Have just replaced my Volvo so time for my second review - I have just bought an X-reg year 2000 2.0 HDi Citroen Xsara Picasso, and I love it, so here goes!

All Picassos come with five individual seats, with the rear three being able to individually fold up to the back of the front seats to create a van-like load area. The middle rear seat can also slide forward to offset the rear passengers, and all come with three point seatbelts, even though the centre one can be awkward to set up properly. The car also has a four star Euro-Ncap safety rating making it ideal for families.

My car is light metallic blue and has just 58k on the clock. It cost me £4800 just over a month ago, and so far I'm am very impressed. Having done just over 1000 miles already I have tested the car in a range of driving situations and conditions, and am yet to find fault. The seats are comfortable and supportive on long journeys and the mpg from the diesel engine averaging around 45, which is good considering I live in a city, and most of my driving is town based. The engine also has superb talk and will give most cars a good fight of the traffic lights! One thing to be careful of is the speed, which is displayed on a centre based digital display. The car is very relaxed at speed and therefore the speed can creep up without you noticing, so be careful of those cameras!!

As far as quality goes the interior can be a little plasticy, mainly as 98% of the car is made from recyclable materials!! As of yet though nothing has fallen off or come away, so no real complaints. My car also benefits from a full length vinyl electrically operated folding roof. Although not used much in this cold British winter I'm hoping to use it in summer when my girlfriend is competing in endurance horse rides - I'll be relaxing in the sun at the checkpoints nodding off! The only disadvantage to this option is the increase in wind noise, especially at high speed or in a strong side wind, further enhanced by the height of the vehicle.

The design of the car is a wheel in each corner to aide stability. This results in minimal overhangs and therefore I find the car relatively easy to park, however it does feel much bigger inside that it actually is, so it can be deceptive. Although I don't have a family, yet, I can see the advantages of such a car to families. In the rear there are two aircraft style fold out tables with cup holders, and all four doors have pockets designed to hold two litre bottles of water. There is plenty of storage too, with a drawer under the driver's seat, and two underfloor cubby holes in the rear. This car would also make an ideal vehicle for anyone with back related problems as due to its height you step into rather than crouch to gain entry.

In conclusion, this car really is a multi purpose vehicle, and fulfils the spec set out by Citroen when it was designed. Ideal for families, long journeys, and equestrian folk I challenge anyone not to be impressed with the cars abilities. It will be interesting to see how Citroen try to improve it with the new model later this year!