People Mover Reviews

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.

There's more than one way to skin a cat. James Stanford looks at two very different people-movers.

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

Adam Tonkin road tests the Honda Odyssey with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Toyota Tarago has been sold in Australia in large numbers since the 1980s. Early versions were nothing more than delivery vans with extra seats, side windows and a bit of added trim. From 1990, Tarago was a pure people mover with all that means in the way of comfort and safety. These are the models being surveyed

Paul Gover road tests and reviews the Honda Odyssey VTi, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Different segments take distinctive approaches to moving family plus friends. Joshua Dowling sets a seven-seat SUV against an eight-seat people-mover.

If money talks, the Citroen Grand C4 Picasso is an eloquent orator against the Proton Exora’s terse chat.

In the beginning, when the people mover was emerging out of the shadow of the van with seats and side windows, one vehicle led the way. The Honda Odyssey produced ride and handling more like that of a car than a tricked-up commercial vehicle.It seems nothing has changed, with the latest model – the fifth generation – having room for seven or eight occupants, or a stack of gear, while still producing the obligatory car-like going.The super-size Odyssey – it’s significantly bigger than before – cannot help but stand out among its peers. An expansive chrome radiator grille sets the standard, its broad slats providing the right proportions to support a centrally mounted unmissable Honda insignia.Thanks to a compact engine bay the front slopes sharply towards a raked windscreen which in turn connects with a low roof which takes nothing from cabin height due to the ultra-low floor.Flared guards front and rear complete a profile that is designed to emphasise the vehicle’s dynamic character. Deep side skirts and snazzy wheels also ‘sportify’ the wagon. Electric sliding side doors, operated merely by touching the handles or using the key fob, make entry and exit to the rear seats easy.A high lifting tailgate (why no electric power here?) gives access to a rather limited cargo area with the third row of seats in use. With the back seats folded it’s a totally different story. There’s lots of space.Available in two versions – Vti and VTi-L – the Odyssey comes to market at $38,990, plus on-road costs for the VTi, with eight seats, and $47,620 for the VTi-L (the test vehicle), with seating for seven.As befits a luxury vehicle, as the suffix ‘L’ suggests, the latter features twin Captain’s Chairs in place of the second-row bench seat, offering a high level of comfort in a people mover, plus the ability to carry extra-long items of cargo.If the Odyssey is big and brassy on the outside, on the inside it’s a model of restraint. Quality surroundings and thick-pile carpet give the cabin a limo-like feeling.VTi-L occupants can lounge in large leather-clad seats which enjoy added legroom between rows. Despite a low roofline, a redesigned chassis has made for more headroom than in the previous model. The dashboard-mounted gearshift enables a walk-through alley from the front to the rear rows of seats.The driver’s attention is immediately drawn to a large-face speedometer, with a range of information displayed in a centre circle directly behind the steering wheel. The new Odyssey is the first Honda in Australia to incorporate Display Audio. Using a centrally dashboard mounted touch screen, the system displays audio and hands-free Bluetooth functions as well as replicating a compatible iPhone.Users can swipe as with an iPhone, scrolling and zooming in and out as required. Satellite navigation can be downloaded via an app to an iPhone and connected to the Odyssey’s info system, enabling the sat nav software to be stored in the smartphone and not on the vehicle hardware. Hence a route can be input into a smartphone away from the car and connected to the Honda for use on the road.The Odyssey is powered by a refined 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine producing 132kW of power put to ground through the front wheels and a continuously variable automatic transmission with steering wheel-mounted shift paddles for the control freaks.Honda estimates fuel consumption of 8.9 litres per 100 kilometres on the combined urban / highway cycle. I achieved the high elevens in town traffic and the mid sixes on the motorway in the VTi-L.Odyssey safety features cannot be faulted. There are front, side and full-length curtain airbags, Vehicle Stability Assist and Traction Control, ABS anti-skid brakes, Electronic Brake-force Distribution, Emergency Brake Assist and Emergency Stop Signal via the rear lights. Fisheye cameras around the Odyssey VTi-L give a 360 degree view of the vehicle, while Smart Park Assist will help with parking even in awkward spots. A unique Cross Traffic Monitor keeps an eye out for approaching vehicles behind when reversing. Audible and visual warnings alert the driver.From the push of the start button the powertrain shows its pedigree, 2.4-litre motor revving freely and quietly through the rev range, the upgraded continuously variable transmission taking its lead like a champion ballroom dancer.From rest, the Odyssey glides rather than accelerates, taking its time to reach peak torque of 218Nm. When there, the big wagon behaves in a surprisingly sprightly manner, changing direction confidently and with hardly a hint of body roll. Quite exhilarating.Visibility all round has been improved with thinner pillars, high-set driving position, repositioned large exterior mirrors and flat-top instrument panel. Then there’s the all-round camera view in the VTi-L.One serial Odyssey buyer wavered from the people mover only when Honda dumped the completely removable rear seats. She once claimed to have carried fourteen folding tables and a small sound system in her early model without the rear seating.