Citroen Grand C4 Picasso road tests and consumer car reviews

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2008

We bought used a 2008 C4 Grand Picasso 3 months ago. It had one previous owner. The car had always been kept up on regular services. In fact, it was given a thorough check-up just two months prior. 5 days ago, it spontaneously caught on fire as I was driving in Budapest, Hungary, where we live. A warning light began flashing on the dashboard, and within 1 minute, someone behind me was flashing their lights, I pulled over, rolled down my window and the guy said my car was burning. I turned off the car, got out and saw some significant steam coming from the hood. Before I could open it, the steam turned to black smoke. Then I saw flames. Luckily, there was a police officer near by who called in the fire department and the fire was out within 10 minutes, but not before it completely destroyed the engine, and melted everything else under the hood. The rest of the car was unscathed, but the insurance company said it was totalled. I was surprised, but after having read similar reviews from others, and having a Budapest Citroen dealer mention that they had two other vehicles in recent past randomly catch on fire, I’m beginning to wonder about the C4 Grand Picasso. The fire was blamed on an electrical or engine fault. Too bad, because we really liked it, but we don’t trust Citroen anymore.

Responses to this review

I have just heard of a C4 going on fire in Ireland last week. Who pays for damage or replacement - Citroen or insurance company? - Kieran from Ireland

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso VRR+ 1.6 hdi egs 2008

I bought my Grand Picasso two weeks ago and I am blown away with how good it is. I had the juddering problem when pulling away, but it was sorted with a quick software update. Getting nearly 60mpg on a car this size is impressive. Having enough space to take the extended family and the dog in comfort is nice. I went from a Zafira to the Grand Picasso and although I loved my Zafira, now I have the GP I wish I had made the change sooner.

Responses to this review

Hi Steve. I have also experienced the juddering problem you had when pulling away in first gear. What software update did they do to get it back to work again? - Mike London from England

I recently bought a Grand Picasso (2008 model). I am experiencing shuddering when pulling away in first gear. This especially happens once the car has warmed up ie. starting a second journey soon after finishing the first. I will now take it back and see if a software update helps - Graham Craik from England

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2.0 Hdi Ets Vtr+ 2007

I bought this car 18 months ago, and I’ve not had one ounce of trouble. Do you find the people that have purchased this car on mobility all moan? You have got a car for free and you moan, get off your fat a*ses and work for a living and then you’ve got the right to moan about something you actually paid for.

Responses to this review

People on Motability schemes don’t have a choice, they are on disability for a reason and for someone like you to run them down cause you’re up your own a*se is pathetic. Most of these people have worked and have suffered from health problems which leaves them no choice. You just go enjoy your wee microwave dinner there mate! - Barry McC from Ireland

As a taxpayer and someone who has worked all our lives, we have a C4 for my disabled wife. First the clutch went after 2,000 miles, now it’s gone in for its first MOT and we have been told the steering rack has stripped the threads on the mountings so it has been taken off the road while it’s being repaired. This is after me telling the garage there was a problem and something was loose. I was told "no it’s just a heat shield come loose, it wont breakdown on you"; some fitter! As a retired mechanic, it makes my blood boil to read rubbish from a cretin like you about Motability people getting something for nothing we pay for these vehicles out of our disability money, and have worked hard all our lives. I wonder how hard you have worked. You will be old one day and possibly in pain, will you not claim a Motability vehicle? I think so, remember what goes around comes around and I dearly hope it bites you big time in the a*se. You will be sorry you’ve slagged disabled people off - Ralph from Cardiff

I am one of the lazy motability drivers you refer to. I worked a 16 hour a day as an LGV long distance driver for 15 years, even though I suffered with Crohn’s Colitis. I then fell off a lorry from some height and broke my back. I have since developed type 2 diabetes through inactivity. You wouldn’t have done my job in perfect health, mate. I may have suffered from diarrhea for years but it doesn’t come out of my mouth. You probably blame lorry drivers for all your bad driving habits also. Well done man. My one wish for you is that one day you will also need a motability car! - Dave Preece from Neath Port Talbot

