Citroen C3 Picasso ON THE ROAD

Review & Photos by Rob McSorley

What is it?

The C3 Picasso is Citroen's smallest MPV rivalling the Ford B-MAX, Vauxhall Meriva and Nissan Note amongst others. As its name suggests it's based on the C3 supermini but is taller, a little longer but rides on the same wheelbase. Having been on sale since 2009 it has recently gone under the knife with minor revisions to the front bumper and inside there are new options such as Citroen's eMyWay sat nav system and full leather for the first time.

One aspect that sets the C3 Picasso apart from its peers is its styling. For a car with such a cube-like shape it looks fantastic. It’s the details that make it stand out such as the curved rear window, character line that sneaks down beneath the rear quarter window following the curve of the door handles and the high-set taillights with chrome surrounds. The new Ink Blue paint finish also looks classy as does the new re-profiled front bumper with LED DRLs and chrome grill with Citroen chevrons

What's it like inside?

Firstly for a car that isn't much bigger than a supermini there is ample space for small families and the clever rear seats recline, slide forward or backwards or can be folded completely flat very easily. The spacious 385-litre boot also has a false floor with two different positions ideal for hiding smaller items away underneath.The passenger seat can also fold flat if longer items need to be carried.

The cabin has plenty of neat storage areas dotted around and thanks to generous windows feels light and airy especially when opting for the full-length panoramic roof fitted to our test car.

Citroen's flair for design isn't only evident on the outside. The Picasso's interior has a seriously funky design with neat air vents that sprout out from the dash top, a whizzy looking central speedo that let's daylight shine through and weird recesses in the dash that are finished in textured snakeskin-like plastic. Trim quality is far from plush but it feels build to last and the mixture of gloss black and silver trim certainly helps lift the ambience and the layout is easy to navigate.

The only letdown is the crudely integrated sat nav screen that's almost positioned in front of the central dials making it look like an afterthought. It's also disappointing that there are three different displays on show with completely different graphics. The multifunction computer looks particularly dated and the information it shows could easily have been integrated into the eMyWay system as in other applications.

Is it cheap?

The range kicks off at a very agreeable £12,995 for a 1.4-litre petrol VTi which is a little sparsely equipped doing without essentials such as air conditioning but good deals should be easy to secure from Citroen's dealers.

The VTi comes with remote central locking, electric front windows and mirrors, a CD player with MP3 connectivity and a host of safety kit although ESP costs extra. It's worth noting that the C3 Picasso only managed a 4 star Euro NCAP crash rating which is some way behind rivals such as Ford's B-MAX.

The car you see here is a range topping Exclusive which comes fully loaded with items such as alloy wheels, climate control, a leather clad steering wheel, electric front and rear windows, cruise control, rear parking sensors, Bluetooth connectivity and automatic lights and wipers. It also gets family-friendly features such as rear sublinds and fold-down tray tables with a small spotlight so the kids can see what they are doing in the dark. It will set you back a pricey £17,865 though.

You also must be careful with the options list too as our car was fitted with a panoramic sun roof (£550), black leather interior (£955), metallic paint (£495), eMyWay navigation system with reversing camera (£750) and a black pack (£210) which includes larger 17" wheels and gloss black bumper inserts. These push the price up to an astonishing £20,825 - that's slightly more expensive than the larger C4 Picasso VTR+.

Running costs are wallet-friendly across the range. Our car's 115 bhp HDi diesel engine can return 61.4 mpg on a combined cycle and emits a very good 119 g/km of co2 resulting in an annual tax cost of only £30. During its week with us we achieved around 49 mpg which considering the amount of congestion we encountered was pretty remarkable.

Is it any good to drive?

As long as you value comfort above fun which admittedly most buyers will. The C3 Picasso has soft suspension that does a decent job of soaking up ruts and ridges and is very refined on the move. The large alloy wheels do sometimes let the side down especially when riding over sharper undulations so unless you really need them stick to the smaller 16 inchers.

There is little to get excited about in the handling department. The steering it very light which is ideal for around town but provides little feedback and the soft suspension dishes out lots of lean in corners and the body tends to lurch and wallow around quite a bit .

