Citroen C4 Picasso Lounge

Citroen really has got junior MPVs down to a fine art. The C4 Picasso represents attractive and innovative family transport, and it’s great value, too.

But the French firm believes there is room for a more exclusive variant – one that blends all the style with greater luxury. Enter the new range-topping C4 Picasso Lounge.

Designed solely for sale in the UK market, the Lounge is only available with the 2.0-litre HDi diesel engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. It adds £1,900 to the price of the Exclusive model on which it’s based – which means the newcomer weighs in at a rather hefty £23,995.

Climb inside, and it’s immediately obvious where the money is spent. The standard five-seat Picasso interior has been replaced by four individual leather-trimmed chairs, each featuring adjustable head and armrests.

The driving position is very upright, so some owners may struggle to get comfortable. Selecting Drive using the slender column-mounted stick is simple, but the electronic handbrake takes a frustrating 10 seconds to disengage.

Once up and running, the Picasso is slow to convert the engine’s power into forward motion, leading to jerky acceleration from a standstill.

But overall, the driving experience is compromised for a car that’s intended to pamper its four occupants. So while the Lounge is an intriguing concept, Citroen top brass might find that – as with the Avantime from rival Renault – buyers aren’t particularly drawn towards a model with the size but not the practicality of an MPV.

© Source: autoexpress
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