a construction of LEGO bricks, but here the possibilities are somewhat limited. At present, it will become the basis for compact and medium-sized cars of the PSA concern, i.e. Peugeot and Citroen. The idea itself seems very simple, but just like LEGO bricks are not very cheap, the construction of such a slab did not cost much - more precisely, about 630 million euros. And what do representatives of the brand think about the new Citroen C4 Picasso?

TECHNOLOGY AND TECHNOLOGY TIMES

I did not believe that a press conference, usually very compact, could last 1,5 hours. That's why I started planning a walk through the picturesque landscape of Iława - a charming gutter lake with many yachts and the Iława River create a very pleasant and relaxing atmosphere. I doubted, however, that my travel plan would be successful when the entire media event began - I was under the impression that 1.5 hours was not enough. The C4 Picasso has just seen the light of day, but the new styling idea should be driven by the Cactus concept. Brand representatives also discussed the development of the C and DS model ranges, after which they carefully moved on to discussing the new EMP2 platform. For dessert, there was a theme of technology and tastes used in the new car - from cameras that allow you to project a 360-degree image around the car, to automatic parking assistant, blind spot sensors and intelligent cruise control with radar. Most of these things have long been available from competitors, but it's nice that they came to Citroen. The conference ended with active seat belts, equipment and innovative screens inside the car, and the whole event was graced by a special guest - Artur Žmievski, better known lately as Father Mateusz from TVP. The actor has been driving Citroen cars for many years, so he was invited to the presentation. He swore that he paid for all the cars in cash and received none as a gift ... You have to take his word for it. However, I was curious about how true his enthusiasm is, so I was looking forward to test drives.

The next day, he took the keys, or rather the transmitter of the keyless system from the Citroen C4 Picasso. The idea of ​​the interior has not changed anything. The option also includes glass that cuts deep into the roof, making the car look like a fabulous Jetson car, and visibility is great. In turn, the dashboard itself has centrally located indicators, a harsh climate and a high-tech touch - everything is as before. But not quite - technology has moved to a new level. There are no analogue indicators in the car. They all live in a virtual world and look at other manufacturers - this is worth getting used to, because this is the future of the automotive industry. On the hood is a huge 12-inch high-resolution color display, which displays, for example, simulated analog clocks. Of course, it requires an additional payment, because as standard there is a much simpler, digital and black and white, similar to the previous C4 Picasso. In addition to the virtual speedometer, the 12-inch screen displays navigation messages, engine data and much more. In short, there is so much of everything that sometimes everything becomes even unreadable in this mass of colors and symbols. But, as with everything, there is a catch. The display can be personalized. The information provided may be edited and the entire color scheme may be changed. Great idea - just like on the phone. However, in a mobile phone, a few clicks are enough for the menu to change, and in Citroen, after choosing another option, the entire system is reset - the radio is silent, the displays go out, something suddenly starts charging, and the driver wonders if the car will sometimes stop in the middle of the road. However, after a long time in the new version, everything returns to normal. The problem will appear only when you want to return to the previous topic - the change option will be inactive ... This alerted me, because. I liked the old look of the clock more, but, fortunately, the change became possible after restarting the theme. automobile. I can only guess if this will be improved in the future or if there is already some easier way. What's interesting is that the personalization is so advanced that you can even narcissistically set your picture or any other picture on the background. Unfortunately, due to the huge number of computer functions, I could not figure out this option.

Below the 12-inch screen is a second 7-inch screen. Apparently, the accountants were sent on forced leave, and when they returned, it was too late to change. However, it turned out well. The smaller display has been dubbed the Citroen tablet, although every normal person would see it as a multimedia center known, for example, from Peugeot. It is here that the driver can control the car and it is better not to look for analog buttons and knobs. Only a few remain, the rest are enchanted by the tactile icons on the sides of the screen. It all looks as scary as programming some kind of probe to send to Uranus, but in practice the interface is friendly. If you want to set up the air conditioner, click on the fan icon and change the temperature on the screen. How about changing the song? Then you just need to touch the note icon with your finger and select another song from the menu on the display. Everything works really intuitively. Some functions can also be controlled from the steering wheel, but there are more buttons on it than on the Play Station panel, so at first you can get lost. But enough pictures, time to go.

