Picasso puts the people in people- mover
Citroen’s brand- new Grand C4 Picasso is now on sale in New Zealand. Rob Maetzig and his photographer luxuriate in its front seats.
If this is the latest example of progress being made with people movers, then I’m all for being moved. Of all the various types of motor vehicles sold these days, perhaps the type with the most unfair reputation is the people mover. It’s because the most cynical amongst us – including some of our motoring journalists – have declared them to be dead- boring.
It’s all because the primary reason for their existence is as family transport– that’s why they have seven seats. And so, when compared to the latest performance cars or luxury product, they are seen as some form of sentence to a life of kids, family activities and maybe even wearing cardigans.
But there are some new models now being produced that absolutely don’t deserve that criticism. In fact they are so good they are right up there among the very best new arrivals of the motoring year. And an outstanding example is Citroen’s new Grand C4 Picasso.
When I got my hands on a top- end $ 49,990 Intensive version for road test and picked up Sam the cameraman for photography and videography, he couldn’t believe his good fortune at being the front- seat passenger.
That’s because this model has as standard a front passenger’s seat with that Citroen calls a Relax function, that comprises an extrasupport headrest, an electric massager in the seatback, and even an electric footrest. The driver’s seat also has the massage function, and both front seats have adjustable armrests.
So as Sam and headed to our photographic destination, he was able to recline his seat, rest his legs airline- style on the extended footrest, and have his lower back massaged. All while I did the driving. Mind you I had my massager on too.
We decided these really do
Ifunctions such as have the potential to put the people into people mover. You might have a bunch of kids or back- seat passengers rabbiting on at you from the other two rows of seats, but at least you have a pair of imaginary hands massaging your back – and your front- seat passenger may well be fully reclined and fast asleep! Those in the middle row can snooze too, because it comprises three separate full- sized seats all with adjustable recline angle, and they all have large extra- support headrests. But if they wish to remain awake and perhaps eat, then they can place their food and drink on airline- style trays that fold down from the back of the front seats. All in a medium- sized vehicle. This isn’t a full- sized MPV, but a people- mover that is roughly the same size as the Citroen C4. But it is an usually spacious car, the first to be built on PSA Group’s new vehicle platform called EMP2 ( efficient modular platform), which will be used for at least half of all the group’s front- driven and all- wheel drive Citroen and Peugeot cars in the future.
This platform has a fixed front end so that all engine mounts can be standardised, but the rest can be either stretched or added to using ‘‘ plug and play’’ modules. And the EMP2 platform is of such a design and uses the necessary lightweight materials to achieve considerable weight savings – in this case the new Grand C4 Picasso’s kerb weight is up to 100 kilograms lighter than the model it replaces, even though vehicle length remains the same at 4.59 metres.
Wheelbase that is 11 centimetres longer though, the floor has been lowered, knee room in the secondrow seats has been increased by 55 millimetres over the previous Grand Picasso, in the third row the knee room is up by 16mm, and if that third row is folded down the boot space is 645 litres and can be increased to more than 700 litres when the second row of seats is slid forward. And, of course, the second row can massive required.
The Grand C4 Picasso performs well, too. It is the first Citroen to be powered by a new BlueHDi engine that complies with the Euro 6 emissions standard.
This four cylinder turbocharged diesel develops 110 kilowatts of power and 370 newton metres of torque, and it is mated to a newgeneration six- speed auto that is lighter than before, and which has ratios which allow engine speeds to be reduced by 200rpm while the ratios of the top gears have been lengthened by almost 20 per cent. As a result, it is quiet drive drive and fuel economy can be outstanding – the Intensive model’s average fuel use is 4.6 L/ 100km.
So really, this new people- mover appeals as a special drive. Once you have settled into those seats and decided whether you will be massaged or not, you use a dinky little lever on the top of the steering column to move into Drive and you head away, steering by way of a nicely- designed flat- bottomed steering wheel that is loaded with various controls.
There’s a high level of what Citroen describes as ‘‘ creative’’ technology including a 20cm panoramic HD screen, a 7- inch multi- function touch screen, 360- degree camera system that uses four cameras to provide a bird’s- eye view of the vehicle when the driver in getting in and out of difficult spots, park assist which takes over parking maneouvres, and active cruise control which uses radar to maintain a constant distance from a vehicle in front.
I think this new Grand Picasso is quite good enough to be considered by more motorists than those who require seven seats. It has the looks, the performance and especially the interior environment to be a viable alternative to the more conventional sedans, wagons and SUVs. That’s especially the case if you are on the lookout for a vehicle with some of best front seats around. also by folded interior load down for space if