Citroen Grand C4 Picasso vs Kia Carnival

What's the difference?

The lack of third-row airbags and AEB could be enough for you to rule this version of the Citroen Grand C4 Picasso out of contention as a family vehicle. We’d understand that.

But there are plenty of other reasons that it could be a contender on your people-mover shopping list. It’s a largely thoughtful car in a small and beautiful package… no matter what badge is stuck on the back of it.

Kia has dubbed the Carnival a Grand Utility Vehicle and I think that’s an apt description. The space will excite families and all occupants will be fairly comfortable. Sibling squabbles may not be as bad in the back seats due to the sheer number of amenities! I love how practical the boot space is and the driving experience is really good. I wasn’t perturbed by the size of this at all because it didn’t handle like a beast. 

Bonus, the turbo-diesel engine is very efficient given the size of the body it’s moving around. I give this a 9.5/10.

My kid loved this car. He loved touching every button he could and wanted me to fit his child seat in every position, so he could really ‘test the car mummy’. I’ve definitely gone to pro-level with child seat installation now and he gives this a 10/10.

If you were to suggest there isn’t anything interesting about the design of the Citroen Grand C4 Picasso, it would pretty much intone that you’re vision impaired. This is - without question - one of the most intriguing and interesting looking vehicles on the market today.

With its front-end design mirroring the other models in the French maker’s range - sleek LED daytime running lights sitting either side of a chrome grille with central chevron, the main headlights below and some chrome trimming on the lower bumper - this is easily distinguishable as a Citroen. There’s no confusing it with a Kia, Honda, or anything else, in fact.

The large windscreen and panoramic sunroof help give it that two-tone look, and the beautiful silver C-shaped rim that surrounds the glasshouse is one of the best styling touches in the automotive business.

Our car rides on the standard 17-inch wheels wrapped in grippy Michelin tyres, but there are optional 18s if you want something that fills the wheelarches a little more. 

At the rear there are some nicely styled tail-lights, and its hips are broad, giving it a nice amount of presence on the road when you’re sitting behind it in traffic. 

I think Spacetourer works better as a name: Picasso was known for artworks that were challenging to make sense of. This vehicle presents no such conundrum.

The interior is also one of the most stunning in the business: I love the two-tone dashboard, the stacked twin screen layout, the minimalism of the controls and the massive windscreen with innovative adjustable headlining - yes, you can move the front part of the headlining back and forth, and the sun-visors move with it.

Our car had the optional 'Leather Lounge' pack, which adds dual-tone hide trim, seat massage functions for both front seats, plus heating for both front seats, and the front passenger seat has an electrically operated leg/footrest. This interior trim is nice, but it comes at a price… ahem, a big price: $5000. 

As you might expect, that’s hard to justify if you’re trying to save money on your seven-seat people-mover. But ignore that: let’s take a deeper dive into the cabin.

With the dimensions to suit transporting a developing nation, the Carnival ain't small. It’s not too high, being only 1775mm tall, but the 1995mm width and 5155mm length is what will make you question whether it will fit inside your garage.

Don’t fret, it has a superb 11.7m turning circle, so navigating your local Westfield car park is more than possible.

You will fill a car space but you’ll still fit (just). The 172mm ground clearance makes it easy to get in and out (even for kids, hurrah).

With dimensions like those, it would be easy for it to look like a brick-on-wheels, but it doesn’t. In fact, I’d even call it stylish.

The size has been nicely tapered at the front and sports a handsome mix of chrome and black accents to break up the wide body panelling.

The interior is downright plush and a true delight to be in. There’s a beautiful mix of synthetic leather trims, synthetic wood/chrome/piano black panelling and soft touchpoints throughout that create a real sense of refinement. 

It’s kind of amazing just how much Citroen has managed to fit into the Grand C4 Picasso. It measures 4602mm long - which is just 22mm (an inch) longer than a Mazda3 sedan! As for the other dimensions, the width is 1826mm, and the height is 1644mm.

How many seats does the Citroen Picasso have? The answer is seven, whether you choose the petrol or the diesel - but notably, the petrol model has a space-saver spare wheel under its boot, where the diesel misses out because it has an AdBlue system. 

