Citroen Reviews

Paul Gover road tests and reviews the new 2016 Citroen C4 Cactus at its international launch.

Paul Gover reviews the Citroen DS3 Racing at a preview drive in France.

James Stanford reviews the 2015 Citroen Long Body Berlingo, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Murray Hubbard road tests and reviews the Citroen DS3 with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Paul Gover road tests and reviews the new 2015 Citroen DS3 at its Australian launch.

Never has Citroen followed convention, just look at the lines of the C4 Picasso. Like its predecessors it looks like nothing else on the road. Most of the upper surfaces are glass, from its huge windscreen that almost merges into a super-sized sunroof and onto the sleek rear rear glass it's all about looks.All occupants have 360 degree surround vision, then there are the big pictures above them. Great fun and sure to take the boredom of of long trips.Fortunately for Australian drivers, particularly in the northern areas, the sunlight can be kept out if need be. This is achieved by moving the front of the cabin's roof forward in two sections to make the windscreen smaller (I'm not making this up! Call into a Citroen dealer and see for yourself).Citroen C4 Picasso is a cross between a tall hatchback and a crossover SUV. Okay so there's a lot of 'crosses' in that sentence, but the latest Citroen really doesn't slot neatly into any category body wise. Where it does fit, is onto the short list of buyers looking for something a bit quirky and who don't like to follow conventions.We've had the Citroen C4 Grand Picasso in Australia for some time, but it's quite a different vehicle to the Grand-less Picasso. Whereas the Grand is a seven-seat people mover with diesel power, the Picasso is a five-seater that's petrol powered, as well as being nimbler and easier to drive than its extended brother.Picasso has five individual seats, with the rear three all having the same dimensionsInterestingly, with a starting price of $40,990 it falls into the Vfacts category that includes BMW's new 2 Series Active Tourer, and Mercedes-Benz big selling B-Class. The Citroen importer is delighted to see its Picasso in such exalted company.Picasso has five individual seats, with the rear three all having the same dimensions. The rear seat can slide back and forward to let you choose between passenger legroom and boot capacity. With the seats in their rearmost positions there's good legroom for adults.Luggage space is good, 537 litres with the rear seats back, 630 with them all the way forward. The seats can be folded flat to give you a voluminous 1851 litres.Driving the C4 Picasso is a new experience, not only do you have that goldfish bowl in front of you, the gear lever is in an unusual spot on the top-right of the steering wheel. The front seats have adjustments in multiple directions, some of the setting are controlled via small buttons on a flat area set into the front corner of the seat. It looks as though it takes up unnecessary space but seems to work well enough. Check it out for yourself.There's a huge electronic screen in the centre of the dash that contains the main instruments. The screen can be set up with a choice of displays to suit your individual driving situations. While the central screen obviously suits right-hand and left-hand steering wheel situations, the stylists haven't been instructed to make the dashboard symmetrical. We like this, because that sort of setup screams out cost saving, and this is no low-cost car.Ride comfort is everything you expect from a French car, smooth and quietA smaller screen in a more conventional position in the centre console looks after air conditioning, audio and other minor tasks.Picasso C4 G has a strong range of standard equipment, with keyless entry and start, automatic headlights and wipers, LED daytime running lamps, and fog lamps with a cornering function.Ride comfort is everything you expect from a French car, smooth and quiet. However, there was occasionally more tyre noise than anticipated on some of Australia's notorious coarse-chip surfaces.Handling is safe enough, but tall hatches never feel as good as standard height ones due to the higher centre of gravity. If you're a keen driver who likes press-on motoring in hilly areas perhaps look at a different Citroen.There's no manual gearbox option in AustraliaPower is supplied by a modern 1.6-litre turbo-petrol unit that produces 120 kilowatts, torque is a very useful 240 Newton metres all the way from 1400 revs to 4000, the typical engine speed for almost all drivers virtually all of the time. We liked the way the six-speed automatic transmission worked with the engine to have it at its best revs. There's no manual gearbox option in Australia as there is in European markets, a wise decision by the Australian importer.We threw some peak hour traffic, motorways and steep hills and bends at the C4 Picasso during a drive program organised by Citroen out of Sydney and it performed very well in all conditions.Citroens have a six-year warranty, capped price servicing and roadside assist package.

Chris Riley road tests and reviews Citroen C4 Picasso at its Australian launch.

Little French master or space odyssey? Richard Blackburn rates the people-movers

The Citroen DS5 sits at the top of the top of the French brand’s premium lineup, above the DS3 and DS4 models.It’s not quite a replacement for the old C6 flagship though, being significantly smaller, and about half the price too.Despite its ‘5’ nomenclature, the DS5 borrows its underpinnings from the Citroen C4, not the larger C5, and the uniquely shaped DS5’s nearest rival would be the BMW 3 Series GT, but the Citroen costs significantly less.Unlike the BMW though, there’s no disputing the Citroen’s beauty, with cohesive shapes and lines throughout and exquisite detailing.The DS5’s aesthetic delights continue on the inside, with a luxuriously appointed interior that looks like it’s just rolled off a motor show stand.This automotive artform is also a practical five door hatch, with a useful 465-litre cargo area and folding seats, and it can tow up to 1500kg.There are a couple of design quirks though, including a lack of cupholders in the centre console, and the rear wiper is like watching a finger sweep the glass.On top of the leather and textured aluminium trim, the $51,990 DS5 diesel comes with heated front seats and a massaging driver’s seat, panoramic roof sections with electric blinds, a heads up display and satnav, and Xenon headlights that steer around corners.The PSA Group’s familiar 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine is the default engine choice, but this one’s the optional 2.0-litre turbodiesel which is well worth the extra 3 thousand dollars.With 120kW and 340Nm, it does a great job of moving the 1615kg DS5, and still returns a combined fuel figure of 6.1L/100km.Both engines come with a six-speed auto, which made good use of the diesel’s torque in our tester.The DS5 carries a full five star ANCAP rating, with dual frontal, side and curtain airbags, ABS, EBD and stability control.A reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors are also standard, but the DS5 does without collision alerts or blind-spot monitoring systems.On the road, the DS5 is a quiet and comfortable place to be, as long as the road is reasonably smooth.The ride is harsher than what you’d expect from a Citroen, and the steering is a bit vague and the torsion beam rear end can be skittish over mid-corner bumps.Overall, the DS5’s unique character and unquestionable style helps to mask its compromised chassis, and its relative value and load-lugging practicality score it more points again.The Citroen DS5 is an alternative choice in the premium mid-size segment, but it’s not a bad one, and it’s definitely a good looking one.

enter the Citroen DS3 hatch, a sweet little car out of France with plenty of kit and a totally different look.