I’m starting to look for a new vehicle to replace my 2000 Defender. Any modern car is going to be like stepping into a spaceship compared to the Defender, but I am used to having, with the van back, loads of space to carry stuff around and I do often make use of that space. I don’t have a family, so 2 seats would be enough in *most* cases, so was thinking the C4/MPV with the seats down would be a good match for me.

It has to be petrol and automatic, I’m not bothered about speed or badges. Does anyone have any experience of the C4 Grand Picasso – around 2 years old, or is there something else that I should look at ?

The current shape (last few years) Grand Picasso isn’t available as a petrol automatic.

Hope that helps 🙂

Are you averse to a japanese import?

Loads of boxy, practical things that only came as petrol autos – look at Toyota Noah/Voxy, Honda Stepwagon, Nissan Serena or for bigger, Nissan Elgrand, Toyota Alphard.

I don’t like how most modern MPVs have the seats fold into the floor which eats up vertical space. The japanese stuff tends to have the rear seats fold up sideways which is much better. Seems almost all of the UK MPV market is diesels too.

Galaxy/Sharan/Alhambra with all the rear seats out are great boxy vehicles for lugging stuff and 7 seaters with the seats in.

The current shape (last few years) Grand Picasso isn’t available as a petrol automatic.

This one is from 2014 – albeit in Holland where I live – petrol automatic:

http://www.marktplaats.nl/a/auto-s/citroen/m1145615927-citroen-grand-c4-picasso-1-6-e-thp-165-pk-business-7-persoo.html

I wouldn’t be adverse to a Japanese import, or anything that got the price down, indeed I wish I were paying UK prices, but need a LHD.

I brought a Citroen Picasso as the main family car 3yrs ago. We went to a main dealer as we wanted a reliable car; we included full service plan and warranty to reduce the risk of failure as far as possible. It had the 2l diesel engine with semi auto box. Space is very good inside, that’s the only positive thing I can say about it now. The semi auto box is sluggish to change (basically electronic clutch controlling the gear box) adn so often left me panicking when you have to wait seconds for the car to figure out what gear to choose when you try and accelerate (scar when you try and overtake anything). The car was not that efficient either (max high 30 mpg) and wallowed like a barge through corners. Over the two yrs we had it, it broke down repeatedly with the garage unable to diagnose the fault, battery failed, alarm failed, rear suspension failed (took fours weeks for garage to fix it). We contacted Citroen directly about the car who basically told us “not our problem”. The last straw was when the garage advised us the injectors needed replacing at a cost of £2-2500k, this on a car that had done four year old car that had coveted 50k. It was the worst car I have ever owned with service and support from the main dealer and Citroen equally terrible. We traded the car in for a Volvo V70 which is better in every way.

Galaxy/Sharan/Alhambra with all the rear seats out are great boxy vehicles for lugging stuff and 7 seaters with the seats in.

However the ones with removable seats are the older model, now 6-10 years old.

We too looked at C4 Picasso (older model) – I was struck by owners who loved them and never had a problem and the other half of owners (like ernie) who had endless issues and were glad to get rid…

I don’t have a family, so 2 seats would be enough in *most* cases, so was thinking the C4/MPV with the seats down would be a good match for me.

You need a Berlingo/Partner then sir. Cheaper to buy and run and almost as spacious.

I have a Berlingo Multispace, with back seats out I can comfortably get 4 bikes and all our camping gear in with room to spare.

Ownership of our C3 Picasso closely mirrors that of ernie & matt_outandabout.

Although we got most issues sorted wit the ’12 month guarantee’ that the dealer gave us with the car (Richard Sanders in Northampton), the car just seems riddled with small faults and we have little faith that the current run of relative reliability will last for long.

Worst thing about the ownership experience so far has been the dealer. They bang on about customer service at every opportunity, but the reality is that it’s non-existent.
The people in their service department appear to have memories like goldfish and never write anything down, so you have to constantly chase them. They are good at telling you whatever they need to get you off the phone without actually resolving the issue & seem to blame everything on ‘a software bug’.

It’s annoying because the car is relatively comfy & suits out ‘small family’ requirements very well.
Won’t be having another Citroen though…

Mstomhoward and I have just ordered a c4 Picasso, not grand, after a pretty strong pursuading arguememt from me, which was based on magazine reviews and her test driving it. this thread is not altogether what I was hoping for

On our third C4 Grand Picasso since 2007, never had a problem with the first two, the last which is now two years old had a electrical problem which took ages to be sorted out, turns out that it was a problem with the aftermarket towbar wiring which was interfering with the cars electrics. Local dealer and Citroen UK were first class in getting it sorted.