Hello, it’s people like yourself that the problem to all our owes in this country, a simple fact of no understanding of the disability payment system in this country. We too have a Citroen C4 Grand which is on the Motability system, the car is paid for the money my wife would receive because of her disability BUT (and this is a huge BUT), she is working full time, earning £30,000 per year paying 20% tax. She is also putting fuel in the car paying 70% tax to allow her to work. I too work part time but I am also a carer to my wife earning a measly £55 per week. You have not got a clue about people’s circumstances, everyone getting a car on Mobility gets one because their disability is deemed that severe that having access to car is their one point of access to this world, where they can spend money pumping huge amounts back into society. We are all tax payers not just the rude people of this world who have no clue what so ever. I would happily swap my wife’s condition with you and lets just see what its like with the shoe on the other foot. Good day - Jason from Yorkshire

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2011

I viewed a new C4 in the showroom 4 days ago. Tried to lower the back seat, which is released by lifting a recessed lever on the seat back. Unfortunatly the strength of the spring in the seat caused it to shoot forward trapping my little finger. This was severly crushed, the nail pulled off and the bone broken. A great reccommendation for safe design!!!

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2009

I got my car on motability in March 2009. A great car to drive in good weather. The first winter I had the car it was parked on local park car park when it began to snow. About half an inch of snow fell. I could not get the car to move, even though it was a flat park. The computor cut out, giving me more lights than Blackpool! I called the AA who reset the computor. The next day the same thing happened when trying to get out of my road. The next day I got stuck on a garage forecourt. I needed help on each occasion as I am disabled. The supplier said, they had never had the problem before, yet three people I have spoken to say they too had the same problem. I thought I would give it a fair chance and I kept it until the winter of 2010 when I got stuck for six hours, three miles from home. The AA fixed then followed me home, just incase. I phoned motability for an exchange and they spoke to manufacturer, who admitted, "They are no good in this kind of weather"! I now have a Qashqai.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2008

I bought the car April 1st 2011 (I know the date should have warned me). After just a day of ownership, the car started to judder in 1st and reverse badly. I took it to the garage in Peterborough where I purchased it however they refused to acknowledge the fault. They had the car a total of five times. The car went to local Citroen dealers in Huddersfield who checked the gearbox update and that was unto date. Now I need to have the gearbox removed to inspect the gearbox and clutch assembly. This is the worst car I have owned and will never buy another Citroen car.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 16HDI egs 2011

I could not wait to pick up my new Grand C4 Picasso having driven one for 3 years on motability, but after 5 months of driving a car that drops from 2nd back into 1st and loosing speed when pulling out in busy traffic. I have terminated the contract with motability. Halliday Citroen Bushmills were not very helpful and after saying it was driver error (it has done the same with a mechanic and the service manager driving it), it was characteristic and that was how it was meant to drive. I’ve had had enough of this car as on four seperate occasionsit has nearly caused an accident. On one occasions when crossing a T junction it died half way across leaving my passenger (a male) screaming as a car approached blaring its horn; why when a incident like this happens do drivers push their horns instead of their brakes?? I would be interested to know if anyone else has had this problem? Mine is the post Feb 16 HDI that has the 8v instead of the 16v (they are the ones with the LED day time running lights).

Responses to this review

My car is doing the same cutting out with the depollution fault coming on when you are driving. Nearly killed us. It’s with Citroen now for tests to see what causes this. Mine is a 57 1.6.h.d.i. Grand Picasso, I bought this new and no problems until now. Very frightening when this happens just cuts out, no power at all - Pamela Burns from Northumberland

Hi, I’ve got the 2.0 HDi with the EGS box and have had nothing but trouble with it. It was under warranty so I took it back and they have updated the gearbox software. That improved the problem slightly for a little while but now its as dangerous as ever. Pulling out from T junction or turning right across oncoming traffic is just impossible as you have no idea if the car will cut out or not. To cap it all off, it’s going back in this week, but I’ve been told by the dealers if they fail to fix the problem before the warranty runs out at the end of the month then that’s my tough sh*t. I can feel a court battle coming on... I reckon that ’Which’ magazine might be interested in this dangerous gearbox problem. If it#s not fixed, I’ll be speaking to my M.P. too. Don’t buy Citroen unless you have money to burn - Iain Thompson from Essex

