I had a white 2.0HDI turbo dieselPicasso for 15 months back in 2001 and was really impressed with it.
The Picasso is a slightly oddly styled compact MPV based on the Xsara hatchback. Its quite unique in shape and most drivers find that they either love or hate it.
The Picasso seats 5 adults comfortably which is not quite as good as many of its competitors that can seat 7.
The interior of the car is large and extremely roomy. There are loads of cuby holes stashed all over the cabin and throughout the vehicle making it ideal if you are using this as a family car. There are large cuby holes located under the rear passangers feet which is a unique and very clever idea. The back of the front seats have fold down tables attached which makes most rear passangers crack jokes that they feel like they are in an aeroplane!
The boot is large and you can also fold down the back seats which opens up a large mini van type space which can be very useful for transporting large items. The most unusual thing about the dashboard area of the car is that the gearstick is located on the central panel which seems a bit strange at first but once you become used to it seems like a good idea.
The SX model I had was very well spec`d with CD player, Air Con, Fog Lights, ABS, airbags etc.
When driving the driver has an elevated position which make the vehicle feel very safe and adds to the driving comfort. The front seats are equiped with arm rests which makes the driving position extremely comfortable.
The Picasso handles well but my main critisism would be its performance. I felt it was very underpowered even pulling away from junctions safely at times felt a bit hard to do. I don`t know if this is something that was a fault on the particular model I had. I was sure the turbo was not working correctly as the car did feel very sluggish however when checked out by the dealer they could find no fault.
The fuel consumption of the car was excellent and I would reguarly get 48-58mpg. Service interval is 12,000 mls which helps to keep the costs down and most Citreon dealers seem to be pretty good.
Overall the car was very reliable I never had a problem with it starting or any other faults.
Would definately recomend this car as an excellent family car.
Before you buy its probably worth test driving a few different models both diesel & petrol to make sure you get the performance level you are looking for from the car.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: A spacious comfortable car easy to get in and out of. Disadvantages: Being of average height I cannot reach the aerial to remove it to go through car wash!
juliebrombley 08.02.2007 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of CitroenXsaraPicasso
Advantages: Seat flexibility & movement, nice high driving position, cheap tax Disadvantages: Side visibility, driving in windy conditions, back seatbelts
Jun 29th, 2004
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