Island Life - June/July 2010
First impressions of the
Citroen C3 Picasso
IT’S like the cool-looking youth on the
corner: you feel a little wary of him till
warm smile.
The drive puts paid to that first
motoring
stick for a feel that takes it out of its
price bracket. And those alloy wheels
he removes his shades and gives you a
bullyboy impression. High, racey and
come in a choice of design. The rear
sunny grin. This new Citroen C3 Picasso
slightly pitchy, its torquey, responsive
is absolutely flat – again, great for
is as boxy as its previous models, but
engine makes it full of fun and vitality.
visibility and parking – but the boot is
the Exclusive trim accentuates its broad
It is manouverable, too. The turning
massive.
shoulders. It’s as though it likes to flex
circle is impressively small: it’s a hunk
its muscles: the low-slung black grid,
not afraid to show its feminine side.
framed by steely halogen headlights,
Because the gleaming white with
There’s tons of room for your
passengers, too, the square shape
accommodating the three rear seats
command attention; its black trimmed
black trim of the Exclusive is aimed at
comfortably, and they have their own
alloy wheels suggest no compromise.
the boys, it’s great for the girls. Unlike
airline-style drop-down trays. Little
the Xara, it doesn’t bear the invisible
halogen lights over them are a new
seats and you’re surrounded not by
‘Mum’s taxi’ sign, and other cars on
addition. Touches like that make you
wrap-around shades but by all-round
the road are going to think twice about
feel looked after.
visibility. There are no blind-spots in
cutting you up in this.
Then you climb into its comfort-first
this spacey cockpit, and the pulsey
It is styling you can’t ignore. The
And for an on-the-road price of
£15,745 you get a lot of looking after
here-and-now feel is accentuated by
uncompromising front is flanked by
the giant-sized digital dash display –
chunky mirrors which unfurl when
the backlight of which strengthens
the engine is switched on, and retract
On test was the C3 Picasso Exclusive,
against the ambient light outside. It’s
pleasingly with the click of the remote
1.6HDi. Test drive at:
as if the moody shades have been
lock. You can even add your own
Central Garage, Riverway, Newport.
whipped off and you’ve been flashed a
touches. Choose the aluminium gear
Tel 01983 526541
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for your money.
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