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso vtr

A number of problems: The boot lock failed, the rear seat popped out of the runner, the depollution system fault light. Then a handbreak recall fault, the driver’s door window motor burnt out costing £278. The battery light comes on and off, the windows and pass mirror do not operate from driver control panel, the exterior door trim is coming away. All of this after having the car 13 mths. The warranty expired on 27th May 2011 and the Citroen manager said, and I quote, "What do you want me to do? Everything and everyone dies. I can do you a extended warranty for £600." This is on a 07 plate Grand C4 Picasso vtr. Customer service hey? I almost forgot, I’ve now found an oil leak. Besides all the problems it’s nice to drive. Thank you Citreon.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.8 petrol 2007

I bought my Picasso second-hand through a Citroen dealer in 2009. A great vehicle to drive - when it isn’t giving problems! After a number of light bulbs going and several fuses for the wipers (that seemingly can’t cope with anything beyond a touch of frost), I am now starting to see ’my error’ in buying this vehicle. It is way too ’technology-dependent’... too many ’sensors’ perhaps? (A fuel cap that periodically ’decides’ not to function). A couple of days ago the engine started surging badly and then completely lost power after leaving home in morning traffic. Somehow I managed to crawl home (fortunately only about a mile) and as I stopped, all manner of ’fault indicator lights’ came on. I did a little fuel and carb ’cleaning’ and the engine and power significantly improved again, but far from a smooth idle and the one engine warning light now flashes with the (occasional) message - "Depollution System Fault"?? However, a mechanic has just run a diagnostic check and he gets the code error P1340, which apparently is a ’camshaft sensor’ fault?? I’m now ’battling’ to get some definitive and accurate info, before I get ’ripped off’ by the dealer. I’m also looking at the trade-in market too!

I bought my Picasso second-hand through a Citroen dealer in 2009. A great vehicle to drive - when it isn’t giving problems! After a number of light bulbs going and several fuses for the wipers (that seemingly can’t cope with anything beyond a touch of frost), I am now starting to see ’my error’ in buying this vehicle. It is way too ’technology-dependent’... too many ’sensors’ perhaps? (A fuel cap that periodically ’decides’ not to function). A couple of days ago the engine started surging badly and then completely lost power after leaving home in morning traffic. Somehow I managed to crawl home (fortunately only about a mile) and as I stopped, all manner of ’fault indicator lights’ came on. I did a little fuel and carb ’cleaning’ and the engine and power significantly improved again, but far from a smooth idle and the one engine warning light now flashes with the (occasional) message - "Depollution System Fault"?? However, a mechanic has just run a diagnostic check and he gets the code error P1340, which apparently is a ’camshaft sensor’ fault?? I’m now ’battling’ to get some definitive and accurate info, before I get ’ripped off’ by the dealer. I’m also looking at the trade-in market too!

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2.0vtr+ 2007

Oh my God! Having so many problems with the EGS gearbx. The severe juddering when setting off in first gear is a nightmare. I’ve had the car for 3 months and it’s been back to Evans Halshaw 5 times. All they tell you is its a characteristic of the car, well I’m sorry but Citroen do not design these cars to judder so it is classed as a fault. I would advise anybody buying a C4 Picasso with the electronic gear system to take it out on a long test drive; I would put money on it juddering when setting of in first. It’s a real shame because the model I have 2.0vtr+, has everything you could wish for in a car and more but this fault is really letting the car down. When will Citroen admit the fault and arrange for a solution?

