Citroen Xsara Picasso Estate 2000 - Present

The Citroen Xsara Picasso has long been the UK's best selling MPV. This could be down to Citroen's incredible prices or the car's great features or maybe a bit of both. Based around the Citroen Xsara family car it offers a roomy cabin and affordable running costs as well as good luggage room but is in danger of falling behind many of it's rivals as new models are launched.

The Xsara Picasso has a choice of four engines. The entry level 1.6 petrol is simply not powerful enough for a car of this size, especially when it's got a number of passengers. If you want to get any level of performance from it you have to drive like a maniac which is neither fun for you or relaxing for your passengers. The 1.8 is more suited to the job but as is often the case the diesel option is the best of the bunch it's low down grunt suits the car well and takes any drama away from the more intricate parts of urban driving. It cruises effortlessly on the motorway and returns decent fuel figures with both the 1.6 and 2.0 options returning more than 50 mpg as opposed to figures in the 30s for all of the petrol options

The handling is adequate but little more. The suspension is soft enough to make the ride very comfortable but it does so at the expense of the road holding. The cornering can be a little uncertain but at least it does so in a predictable way. As long as you can keep in mind that you're driving an MPV and not a super mini you should have little surprises from the Picasso and the comfortable ride will make long journeys more bearable.

Inside the Picasso there is plenty of room for all of the occupants. Leg and head room are both abundant and the layout of the cabin is logical and comfortable. The petrol versions all suffer a little with road noise but as ever Citroen have thought of a gimmick to counter this issue; as you drive faster the stereo volume increases, not a great increase but subtle and enough to make sure that you can hear the music and the sound of the road is less noticeable.

The price of the Citroen Xsara Picasso alone means that if you're looking for either a new or nearly new MPV you will almost certainly consider getting one. They have fallen off the pace a little compared to the Vauxhall Zafira and the Mazda 5 but they're still a good car and offer a lot of miles for their price.

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