Yep, by some marvel of packaging magic, the brand’s engineers managed to pack seven seats, a reasonable boot (165 litres with all seats up, 693L with the back row folded, 2181 with the five rear seats folded), plus a spare tyre and a lot of style into a very compact package.

That’s not to say this is a seven-seater to suit all the needs of buyers who want seven seats. The back row is tight for anyone nearing 183cm (six-feet) tall, and there is no third-row airbag coverage. According to the French brand, the occupants of those rearmost seats are inwards enough of the sides of the car that they theoretically shouldn’t need airbag cover. Depending on your safety stance, that may rule it out for you - or perhaps make you change your mind as to whether you use the back row regularly or not. 

Even so, there’s a huge amount of practicality to the cabin. You can fold the third-row seats and stow them away under the boot floor, or if you need to use them there are vents as well as a fan speed controller and a set of rear reading lights. The boot also has a light that doubles as a flashlight, and there’s a 12-volt outlet. There is one shallow cupholder and two small storage boxes on top of the wheel-arches.

In the second row the seats are also individually operable, with all three sliding and/or folding as required. The outboard seats also have a clever seat base flip-up function, allowing them to move all the way forward for easier third-row access. 

The space in the second row is easily good enough for three adults to slot across, though the roof-mounted middle seatbelt is a bit annoying. There are air-vents with fan controls mounted in the B-pillars, and the front seat-backs have clever flip-down tables with lighting, and there are mesh map pockets below. There is another 12-volt outlet, a pair of slim door pockets (not big enough for bottles), but no cupholders.

The front cabin is better sorted for storage of odds and ends - there is a pair of (small, shallow) cupholders between the seats, an enormous central console box that’s easily copious enough for phones, wallets, keys and the like, plus another storage area near where you plug in your USB/auxiliary device. The way the owners manual/logbook slots under the steering wheel is neat, and the glove box is fine, too, plus there are reasonably good sized door pockets, but again they lack sculpted bottle holsters.

One little issue I had was with the steering adjustment toggle - it’s quite springy… so much so that it sprung back and hurt my finger every time I adjusted it. That mightn’t be an issue if you’re the sole driver, but it’s worth noting.

As striking as the lovely leather trim is, the dashboard design is what I love most about this car. There’s a huge 12.0-inch high-definition top screen that shows you an enormous digital speed readout, plus you can have it show you the mapping and sat nav, or the car’s vital measures, or see where your car is positioned by way of the standard-fit 360-degree camera.

The lower 7.0-inch touchscreen is where the action happens: it’s your point of control for the media system, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring, the dual-zone climate controls, car settings, and phone. There are supplementary volume and track controls, plus the steering wheel has things sorted pretty well in terms of ergonomics, too.

Okay, to clarify: I love this set up to a degree. I don’t like that the air conditioning controls (apart from de-mist for front and rear windscreens) are all within the lower screen, which means - on a really hot day, for instance - you have to fumble through menus and tap the screen repeatedly, rather than just turn a dial or two. Every sweaty second counts when it’s 40-degrees-plus outside.

The interior is what makes people movers so practical as a family car, and the Carnival is no different. In this case, it's packaged beautifully, too.

The interior invokes a sense of limo-like space with ample head- and legroom for even taller occupants in the front and middle rows. Even the third row is adequate for my 168cm height (5'6").

Amenities throughout are great and each row benefits from a healthy features list. There are a minimum of two USB-A ports in each row, as well as, two 12-volt ports in the car.

The middle row was a favourite for my six-year old because of the directional air vents, climate control and retractable sunblinds. Third row passengers get the same, minus the climate control.

A special mention to the designers for putting the controls for the electric sliding rear doors and boot lid on the RHS of the steering wheel and key fob. As a parent, I salute you for these very useful placements!

Individual storage is good with a glove box, large middle console, phone tray, device holder (passenger side), two cupholders and drink bottle holders in the first row.

The second row gets map pockets, cupholders, a phone holder plus two extra cupholders and ‘table’ when you fold down the middle seat.  

Third row occupants get a couple of cupholders each plus a small snack tray.