Responses to this review

We also have a 1.6 C4 Grand Picasso with the EGS semi-auto gearbox. It’s done 43,000 miles and we’ve been told it needs the clutch replacing at a cost of £1,300. I was told they were seeing lots of these and it was down to how people were driving them. Thing is, we had issues at 17,000 miles just after buying it and it went in and out of a garage three or four times before it was ’fixed’. I was never convinced of the explanation that the problem was caused by contaminated fuel. Now I find out they actually replaced an actuator, so seems to be the problem was associated with the gears/clutch and we are now paying the price of it not being sorted out then. Citroen is denying there is any general problem with these gear boxes so we have to argue our individual case for some sort of good will - Lee Hayhurst from Berkshire

I am undecided whether to purchase a Picasso 2008 with semi-auto gearbox or automatic gear box. What do you think? - Robert from England

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso vtr+ 2008

I got my car on motibility, great help from them then!!!, Within 4 weeks my screen wash shorted (said it was a safety feature in freezing temp) ok, its not done it since, I have had all the bulbs changed twice in the last year and a half, all 4 went at same time on the dual carriage way, now fixed. The clutch jumps every so often, garage say there is nothing wrong. Now the panel on the underside has come away. Looked like a bolt was missing, took it for repair and told it will get done at the service and now secured. It fell off again and they have resecured it and have now told me it’s my fault and I have to pay to get it fixed. I must have hit it off of something in the bad weather,( car was stuck in street for three week and went nowhere, it does not drive off road it goes up and down a dual carrage way twice a day 5 days a week from mine to my dads and back again. I’m really begining to hate it, I want my wee Pug 206 back, dents and all, no issues with that and it was 7 years old when I got it...

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso VTR Plus 2008

A good car for our needs on Motobility, large enough to take my mobility scooter and ramp. Always been relaible until its 40k service. After it came back the screen said Anti-Pollution system failed, ESP failed, handbrake failed and engine light on. This happened all over weekend so took it back but lights had all gone off. Told it was the computer checking and resetting everything. Didn’t happen again until 11k miles later I took it for its first MoT. As I picked it up from the garage the Anti-pollution failure again came on. Engineer said emissions are out, I asked how did it pass its MoT, but told must have just happened. They examined it and said only firing on three cylinders and no reason. It has just returned from the Welsh Mountains so no loss of power. They replaced two valves and followers. I took the car but horn not working, told fuse blown, took it away again and it was fine for an hour, then all messages came up again, car shut down and when restarted only firing on 3 and 15mph top speed. Took it back told it needed new spark plugs. Waited whilst these were fitted, took it away, later that evening the Anti-pollution failuer and brake failure lit up again and engine light indicated dont drive. Garage say nothing wrong, I said RAC say it could be ECU, but mechanic said he has never known an ECU fail. I suggested he looked at owners reviews. He said there had been no recalls or suggestions from Citroen to say there was a problem. I now have a DS3 Disesel today, and hope mine is back as I am off to France this weekend and booked my car. Has anyone else had ECU Problems? The dealer have been very good and attended to it immediately on each visit and kept me informed of progress and issued courtesy car. The car is not three year old so under Citroen warranty.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6 VTR+ 2009

Bought this car after previously owning three Xsara Picassos. Initially lovely car to drive until a fault occurred on the steering and I had a new pump installed. Since then I have literally pulled my hair out trying to get the dealer to rectify the fault. The steering has become hyper sensitive to any undulations in the road, shaking and rattling from side to side and occasionally trying to jump from my hands when taking corners. Although I have had engineers sit in the car with me I am unable to persuade them that this level of vibration is unacceptable and so my driving experience has been ruined. Otherwise, I would gladly have given this car four stars. As it is one star sums up my disappointment.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 07 VTR Plus 2007

This car is amazing. It is so refined and the ride quality is excellent. The 1.8 litre engine gives enough power for both in town and cruising on the motorway. The power delivery is smooth and predictable. The steering is quite light but precise and the car is quite easily manoeuvred around town because of the amount of visibility available. I particularly like the split A pillar, which boosts visibility in the front. However, the fuel consumption is disappointing. Around town, you are lucky to get more than 25mpg out of it, making fuel costs almost unaffordable at today’s prices. Then again, you don’t buy a big car and expect good fuel economy. As far as practicality is concerned, this car excels with a vast amount of space available to both the front and back seat passengers. However, the very back seats should be reserved for children or small adults. With the back seats down, there is an enormous boot space. Inside, the plastics are relatively soft compared to a lot of cars and the build quality is almost as good as the Germans can manage. There are quite a few cubbyholes to put odd things in and the speedo and rev counter look great in the centre screen. Overall, this is a very good car for big families that offers interior space and comfort by the boatload.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso grand picasso c4 2.0 hdi non egs auto 2008