Bought a C4 Grand Picasso 07 plate automatic with 20k miles on it in 2009 4 years trouble free took it too 110k loved it, great size for kids,bikes and luggage ..then everything seemed to go wrong mostly electrical depollution faulty message then went into limp home mode few other engine management issues traded it in last year for something smaller and more economical,still miss it mind you

Ive got one, well its my wifes mammy wagon really.
A 61 plate Automatic Diesel. Despite my reservations its been a great car for the last few years. Ours has been trouble free, gets mid 50s MPG and despite my reservations I really like it.
Ferries the family around and because of my wifes work, drop the back seats and its a pretty much a mini van.
Ive got no tow-ball though so perfect back carrying solution still needs to be worked out, mostly I chuck my bike in the back but it has roof bars so will soon stick it on top. May need to carry a step in the car as Im a short arse though.
From our experience I would recommend.

I posted this on another forum recently, hope it helps…

Too long, didn’t read summary:
“It’s very Citroen.”

The bit you’ll need when you hire one and just want to go:
“The parking brake release is next to the hazard lights button. See previous statement.”

After my flight home was cancelled today (seems no one was brave enough to fly into Leeds this morning) I pulled my usual trick of booking the cheapest, nastiest car I could find on the Avis website and wandered over to their office to pick it up.

Usefully – and inevitably – they didn’t have any in stock that they were willing to abandon 200 miles away so I was handed the keys to a brand new Citroen Grand Picasso instead. Diesel engine of some description. No idea what but it made noise and went quite quickly if you put your foot down.

So, the good bits:

* The engine is surprisingly pokey considering the weight of the car.
* The seats adjust easily.
* The turning circle is AWESOME.
* Visibility all round is excellent.
* The sat nav works well.

No instrument binnacle on this thing. Instead, you get a TV screen the size of which would embarrass some cinemas. Three themes, all of which are pretty ugly but clear enough to work.

That’s where the good bits end. Everything else is controlled through a smaller touchscreen in the centre console which has to handle sat nav, climate control, radio, media, car setup, and everything else that might ordinarily be handed off to a single button.

It. Is. Appalling. In fact, I think appalling is being too gentle. I spent more time drifting over the rumble strip onto the hard shoulder trying to figure out where Absolute Radio was hidden on the system than actually in the lane. There are about 30 buttons on the steering wheel, none of which are labelled. In addition, there are FOUR thumbwheels, some of which seem to duplicate each other and some which appear to do nothing. There are also two buttons on either stalk.

When the sun hits the centre console the screen reflects it directly into your eyes. You also can’t see the screen at that point to do anything useful with the car. You can’t view the map on the main screen unless you tap an unresponsive touch button, which means taking your eyes off the road completely.

Changing the instrument cluster theme involves shutting the car down and letting it reboot. You can’t select a preset on the radio without going out of navigation mode. You can, however, set the big TV screen to show a slideshow of photos from your phone.

What’s it like to drive? Well, assuming you haven’t crashed it into a wall trying to pick up Radio 4, not bad. Will pull nicely in 6th from 40mph, comfortable ride, and direct steering. A bit wobbly in the wind today but not terrible.

Fuel economy? Averaged 74mph on the motorway, tested the 0-60 out of the services twice and faced a 40mph headwind most of the way. 58 mpg brim to brim, which is astonishing considering that from the front it has the aerodynamics of an Aga. It may have been slightly better than that, in fact, since it showed 85% when I picked it up and I dropped it off completely full.

ernie – Member

I brought a Citroen Picasso as the main family car 3yrs ago.

We traded the car in for a Volvo V70 which is better in every way.

There is your answer 🙂

My Citroen experience is also not a good one.

Headlight bulbs that blow at least once a month.
Fuel cooler intake facing forwards just behind the near side front wheel so it gets ripped off driving through even slight puddles at normal speed (twice since Christmas)
Warning lights that come one due to faulty sensors (five times in last 12 months)

That’s all on a vehicle that is almost axactly 12 months old.
And the other citroens on the company fleet are not much better.

Hmm, plenty of food for thought in the above – thanks everyone for sharing your experiences good and bad.

I meant to post this a while back on another what car post, but never got round to it.

The cigarette lighter socket and 12v power socket in the back of our c3 Picasso stopped working.
The Citroen dealer (Richard Sanders) reckoned it wasn’t the fuse, but the socket itself. After 4 weeks of chasing it up, they finally reckoned they had the correct part. We booked it in to get it sorted (40 mile drive to get to the dealer) and it wasn’t the right part.
We asked if it was an easy part to swap out and they assured us it was and that they’d post us the correct part for us to fit ourselves once it arrived.
3 weeks and several follow up calls, they ‘receive the part’ and send it to us. It’s the wrong part; funnily enough the same wrong bit from when we previously took it in.
I gave up at this point and decided I should probably check the fuse for myself.