With 115 bhp under the bonnet the 1.6-litre HDi unit is punchy and although a little gruff at times settles down at higher speeds and delivers its power smoothly. Annoyingly the 6-speed manual gearbox is vague and notchy but its location high up on the centre console is ideal.

The commanding driving position gives a great view out helped by the massive windows that present no real blind spots at all which is rare a modern car. The tiny front windscreen pillars make the biggest difference giving unparalleled visibility.

The seats are pretty comfortable especially those in the back although the front ones are a little flat and lack side support so you do find yourself leaning a bit when cornering. The drivers armrest is a welcome addition though.

Tech Data

Price as tested: £20,825 (£17,865 excl options)
Engine: 1.6 16v 115 bhp - 0-62mph: 11.2 secs - Maximum Speed: 114 mph -
Economy: 51.4 mpg (urban) 70.6 mpg (extra-urban), 61.4 mpg (combined) Emissions: 119 g/km (Band C) - VED (12 months): £30
Dimensions: Length: 4,078 mm - Width: 1,766 mm - Height: 1,670 mm - Wheelbase: 2,540 mm
*data from Citroen UK

DriverVIBE Verdict

Despite its advancing years the C3 Picasso still looks as fresh as it ever did.

It may not be the fastest or best handling but it offers all of the attributes that small families demand including high levels of comfort, practicality, low running costs and a versatile cabin full of clever design touches.The fact that it looks so good inside out is an added bonus and makes it stand out from the crowd.

It isn’t perfect though. If you opt for the higher trim levels and delve into the options list the price can get a little silly. Some may also be a little disappointed with the interior quality and notchy gearbox but most will probably look past this and will see the C3 Picasso as the accomplished all-rounder that it is.

All photographs and text are the exclusive property of Rob McSorley (except where stated otherwise). They are made available for your personal viewing enjoyment only. No images are within the Public Domain. The photographs may not be copied, reproduced, redistributed, manipulated, projected, used or altered in any way without the prior permission of Rob McSorley (info@DriverVIBE.co.uk).

Kia pro_cee'd GT ON THE ROAD

Review & Photos By Rob McSorley

So here it is. What Kia describes as the most eagerly anticipated new model in their entire history. As a trophy of their arrival as a mainstream manufacturer the pro_cee'd GT has been specifically designed for us Europeans who can't get enough of our potent hatches.

Kia however has chosen not to hold the GT up against the big-hitting players such as the VW Golf, Ford Focus ST and Renaultsport Megane. It makes a lot of sense as it's well down on power and Kia say a greater emphasis has been put on usability which it should be easier to live with day-to-day

With a starting price of just £19,995 this pro_cee'd GT is seriously cheap and still comes with Kia's very attractive seven year warranty. It should represent an interesting ownership proposition so we got our hands on an early example to see if it's any good.

The three door pro_cee'd is great starting point as it's certainly a looker. The GT adds the usual sporty touches such as 18 inch alloy wheels, extended side skirts, a tailgate spoiler, twin exhausts and more butch bumpers front and rear. There's also gloss-black honeycomb grills at the front and a saucy red pinstripe on the lower edge of the bumper. Menacing looking 'ice-cube' LED DRLs complete the look. It gels together brilliantly with oodles of road presence and is arguably more eye-catching than its stablemates.

The cabin has also been spiced up with the GT treatment. There's red stitching everywhere and figure-hugging Recaro sports seats clad in leather and faux-suede which grip you in all the right places. Red GT emblems on the steering wheel, floor mats, seat faces and kickplates as well as alloy pedals to help remind you that your are in something a little special.

The rest of the design is the same as other cee'ds so has plenty of stylish piano black trim with a driver-focused layout bringing all of the controls within easy reach. Its constructed using plush materials throughout and the black headlining and low roofline make for an appealingly cocooned feeling from inside. The dials are also very cool; the central dial is an LCD TFT screen which has two different displays that change by hitting a button labelled 'GT' on the steering wheel. When you do a digital speedometer is displayed with turbo boost and torque metres either side.

Cabin space is as before so there’s plenty of room for four adults and access to the rear is easy thanks to very long, wide opening doors. The boot too isn’t much smaller than the more practical 5-door cee’ds. The rear is however a little dark because of the small windows.