Great vehicle though I hunted high and low to find a non EGS 6 speed auto diesel and what a diifference, although I had to buy used only 25000miles on it verses a horrid potential nightmare for a new egs auto variant. Have they stopped making the tradional auto 6 speed in this as you can get a 4 speed petrol over here? I can only tell it’s non egs as the gear wand has a P for park whereas the egs only has R N A M

Responses to this review

They do still make them. My car is a 6 speed automatic VTR ’59 plate so I hope this answers your question - Malc Wilson from England

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso Exclusive 1.6 HDI EGS 2008

Bought my ex-motability car used at auction a year ago and touch wood it has been ok, it had 10k miles on and I presume all the issues highlighted on this forum have been sorted. The EGS was a bit lumpy initially but a software upgrade totally transformed the car! Clutch is totally smooth (believed original after 25k miles), gearchange is smooth with little or no lag - even when rolling up to roundabouts etc. Economy has been reasonable 38mpg average with mixed driving. The build quality is just about acceptable, everything works on my 3yr old 25k miles car but the fit and finish is not as good as my previous Ford and some of the trim is starting to look a bit tired - especially inside the boot area. The running costs have been ok, Citroen service from my local dealer (Yeomans) is again reasonable rather than outstanding, it has not required much and needed servicing only once so far but they do collect/deliver locally which is a bonus. Not sure I’d buy another, but it has been reliable overall and is far from the doom and gloom that some owners have suffered.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso Exclusive 2.0 HDi 2007

What a terrible car! The gearbox is awful, the EGS is at best beyond irritating and at worst stupidly and terrifyingly deadly. What people have said here about say rolling upto a roundabout on a slip road.. Then you put your foot down and wait maybe 8 seconds with your foot on the floor before it moves. Is sadly true and I intend to write to my MP about this as its clearly indicative of the car and not just mine. I bought mine as an ex mobility car from a main dealer with FSH. The brake pads needed replacing straight away as they were grinding. Then they have had it back 4 times now to fix a knocking in the drivers door area which they have not sorted yet. The clutch is now slipping every time it changes gear, then finally it pops off and you lurch forward. Its like being driven by a learner on their first lesson. To make matters worse, and this is the icing on the cake really.... If you take the car back to the dealer they have a culture of 1) Blame the customer 2) Deny anything is wrong at all 3) Give the car back to you having achieved nothing at all. Seriously if your thinking about buying one of these cars DON’T under any circumstances. It’s not that you might be unlucky and get a bad one, more like at some point the car will fall apart, stop working, roll off, catch fire, or just be the most miserable thing to own you ever had!! DON’T DO IT TO YOURSELF. 1 star is the least you can give... That’s so wrong...

Responses to this review

Totally agree, Iain. It is a great car considering the flexibility, but what does it help when things go wrong all the time? Our 2007 Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6 HDI EMG just broke down at 93.000km, probably the gearbox and in addition to that, there are some electricity problems. We bought this car nine months ago and before this one, we had a Citroen C8 which also broke down, the cambelt broke. I’m now done with Citroen in general - Laila from Norway

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6 hdi vtr+ 2009

I bought a new C4 Picasso Grand 1.6 hdi vtr+ in September 2009. There is 13,560 miles on the clock. Since purchase I have replaced both dipped beam headlight bulbs which is quite awkward and both front side light bulbs. Last night as I was reversing into my driveway when the engine suddenly cut out and different warning notices went across the screen, ie. engine oil low pressure, auto parking brake malfunction, gearbox malfunction. As these were going across the screen the car wouldn’t start. When the display went back to normal ie.the radio station and time it started ok. It is the 6 speet auto version with manual override. Sometimes there can be a slight judder when driving/manoeuvering slowly. Today it has behaved properly, but, worrying with only 13,560 miles

Responses to this review

I have an ’08 Reg VTR+ on Motobility and I have got through more bulbs than I can remember. One side is not too bad but the other is very tricky. It has had seven headlight bulbs and two side lights. The Citroen dealer said they had not had anyone else tell them of this - Tony Downs from Warwickshire

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2008

Very unhappy. Poor gear box. Bad verging on dangerous accelleration. Hand brake failure in the snow. Poor verging on dangerous handling in the snow. Rear suspension just gone outside of warranty, and Citroen don’t have the parts. Have to wait 3 weeks for repair. Can only assume many others must be in the same boat and Citroen are all out of suspension parts. Would not recommend or buy again.

