Quite like look of new C4 Picasso – but are Citroen’s they still as dodgy as they were always reckoned to be in the past? thanks

chrisdiesels more your man but I’ve owned two Citroens back to back. One 07 Xsara Picasso and a 12plate C1 (strictly speaking not PSA’s totally).

I drove the XP from Manchester to Brugges and France and back in August. I never had break down cover on it and didn’t plan on either. Same with the C1 which I didn’t treat very well (hit its rev limiter numerous times).

All companies now use the same suppliers for parts in their build- even engines. The 1.6PSA is in many different marques.

People tend to **** up as they don’t service/cut corners on maintenance then complain the car isn’t reliable. Of course there are exceptions but if you are diligent why would it fail? (i,e the 1.6diesel engine- if its been changed religiously how it should be its a good engine).

I’d trust a Citroen.

BetterEkul has just got rid of her DS3 that she had for 18 months. Never had a problem with it. Quite stylish and very well specced for the money. She actually quite liked it and would have been quite happy to have another one until she got a promotion and decided to splurge the extra cash on a new Beetle. Her mum also had them for 3 years with no issues whatsoever.

I’ll also add (in addition to my comment above)- people complain the Citroen etc that they bought secondhand isn’t reliable. How was it serviced, are the stamps geniune? Was it serviced at a decent indie?

Don’t get one unless your feet are really narrow and your pelvis is twisted to the right slightly. Cos that’s how they arrange the pedals.

We hired a C4 Picasso and the heating controls were by the driver’s right knee. Not only could I not change them without taking my eyes completely off the road for quite a while whilst craning to see down by my knee, but the passenger then couldn’t do it for me either.

What bright spark came up with that? The normal place for such controls was instead occupied with acres of blank plastic. Why?

i buy em.

i wouldnt buy one without a service history though.

they are cheap cars with a bad reputation bought by cheap people. cheap people tend not to service cars till they are broken.

for that reason many folk find they are unreliable.

i have 2 currently – one on 95k and one on 85k both are perfectly adaquate as utilitarian bike hauling machines that dont cost the earth to service (40 quid using good parts) and have all mod cons i need.

dont you mean vauxhall molgrips – cause i dont have that issue in my french cars – i did in my vauxhall though – coupled with the steering wheel being in line with neither the drivers seat or the pedals.

Tr nope, I drove a Saxo in 2000 that was like that, and I was surprised to find a 2013 C4 Picasso to be exactly the same!

maybe the vans/berlingos are different then.

my vans actually really comfy to drive – drove to the alps in it twice now with minimal stopping . more so than my parents merc e350 or my previous hyundai lantra – because im too tall for most normal cars more than anything i am practically lying in the back seat to not hit the roof with my head.

We are on our second C4 Grand Picasso. Bought the first in 2007 and our second three years ago. Both 2.0 L full autos. Great multi purpose cars. When we come round to changing it will probably buy the same.

No problems with the pedals, seating or any of the controls, the front and rear passengers all have their own heating controls in ours. We do around 25000 miles a year in it which includes trips to the Alps and back.

they are cheap cars with a bad reputation bought by cheap people. cheap people tend not to service cars till they are broken.

for that reason many folk find they are unreliable.

Exactly/In one.

Don’t get one unless your feet are really narrow and your pelvis is twisted to the right slightly. Cos that’s how they arrange the pedals.

Open question- do you suffer from bad knees/or had problems before?

As I said earlier- I drove a XP from Manchester to Dover- Calais to Brugges in one day (and back via St Omer). The only thing of note was a squeeky wiper rubber and it made me look like a family man.

ex-BIL has run Picasso’s as family cars for the past 10 years, likes them a lot and for the price feels you get a good car.

Open question- do you suffer from bad knees/or had problems before?

Nope, and this wasn’t a niggle pain after 100 miles, this was ‘wtf, why are the pedals all the way over there?’ and clipping the brake whenever I hit the clutch causing a rather jerky driving experience and derision from my passengers..