The boot, how I love thee. It’s ginormous. With all three rows in action, you still get 627L of capacity because the floor is deep.

It’s deep because the third row folds down into the well to create a level loading space when not in use and that pumps up the capacity to 2785L! It’s also easy to gain access to because of the powered boot lid.

Basically, you’ll have the room necessary to ferry the crew and their gear around.

The technology throughout feels modern and user-friendly (a winning combo) with a large 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system that has Bluetooth connectivity, satellite navigation as well as wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

There are four grades for the Carnival with a petrol and diesel variant per grade. Our Platinum diesel model sits right at the top and costs $67,580, before on road costs.

However, that seems fairly priced considering the competition. It’s roughly on par with another 2XL people mover, the Hyundai Staria ($67,000) and a tad more expensive than newcomer LDV Mifa ($63,990). But there’s not a lot on the market that competes with the luxury factor this model offers, nor are they as smartly dressed.

The features list is stellar, with the following items coming as standard: electrically-adjustable, heated and ventilated front seats, heated outboard seats in the middle row, a powered tailgate, three-zone climate control, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, eight seats (2/3/3 configuration), 19-inch alloy wheels and not one but two sunroofs. Just to name a few.

Under the bonnet is a 1.6-litre petrol four-cylinder turbo unit producing 121kW of power (at 6000rpm) and 240Nm of torque (at a low 1400rpm). If you think about what other seven-seat people-movers have, that’s only okay - for instance, the cheaper LDV G10 people mover has 165kW/330Nm.

The Citroen may have a smaller engine capacity and outputs, but it’s also quite light - it weighs 1505kg (kerb weight) because it’s so small. The LDV, by contrast, weighs 2057kg. In short, it punches at, but not really beyond, its weight.

The Grand C4 Picasso is front-wheel drive, and uses a six-speed automatic transmission with a manual mode and paddle-shifters… yes, that seems unnecessary. The shifter is up on the steering column, which is an ingenious use of space, but the fact it has a dedicated manual mode means you may often choose M rather than D, particularly if you’re in a hurry.

If you plan to do a lot of towing, this isn’t the car for you. The claimed towing capacity is 600 kilograms for a trailer without brakes, or just 800kg for a braked trailer. The diesel is a better bet if that matters to you, with a 750kg un-braked/1300kg braked rating… though that’s still below average compared to some similarly priced petrol seven-seat SUVs like the Mitsubishi Outlander (750kg/1600kg), LDV D90 (750kg/2000kg) or Nissan X-Trail (750kg/1500kg).

The Carnival Platinum has two engines available, a 3.5-litre V6 petrol version, and our model, which has a 2.2-litre, four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine with a maximum output of 148kW and 440Nm of torque.

That makes hauling the big body plus your gear a breeze. It also has a braked towing capacity of 2000kg, if you need to add a trailer for weekend pursuits.

The eight-speed auto transmission combined with the grunty engine makes for a very pleasant driving experience.

The claimed fuel use for the Grand C4 Picasso petrol model is just 6.4 litres per 100 kilometres, which is rather impressive. It requires 95RON premium unleaded, meaning the cost at the pump can be markedly higher than regular 91RON. 

In the real world, a lot of turbocharged cars tend to be thirstier than the claim suggests, but we saw a relatively decent 8.6L/100km during our time in the Grand C4 Picasso. 

By comparison, the diesel is said to use a miserly 4.5L (17-inch wheels) or 4.6L (18s). 

Let’s do some maths: the average cost per 1000km, based on claimed fuel usage, works out to $65 for the diesel and $102 for the petrol, and you’ll get about 40 per cent more distance per tank out of the diesel, and typically diesel is cheaper. But even so, the extra $6000 outlay on the initial purchase of the diesel will still take plenty of mileage before you break even.

It’s powerful but is it efficient? Deliciously, so. The official combined fuel figure is 6.5L/100km and after driving around 850km, my trip computer was reading an average of 6.7L. That’s better than some hybrids on the market but I expect it to be higher in the city.

The Carnival has a 72L fuel tank with an approximate range of 1100km.