Responses to this review

I have to agree this is the worst car I have ever had. My Citroen C4 Grand Picasso broke down last Monday with rear suspension failure and they can not tell me when it will be fixed as the parts are on back order and I have no courtesy car! This car is terrible to drive, the gearbox is rubbish and dangerous when trying to pull away quickly I have had a few near misses. Really wish I had bought a Mondeo - Sarah Dobb from Kent

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso TDi 2010

Very relaxing drive once you get used to the 6 spd EGS gearshift. Excellent luggage carrying capacity. Good comfort levels inside. Good visibility to front and sides. I Like the fixed steering wheel hub and controls. it is quite easy to achieve betweeen 45 and 50mpg even in urban driving. The 3rd row seats are easy to deploy, but a tight squeeze for an adult. performance is, for the size of car, reasonable with 70-80mph easily maintained without fuss. There are a few niggles. No car is perfect. Engine noise in low gears is loud under hard acceleration. The EGS system automatically changes down as the car slows. This does make it difficult to achieve a gradual smooth stop without adjusting pressure on the brake pedal. I would like the rearview mirror to be wider to include some view through the rear side windows. I haven’t had the car long enough for reliability or dealer support to be an issue, but so far I would be happy to recommend this model.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso Petrol 2007

Bought the car in February 2009, since then it’s spent as much time in the dealers as it has on my drive. Main problem is the EGS Gearbox which started to play up 2-3 Months after it was purchased. Continual problems with extremely slow Gear change, acceleration problems once moving, and pulling out onto a junction or a roundabout you take your life in your own hands. The dealer has replaced the Clutch Cylinder and the Actuator and reset the Software numerous times. The Warranty expired in May 2010 and now it needs to go back in again the dealer is saying that I’m probably going to have to pay for the repairs this time as Citroen won’t commit to there being a problem. The Main Technician came out for a Test Drive and in his words the car didn’t seem to know what gear it should be in, hence in the indecision with the acceleration. On top of that it’s also had a new Water Pump and 2 Thermostat Assemblies replaced, and now it has a Cracked Windscreen which appeared overnight, all this on a car that’s only covered 24,000 Miles. It goes back in on Monday and I’m fully prepared for an arguement and having to resort to threatening Legal Action to try and resolve the problem. Personally had I known then what I know now, I’d have avoided this motor like the plague.

Responses to this review

I had the same problem - but asked the dealer to put the software update for the gearbox on and it has worked fine since... Cormac from Surrey

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.8 VTR+ 2007

Drives well generally, very comfortable. VERY poor in snow and resorted to using my wife’s 11 year old Picasso, which handles the conditions far more impressively. Have a major probem with it now though as water ingress has caused damage to the wiring resulting in the front wipers developing a mind of their own along with numerous other error messages, which have rendered the car impossibe to drive. The car was purchased from motobility after my father had it from new and he experiened a similar problem last year after the heavy snow which the RAC mechanic put down to water ingress. Citroen said it was not this and replaced the wiper motor. A year later when the same thing has occured after similar weather conditions they say it is water ingress which is not covered by the warranty and will cost £2000 to repair. Not at all happy and considering legal action, beware when considering.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 18 VTR+ 2008