It’s the only car I’ve driven that was like it – only other issue I had was a hired Saturn in the US where the driver’s seat wasn’t bolted in straight 😯

My Bling, an older man’s car, has been ok over twelve- and fifteen-hour journeys, and my back and knees are more knackered than the average.

I drove Saxos years ago, and they all had the weird pedal offset molly describes.

Mine were all perfectly reliable. I rather like the look of the C5 estate. Looks like it could lope down to the southern France without too much effort….

now you mention it and i think back – i borrowed a pug 105 1.5 D for a weekened to go to a bike race – it had the smallest pedal box known to man. i assume thats the same as the paxo.

i ended up driving that barefoot as my shoes were getting stuck behind the brake pedal.

Got a Berlingo, not had any trouble but only had it 6 months. Did 1600 miles to France and back in August.

Inlaws have had a C5 (2.0HDi) for about 6 years and not had any bother with it, they also have had a C6 (2.7HDi) which they part-exed in for a DS5 (2.0HDi) all with nowt going wrong. Should have kept the C6 though, very nice place to be inside.

Oh, and first car I had a driving lesson in was a Saxo. After that lesson I got a new instructor as I couldn’t drive the car properly due to the tiny pedal box, and he was a knob.

The BIL is busy badgering Citroen on social media in an attempt to get his money back. First brand new DS4 was a lemon, spending a month and a half in the workshop out of the first six months of ownership. To be fair to them, they did step up and offer him a replacement, but that is rapidly turning out to be the same, and his patience appears to be wearing thin, judging by his increasingly lunatic posts.

I had a BX19 with 245,000 miles on it 😆 loved that car, it was a proper Citroen with mad controlls and pneumatic suspension. Never missed a beat, the drivers door did fall of one time but was an easy repair.

Porsche’s were well known for offset pedals, seen as a characterful feature in those cars

Never encountered close pedals really (well on a Clio 182) but then I drive in bare feet.

a clio is a renault …. ime i do not rate renault as even close to peugeot and citroen.

renaults only redeaming feature is the 1.5 DCI engine can blow a turbo run on its own engine oil , be topped up and repeat this three times – then change the turbo , the oil and continue for another 100k.

I’d never buy a Renault. Apparently the new gen diesel Renaults do away with the EGR/DPF diesel issues with a clever super-heat design.

Fast forward two years and I wonder what this clever new design feature will be doing..

So they’ve done away with something that’s considered unreliable and problematic, and this is a BAD thing?

And replaced it with F1-inspired tech.

This is Renault tech/internals that we are talking about right.

You know, the people with those lovely-looking LCD displays, electronics, engine ancilleries etc………………………

“Apparently the new gen diesel Renaults do away with the EGR/DPF diesel issues with a clever super-heat design.”

dependant on design superheating is not a new thing.

its been on big boats for years.

Its the way forward if done right !

You know nothing about it, but why don’t you pour scorn on it anyway eh? Good work.

Only got a stop and a go so plenty of room in the foot well

I’ve only ever had one Citroen. It caught fire. My mistake was putting it out.

56 plate C4 1.6 petrol here. Fine. Had it 6 years & done 60k miles in that time – now on 89k. One breakdown that needed a new starter motor. Serviced every year that we’ve had it at our favourite local independent garage.

Its the way forward if done right !

Quite.

You know nothing about it, but why don’t you pour scorn on it anyway eh? Good work.

The very latest Renaults may buck the trend however any new tech Renault releases, I’d be inclined to wait a while to see how it fairs.

My first car was a GSa, was a hoot to drive, not super quick but fun and as above, all controls were either a/ mad; b/ in a different place; c/ both..

Next was a BX which was not as good, I think it was a V1.0 BX to be fair, and my dad had run it first – not a good move as I realised. Got shot of that quite soon for a 205 GTI..