Price: £19,970
Top speed: 130mph
0-62mph: 9.2 seconds
MPG: up to 74.3
I mentioned the new Picasso to my wife over breakfast a few weeks ago and she thought I was talking about the painter rather than Citroën’s latest MPV. That was her first reference point. Awkward! For a few moments we peered at each other across the table, and across the unfathomable cultural void, before she sighed and turned back to her paper.
I don’t know why a French company would name its all-conquering people carrier after a Spanish painter, but Pablo is the godfather of cubism and the Picasso is the godfather of boxy cars. The Citroën also does what few other MPVs even get close to: it manages to be stylish yet spacious, and practical yet posh. That’s a winning combo.
Before you hop in, take a moment to admire it and its eye-catching blend of flowing lines and curves. The double chevron of the grille spreads neatly into those sleek running lights, while two rails swirl up and over the roof before curling into a pair of large Cs around the back. Nice, isn’t it?
Right, in we get. The first thing that hits you is the amazing space available and the incredible amount of glass. Light streams through the panoramic roof which runs the whole length of the car. Coupled with the deep windows, on a hot day you’d soon start to feel like a tomato plant in a poorly ventilated greenhouse. The windscreen itself is one of the biggest fitted to any car on the road. The next size up is for lorries and buses. I sit inside and marvel at its scale. I then realise you can push back the sunblinds so they reach right over your head and join the panoramic roof. It feels more like sitting in a bubble than a car.
It comes as both a five- and seven-seater, but Citroën believes it will sell twice as many of the latter. This is, above everything, a car built for growing families. Up front the huge dash boasts both a 12in info screen and a smaller 7in one beneath it, for all your social connectivity “needs”, apparently. But do you really need Tinder on the M4? In the back, the second and third rows have an easy one-touch folding mechanism which means you could pull over and create a dormitory in seconds. The top spec also comes with double glazing to hush all road noise. Inside, volume control is down to you.
At the wheel it’s comfortable rather than racy. It wallows in the bends, but what did you expect? If you have five kids in the back you should have other things on your mind anyway.
Safe, comforting, reliable… You’ll love this car, but I suspect Picasso would have hated it.
Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter at @MartinLove166