I will be changing my motability Grand C4 Picasso for a 16HDI Exclusive in March and can’t wait, my current car has driven like a dream and l will to be sorry to see it go, the only reason I did not purchase from motability is because of the poor fuel consumption. I have read reports of poor handling in snow I have went up lanes with 45degree climb in deep snow as other cars fail maybe it all comes down to the driver!  I test drove Fords S Max Renault’s Grand Scenic Peugeot 3008 Toyota’s Verso all didn’t even come close for comfort and feel of the road l have pushed my Grand C4 into corners a high speed and although some body roll if you have faith it sticks to the road like glue. Before you Knock the handling take a look at your own driving ability. I taxied for years driven every car you could think of and love the Grand C4 Picasso.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso Diesel Exclusive 2007

Just after midnight on Friday 29.10.10 our 2007 Gran Our C4 Picasso Diesel Exclusive spontaneously combusted. That night we drove from London to Blackpool. We arrived just before midnight, unpacked the kids and (not all) contents of the car, put the kids to bed. My husband then moved the car from the front drive to the side of the house. 5 mins later the car alarm went off. When he went outside he found the car was on fire, so ran back into the house telling us to get out. We had to get our 1.5 and 3.5 year olds out of bed and we escaped the house with my parents in law. A good Samaritan had been banging on the front door telling us to evacuate and he let me and our kids into his car to protect us from the cold and thick black acrid smoke. The fire brigade arrived too late to save the car, which is pretty much missing the front part of it, the heat damaged my parents in law house, shattering the double glazing through to the kitchen, and 2 other windows, and the fire was minutes from getting inside the house. It damaged the next door bungalow too. As it is only days ago, there has been no results from the insurance investigation. The car was stationary and off - one of the fireman said it is hard to tell, but it could have been an electrical fault near/in the engine. We have been shocked to the core. The what ifs - what if it happened on the motorway, what if it happened when we were unpacking the car, leaving the kids asleep in the back, what if it happened after we’d all gone to bed... If you want to see what it looked like as it was towed in the morning see this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJej2PTSyBY We loved our C4, but I just cannot bring myself to replace it with another one, and now are are probably going to be 3-4-5 thousand pounds out of pocket to buy something else. Thank God for - the car alarm - good Samaritans - quick thinking from my husband - Fleetwood fire brigade - our health and lives

Responses to this review

Dear Melissa, sorry to hear about your predicament. Only the same incident happened (with our Citroen Picasso exclusive 57 registration) yesterday Tuesday 2nd November. My Partner was driving to school when she could smell burning, she phoned the fire brigade, by the time they arrived the car engine had completely burnt out. It’s a big shock, fortunately like yourselves we were all OK. It seems to me that there well could be some manufacturing fault with this car and you shouldn’t be losing any monies - Thomas Mills from Lancashire

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2.0 egs vtr+ 2006

Had my Grand Picasso 2.0 egs Vtr+ since Jan 2007 (first day they were released). It has always had a bit of a clutch judder but seems to be getting worse after 22500miles. Main dealer always said they could not see anything wrong with it but it only happened when just starting off cold then seemed to right itself, so never did it when I got it to the garage. It has also had fuel filler cap modified twice. Fingers crossed. Still think it’s a fantastic car but wish it didn’t judder. There must be a remedy for it, be it electronic or mechanical.

Responses to this review

The clutch judder is because it has not been set up on system, book in to your local Citroen dealer or workshop that can plug in to your system to rectify the problem - Mike Brewer from Wales

Dual Mass Flywheel at fault. Citroen know about this problem - Mark Saunders from Cumberland

Thanks for your info Mike. Sorry I haven’t replied earlier. Had my car serviced in Jan (4 year service) and they did a free download update for me. Clutch has been fine for 4 weeks but has now started juddering again. They usually charge £70 a time for these. Surely it doesn’t have to be done every 4 weeks? Thanks Mark for your info also, it sounds like a very expensive job (Dual Mass Flywheel). Is this a job the owner has to pay for even though I have been telling them about the fault for the last 3 years at least? Now out of warranty you see, but they did do the download update for free. Have they admitted liability do you think? Am running out of fight now, I’m approaching 70 - Ken Farr from Lancashire