COMFORT FIRST

The car can work with gasoline engines with a capacity of 1.6 liters with a capacity of 120 or 156 hp, as well as with diesel engines - 1.6 liters with a capacity of 90 hp, 1.6 liters with a capacity of 115 hp. and 2.0 l with a capacity of 150 hp. I got the petrol version 1.6l 156 hp, although Citroen mentions in the catalogs that the engine is 155 hp. Power was achieved thanks to a turbocharger with a pressure of 0,8 bar. Price? Base model 1.6 120 hp costs PLN 73, for the cheapest 900-strong version you will have to pay PLN 156. In turn, you can get a 86-horsepower diesel from PLN 200. However, the Pole is looking for a promotion and raises his topic well in the salon. You can get a bonus of up to PLN 90 for returning an old car to a locality or for scrapping, and a discount of PLN 81 to PLN 000 applies to the C8000 Picasso. All this makes the price of the car much lower, but because of the cruel stocks, the residual value falls faster after many years.

Moments after pulling away, my seat belt twitched, signaling that I was on alert. People who were forced to fasten their seat belts because of the flashing lights and annoying sounds are probably not happy, but the idea itself is good. From now on, when slaloming on the road and in any sharper maneuvers, the belt will preemptively tighten around my body or vibrate. And in fact, it would be better if he was on the alert, because the 1.6THP motor could well drive the car, and in the vicinity of Ilawa, the fashion for roads with the width of the sidewalks in Rock City and planting trees along the road. The maximum torque of 240 Nm is available in the range of 1400-4000 rpm, but the car starts to accelerate from about 1700 rpm. The surge of power is felt even later - just above 2000 rpm. and this actually continues until the ignition is turned off. Thanks to this, the first "hundred" can be seen on the simulated speedometer in 9,2 seconds. The 1.6THP version is easy to handle because low and mid-range rpm is enough for a dynamic ride - then the bike is also the quietest, although its quietness cannot be strongly reproached. The steering and shift lever also work, although fifth gear enters with noticeable resistance. There are no problems with hitting the lever in the right lever. Average fuel consumption at 6.9L/100km is indeed higher than the manufacturer's claimed 6.0L/100km, but with that kind of power, there's nothing to be ashamed of. What's with the suspension? It is based on a pseudo MacPherson strut at the front and a deformable beam at the back. In the era of multilink systems, it's like serving potatoes with kefir instead of fried tenderloin at a party to reduce the price. In practice, however, this is not bad. Although the body of the C4 Picasso leans in corners, and on turns with uneven surfaces the car looks and behaves uncertainly, but it definitely emphasizes comfort, which also implies a calm ride - as befits a family minivan. Due to the fairly soft suspension settings, the car does not get tired on long trips and picks up bumps well. Slightly erratic massage seats, headrests with adjustable head support pads, and an electrically extendable footrest in the passenger seat also help to relax - almost like a Maybach, so the last element is my favorite. Although a radar that warns of “sitting on the bumper” of another car will also be useful to someone. And what was offered to passengers?

The front passengers are under the gaze of the driver, who has an additional mirror that reflects what is happening in the rear seat. Or rather, the rear seats, because the entire row consists of three independent seats that can be folded, moved, raised and adjusted independently of each other. Extreme passengers can also take advantage of illuminated folding trays and, for an additional fee, their own airflow. For another 1500 4 zlotys you can also buy a C4 Grand Picasso, that is, a C7 Picasso in a 7-seater version, which premiered at the Frankfurt exhibition. Contrary to appearance, the car is different - the body is lengthened, the front part is slightly changed, the profile is different and the rear part of the body is completely restyled. Ironically, the car is actually a 2-seater, but you still have to pay extra for extra space in the trunk...

Citroen's trunk has grown by 37 liters and now stands at 537. An additional 40 liters serve numerous lockers, although not the most joyful ones. Podshibe is the size of a tennis court, and despite this, the manufacturer did not decide to put even an ordinary shelf there. In addition, the glove compartment in the center of the dashboard is narrow and impractical, and in its upper part there are places for multimedia connectors and a 220V socket, completely invisible from the driver's seat. You have to park the car, move the seats and it's best to lie on the floor to connect something to them. Or feel in the dark while driving. Another thing is that their very presence is a great idea, especially when it comes to a 220V outlet. In addition, there are many other caches to be developed, placed in the floor, chairs, doors ... In a word, almost everywhere. The materials are even more positive. They fit well and are pleasing to the eye. The colors used are eye-catching, as are the texture and appearance of the materials. True, the lower part of the plastic is hard, but the dashboard and many other places are very pleasant to the touch and unusual.

At the press conference, the new C4 Picasso was unveiled amid banners of space photos, and at one point, astronauts in disguise even came out to the event to unveil the 7-seat variant. This landscape perfectly illustrates the character of the new C4 Picasso family space car. Prepared by novelties, he undertakes to conquer the market, and I hope that all these solutions will be durable and reliable, because they will really make life pleasant. I like the car for one reason - now the new family Citroen is both a practical family car and a gadget. And I think that every guy loves gadgets.