Open gallery 
The car shares some of its styling features with Citroën’s premium DS models
Headlights are usually the dominant light feature on a car, but here it’s the LED running lights
These 18-inch ‘Python’ alloys are standard on Exclusive+ models
There’s an impressive amount of pleasing details and a high standard of perceived quality throughout the Citroën
There’s good provision of space in the airy-feeling front
Sliding sunvisors eat into headroom a little
Second-row chairs slide and fold independently; headroom and legroom are good
Third-row seats are too small for larger adults
The boot is quite wide but about average for overall load length
A 12-inch colour screen relays your dials; it’s prone to reflections in direct sunlight but otherwise works well
On relevant models the controls for the massage functions are almost indecipherable
Wheel-mounted controls allow for easy access to oft-needed functions
Centre-stack cubby allows you to connect an audio device or charge something from the 12-volt outlet without putting it on show
There are myriad storage points and cubbyholes
Additional rear-view mirror allows front occupants to see what’s going on in the back
Fold-down tables feature elastic straps for securing bottles and so on
The BlueHDi model completed the standing quarter mile in 17.7sec at 80.9mph
Transmission options include a six-speed manual or automatic. The 1.6 e-HDi 115 models are also offered with a robotised manual
It has a pliant ride, yet body control remains good
The C4 Grand Picasso is quiet and comfortable on the motorway
The BlueHDi model went around our test track faster than an equivalent Chevrolet Orlando
Added plushness and dynamic polish make for a more complete package
by Matt Prior 4 December 2013 Follow @matty_prior Share
How we test cars
The previous-generation Citroën C4 Picasso offered all of the practicality and airiness that we’ve come to expect from a Citroën MPV. Unfortunately, it was also as devoid of driving flair that is expected of a Parisian-branded MPV.
Don’t misunderstand us. We don’t go looking for sportiness or dynamism in a large family car such as this but, as Ford’s Ford S-Max so expertly proved, it is quite possible to make a car that’s as pleasurable to drive as it is to be one of its passengers.
Citroën’s first Picasso was the Xsara, which was produced from 1999 to 2010Matt PriorEditor-at-large
No matter how many people an MPV is carrying, there will always be someone at the wheel. It does no harm to think of them. The signs this time around, though, are much more positive.
In our experience thus far, the latest C4 Picasso five-seater and this seven-seat Grand Picasso sister model – both of which ride on a new, supposedly lighter and more advanced platform – provide not only excellent surroundings for passengers but are also far more pleasing for the bod behind the wheel. A minor mid-life facelift didn’t enhance this formula any further, but focussed on improving the overall ambiance inside the big seven-seater.
Will the new Citroën C4 Grand Picasso leave us as equally pleased after a comprehensive Autocar road test? Let’s see.
Verdict
The car shares some of its styling features with Citroën’s premium DS models
Model tested: Rating:
Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2014-2018
GoodSpacious, high-class interiorEconomical dieselsMuch-improved dynamicsBadNotchy manualBase trims less pleasing insideBlueHDi diesel can be coarse
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DESIGN & STYLING
Headlights are usually the dominant light feature on a car, but here it’s the LED running lights
The first Citroën to use the Picasso name was the 1999 Xsara. That car was such a hit that it remained on sale until 2010, long after the regular Xsara had disappeared and a new generation of Citroëns had been launched, with Picasso becoming longhand for MPV in Citroën-speak in the meantime.
Citroën’s last-generation seven-seat C4 Grand Picasso was first launched in 2006, with a five-seat ‘un-Grand’ variant arriving the following year.
The Citroën’s engines are all transverse, driving the front wheels onlyNic CackettRoad tester
The latest C4 Picasso is distinctive and appealing on the outside. What’s beneath is about to get a lot more familiar. Its EMP2 (Efficient Modular Platform) architecture is going to underpin a vast number of new Peugeots and Citroëns, and this is where it gets its first showing.
Some manufacturers can be shy about their platform use and strategy. No such danger of that with PSA Peugeot-Citroën, which is so keen to espouse the benefits of the EMP2 that it even has its own section of the PSA website.
Some 116 patents have been filed in the development of the platform, which will underpin all of Peugeot-Citroën’s C-segment and D-segment vehicles, equalling some 50 percent of PSA’s total production.
The first cars to use it are this C4 Picasso/Grand Picasso, built in Vigo, Spain, and the Peugeot 308, made in Sochaux, France. PSA’s plant in Wuhan, China, will begin production next year. PSA says the EMP2 platform is suitable not only for hatchbacks and MPVs but also for saloons, SUVs, coupés and even cabriolets.
Weight-saving claims come from extended use of high-yield-strength steels, aluminium and composites. The Grand Picasso has an aluminium bonnet and composite tailgate.
Overall, the length of this generation of the Grand Picasso is the same as its predecessor’s, at 4590mm, but the new platform has allowed the wheelbase to grow by 110mm to 2840mm, which is claimed to be the longest in the class. This is the sort of figure – especially given that the front overhang is also shorter by 116mm – that allows significantly improved interior space.
Citroën also claims that the engine is 50mm lower than previously, the floor is 20mm lower and the tracks are wider, by 82mm at the front and 31mm at the rear. So the Grand Picasso will have no excuse not to be airy and spacious inside. Suspension is by MacPherson struts at the front, with a torsion beam at the rear.
The manufacturer also says EMP2 is lighter than its predecessor by up to 100kg. However, when we last weighed a Picasso, in 2006, it was 1603kg, and this time around the car is 1685kg. Even accounting for additional equipment on today’s model, that’s heavier than we’d expect.
Still, there are improved CO2 emissions and fuel economy. The engine line-up stars a 1.6-litre e-HDi 100 Airdream unit with 99bhp, and impressive class-best CO2 emissions of 99g/km and 74.3mpg when mated to the standard six-speed manual gearbox.
A 118bhp 1.6-litre e-HDi 115 is also offered with a six-speed manual or optional ETG6 auto, alongside a new 148bhp 2.0-litre BlueHDi 150 engine. That unit offers CO2 emissions of 107g/km with the standard six-speed manual gearbox and rolling on 17in wheels.
The petrol line-up has been revamped, with the 2016 facelift including the addition of a new gasoline unit to the line-up – a turbocharged 1.2-litre producing 128bhp and seen previously in the rather odd-looking C4 Cactus.