Under the bonnet Kia has fitted the GT with a 1.6-litre direct-injection petrol engine with a twin-scroll turbocharger; similar to the unit found in the Hyundai Veloster Turbo. It produces 201 bhp and 195 lb ft of torque between 1,750 and 4,500 rpm. Shorter gearing sees it reach 60 mph in 7.4 seconds and tops out at 143 mph.

To cope with the additional power the pro_cee’d has lowered suspension with stiffer springs and dampers, a thicker rear anti-roll bar and larger brakes. Its alloy wheels are also shod with sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 3 Tyres. Furthermore the steering has been completely retuned and gone is Kia’s Flex Steer system in favour of a single, weightier setup.

From the moment you set off the chassis’ new found stiffness if evident but the ride is still well damped and deals with bumps very well. Even when it does encounter a deep rut it remains composed. 

Throw the pro_cee’d into a corner and there is very little lean and bags of grip and the chassis remains neutral although it isn’t quite as agile as it could be. The steering is meaty but doesn’t feel very natural as its weighting is inconsistent and although accurate doesn’t give the driver much in the way of feedback. The brakes are responsive but can suffer from fade when really worked hard. 

The GT may be down on power compared to rivals from Ford and VW but it is far from slow. Its short gearing makes it feel much quicker than the figures suggest and once the turbo kicks in all hell breaks loose. You are instantly shoved back in your seat as you hurtle forward and the power keeps coming; it’s seriously addictive. 

Occasionally however it struggles for traction when the turbo fires up mid-corner spinning the inside tyre or both. You have to be very careful in the wet. The only minor annoyance is the engines slightly strained soundtrack and only gets worse the more you work it.

When you aren’t ringing its neck the pro_cee’d GT is pretty refined. The engine remains quiet and the composed ride makes it ideal for longer journeys. Tyre and road noise levels are also impressively low which means the GT is a great day-to-day motor.

Unfortunately running costs are a little more expensive than its rivals despite the power deficit. Kia quote 38.2 mpg combined but you would need to drive the pro_cee’d GT like a nun to achieve anywhere near that. During our week we managed 28 mpg which is probably more realistic. Emissions are also slightly higher than the VW Golf churning out 171 g/km of CO2 placing the GT in VED band H. 

Kicking off at just £19,995 for the cheapest pro_cee’d GT represents superb value for money. That’s around £6,000 cheaper than a Golf GTi and nearer in price to the Peugeot 208 GTi which is much smaller. It’s isn’t short of kit either. Automatic headlights, air-conditioning, cruise control, reversing sensors, Bluetooth, electrically folding/heated door mirrors and part-leather trim all comes as standard. 

Tech Data

Price as tested: £19,995
Engine: 1.6 16v 201 bhp - 0-60mph: 7.4 secs - Maximum Speed: 143 mph -
Economy: 29.1 mpg (urban) 46.3 mpg (extra-urban), 38.2 mpg (combined) - Emissions: 171 g/km (Band H) - VED (12 months): £195
Dimensions: Length: 4,310 mm - Width: 1,780 mm - Height: 1,425 mm - Wheelbase: 2,650 mm
*data from Kia UK

DriverVIBE Verdict

If 10 years ago Kia announced the arrival of a potent hatchback we would all have laughed. Today however things are very different. Kia has taken a great risk with the GT but it seems to have paid off. 

It’s quick, looks fantastic inside and out, comfortable, comes with plenty of kit and is seriously cheap. When you factor in Kia’s seven year warranty the pro_cee’d GT starts to make a lot of sense. 

It may lack the outright pace and handling prowess of its rivals and cost a little more to run but it is still hugely fun and easy to live with day-to-day. Having already been impressed by the standard pro_cee’d the GT is better in every way and has exceeded our expectations.

It also bodes well for future GT models that Kia has hinted could be on the horizon along with an even hotter version of the pro_cee’d. There will also be a GT version of the five door cee’d next year for those who need the additional practicality.

All photographs and text are the exclusive property of Rob McSorley (except where stated otherwise). They are made available for your personal viewing enjoyment only. No images are within the Public Domain. The photographs may not be copied, reproduced, redistributed, manipulated, projected, used or altered in any way without the prior permission of Rob McSorley (info@DriverVIBE.com).