I’ve mentioned the word ‘charm’ already in this review, and the adjective to describe what I think about the drive experience is ‘charming’.

I love it.

It has that French suspension set-up that just doesn’t get bothered by sharp bumps because it has been tuned to deal with cobblestone alleyways. It rides beautifully at high and low speeds, loping over speed humps with ease, cosseting those in the cabin from the surface below.

It’s also tremendously quiet, with hardly any road noise intrusion in the cabin compared to the vast majority of cars out there. The coarse-chip surfaces of the M4 in Western Sydney usually offer up an ear-bashing, but not here.

The 1.6-litre engine is perky enough.

The steering is like that of a hatchback, with a tight (10.8m) turning circle enabling you to pivot on yourself more readily than you might think. The steering is also quite enjoyable if you like to drive, but don’t push too hard - understeer is an imminent threat, though the grip on offer is quite good.

The 1.6-litre engine is perky enough, and responds well both in stop-start traffic and on the highway - but there is no doubt about it, the 2.0-litre turbo diesel model’s 370Nm of torque makes for motoring with a lot less effort and strain. Not that the engine in the petrol model feels like it can’t get the job done - it just feels like it could do with a little more pulling power… Again, not enough to rule it out of contention, because it’s nicely refined. 

The six-speed automatic is geared towards efficiency, which means that you might find it in third gear before a hill and somewhat hesitant to drop back a gear to gather more pace. I didn’t find this too annoying, but it did help me finally understand why the manual shift and paddles are fitted.  

On the whole, there is a lot to like about this: it’s a family-focused car with family-focused dynamics on all fronts. 

It’s an incredibly smooth ride and the power makes it responsive in most conditions.

Because of its length, I was a bit choosy with when I ‘zipped’ across traffic, but overall, it handles urban and open-road driving very well. 

The suspension absorbs the bumps in the road and the cabin is quiet but you occasionally get some wind noise at higher speeds.

If the back passengers are struggling to hear you, there is a handy ‘talk’ function that will transmit the drivers voice to the back rows, if you need to communicate without raising your voice.

It's easy enough to park with the clear 360-degree view camera but I found myself reversing into spots because the visibility was so much better out of the front windows.

I didn’t much like the idea of reversing out of a car space in a high traffic zone but the rear cross-traffic alert plus the front and rear parking sensors do help ease any anxiety. 

The safety list is extensive with the following being standard features: LED daytime running lights, lane departure alert, lane keeping aid, emergency lane keeping aid, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert (always good to have), 360-degree view reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors.

The ‘check rear occupant’ alert and autonomous emergency braking with car, pedestrian and cyclist detection and junction assist (operational from 5.0-85 km/h), forward collision warning and rear collision warning are always great to have on a family vehicle.

It is missing a feature you tend to see on Kia's top models and it's one I would have liked to have seen on such a large car - the blind-spot camera view that pops up on the instrument panel when you indicate.

The Carnival was recently awarded a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2021 and, surprisingly, only has seven airbags but that does include a drivers’ knee airbag and curtain airbags covering all three rows. It’s missing the newer front centre airbag, though.

There’s a total of five ISOFIX child seat mounts and five top tether anchor points across the middle and third rows (3/2) and with the middle row is wide enough to have three child seats side by side.

There is plenty of room to install a 0-4 rearward facing child seat in the middle row.

Citroen has just updated its ownership promise to consumers, with passenger vehicles attracting a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty plan, which is backed by a five-year/unlimited kilometre roadside assist package. 

Previously, the plan was three years/100,000km - and that’s even what some of the paperwork on the company’s site still suggests. We assure you, though, the five-year deal is legit.

Servicing is due every 12 months or 20,000km, whichever occurs first, under the Citroen Confidence Service Price Promise plan. The costs for the first three services are $414 (first service), $775 (second service) and $414 (third). That cost cover spans nine years/180,000km.

The ongoing costs for the Carnival are pretty good with it coming with Kia’s better-than-average for the market, seven year/unlimited km warranty.

This also comes with a capped-priced servicing plan for up to seven years or 105,000km (whichever comes first).

Services average $545, which is competitive for the market and servicing intervals are easy at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.