This is a photo of the fuse box on a C3 Picasso…..

The fuses are in there. You might be able to see them in the second pic. They are quite well hidden. Doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, does it given that this is a bit you can access. What’s the inaccessible wiring like? I gave up at this point because I don’t fancy dislodging something and causing more problems….

You need a Berlingo/Partner then sir. Cheaper to buy and run and almost as spacious.

And with a really crappy driving position. I have an arthritic left knee, and being able to stretch my leg out is really important, but the Berlingo/Partner renders this impossible because there’s a ledge on the side of the central tunnel/console, supposedly to rest your foot on, but it means you have to sit in a van-like position with legs bent, unable to sit any other way, which becomes seriously uncomfortable after a while; when you have a 200-mile drive to look forward to, then it’s the last vehicle you’d want to be in.
Unfortunately, my job dictates I have to drive whatever vehicles I’ve been given by the planners, so my heart takes a real nose-dive if I see either Berlingo or Partner on my job sheet.
Personally, if I wanted something comfortable, with loads of space in the back, I’d look at an S-Max or a Grand S-Max, the sliding side doors make access into the rear an absolute doddle, especially with the front doors open, they’re very well equipped, great engines and gearboxes, the auto is much better than the Citroen autos.
Of course, you could go up to the Galaxy, but I’d say look at the two S-Max variants first, they may give you all you need.

We had a grand Picasso
Injector problems
Egr problems
Dpf problems
Boot door randomly opening
Lots little electrical niggles
Hated the thing

Bought a Toyota verso to replace it, seems a great car with advantage of 7 seats if need be. Quite small though and probably not suited to your needs
Wife drives it, if we need something bigger I have a T5 caravelle.

I drove Landrover for years, series, freelander, defender, disco 3

Just keep the Defender? If you need an auto speak to Ashcroft Transmissions.

I’d rather tinker a Defender than bang my head with a Citroen.

which becomes seriously uncomfortable

Unless your tall in which case the van position trumps any car I’ve ever driven any distance except my parents range rover-which also has a very upright position. Previous cars include merc c and e class , Hyundai lantra , most mid size Vauxhall’s and fords through hires Actually find compacts such as the c1 to have more upright positions to save space are comfier.

To many cars promote tall people to slouch to drive if you want to see more than the sun visor and be able to reach the steering wheel.this leads to back pain and serious discomfort after about 40minutes. Reminded my self of this with a focus in California last year having to stop once an hour to stretch and walk reminded me why i drive vans with upright positions.

My sister has one. It’s as exciting as watching a blancmange doing nothing. On a dull overcast day.

She’s had it a year. It seems to function as a box for getting people from a to b, though.

Except when the sat navigation stopped working.
Or when all the lights all stopped working.
Or when the power steering stopped working.
Or when the battery stopped working.
Oh, and the trim quality? Erm.

So, for a year old car, it’s……

I have an 07 plate and it has been mostly ok.

Faults

Rear air suspension failed at 20000 miles. Replaced it with springs.

Front CV joints creak badly.

The ride quality is piss poor. It crashes through lumps and bumps with an alarming level of noise. My dad ran BXs and a Xantia. They were miles better in comparison.

A Depollution System Faulty warning light that won’t switch off despite there being no detectable fault.

It eats tyres like nobodies business. I’m not a fast driver (Mss Daisy is faster than me!) but it is now on its’ 4th set at 70000 miles.

It likes to go through dipped and side bulbs with tedious regularity.

When it was new to me, I had a mini flood as water poured in the drivers cell due to clogged drains.

Mpg is poor for a 2 litre diesel – 40 on the motorway driving carefully.

Horrible at overtaking. There is an unwelcome delay in power unless you finesse the accelerator.

Rear boot hatch window no longer opens.

The alloys are terrible for losing air. About as good at holding air as a sponge.

Electric windows failing.

Rear parking sensor no longer works.

CD player packed up.

Oh and it has cut out twice on the motorway at 70 when using cruise control. That was, errrrr, interesting!

Other than that, it still goes and I intend to run it into the ground!

Cheers

Sanny

Other than that

I hate to go Godwin on the thread, but isn’t that a bit like…

Other than that, Hitler was a dab hand with the paintbrush…

My mate has a Nissan Elgrand, he had it imported.
It’s bloody quick!!! It’s been 100% reliable. I quite like it, you can barely hear it running, it’s that quiet. Very nice to travel in.

“My mate has a Nissan Elgrand, he had it imported. “

does it share any parts with anything here in the uk ?

one of my rules about cars is never buy anything you wont find bits for in a scrappys or it will get expensive fast.