Just been reading various reviews concerning the gearbox judder. Citroen garage told me clutch was worn due to my driving! How could I damage the clutch when I do not have a clutch pedal. I was told damage was the result of me not anticipating the gear changing whilst in auto mode if I had taken my foot off the gas pedal no damage would have happened. I told various experienced drivers who had never heard of such a thing. With respect to our lady drivers, if I have great difficulty in anticipating what hope do they have? As "wear and tear" is not covered under warranty (although within the 3 years when at garage), I was charged nearly £1,200 to have it replaced. As people have said, Citroen do not accept that there is an inherant fault in the EGS box. Don’t know why when so many have experienced the juddering. I have issued a writ to recover my money, Citroen salesmen have never said to take foot off gas pedal when considering the car. Can you imagine the number of sales they would get particularly as you have an "automatic" gear? Handbook makes interesting reading! - Brian Cronin from Essex

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso VTR+ 2007

My wife has this car under the mobility scheme but I am duty driver. The car has been great over the last 3 yrs with it only going back to the dealers once to have the fuel cap flap replaced due to it not opening when the button was pressed. But having taken it in for its 1st M.O.T I was surprised to find it fail due to the brakes and an oil leak. Now the car has under 16,000 on the clock and the front discs and pads were so badly worn they had to be replaced before I could even take the car home. The oil leak was from the crank case and had fouled the timing belt so that work was covered under warranty. The mechs then found out it wasn’t the crank case gasket but was a bearing and seal failure on the crank. All this work is covered by the mobility scheme but if I had bought this car at £18k then had to spend several thousand to get it through its 1st M.O.T I wouldn’t be a happy bunny. Just ordered the new mobility car and its going to be the Renault Grand Scenic 1.5DCI not another Citroen.

Responses to this review

Looks as though we’ll be keeping the C4 a bit longer now as the newly ordered Grand Scenic has fallen off the transporter enroute to the dealers - Shaun from Nottinghamshire

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso petrol vtr+ manual 2007

Delighted with the car which is still under manufacturer’s warranty. Only thing that makes me wonder how expensive this car will turn out to be is the fact that it needed a new clutch at 28,000 miles. I have had many cars and have never had to replace a clutch before. (Last car Ford Galaxy which had done 140,000 miles) Anyway - surprise surprise - it was not covered under the warranty as they said it was wear and tear. This cost me £750. Not pleased.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2009

My Grandad was looking to replace his 20yr old car and he bought this. He has had nothing but bother with it. The Glove box does not shut fully and he had to pay for a new one to be fixed even though the car is under warranty. The brakes made an awful squeaking noise whenever he was trying to reverse, they were eventually fixed after much arguing. The fuel tank on the instrumental panel does not work. The needle drops even although the tank is full. Car was taken back to local dealer and they told us there was no fault in the display it must be in the fuel tank. Solution? Car has to be taken away for 2 days to get fixed and my grandad has to pay them to use their courtesy car and insure it himself. The interior became easily scratched in the front of the car by the passengers knees and the automatic handbrake isn’t very reliable especially when parking on a hill. After it rains the windows squeak really badly when you try to close them and his roof bars became scratched and weren’t easy to clean. Just a few of the problems he faced, he wishes he never bought this car after paying 18k for it. Staff in local dealers do not want to help and he has had many arguments with them over this. He had to complain to the head office in order to get somethings fixed. He was also told that his warranty didn’t cover his brakes (makes no sense at all). All in all, a waste of money. He’s a pensioner who spent his savings on this car and cannot afford to replace it.

Responses to this review

I have owned my C4 Grand Picasso for 3 years now. The digital dash has bars which are slighly hard to judge, my only complaint (fuel wise) is that I can not manage the fuel consumption stated in the Citroen brochure. My other complaint was to do with the electronic hand brake staying on and refusing to switch off but this was fixed by Citroen mechanics. My other complaint was the airbag waring light coming on, then off, then on. Citroen mechanics tried to fix it, then one day fortunately for me I was within the area of my dealer and I drove straight to the garage and asked them to fix it properly. They had my car for less than 24 hrs and discovered a wiring loom in the lower section of the floor had deteriated causing my problem - "now completely fixed ". All-in-all, my car has been good for me. I am disabled and found this car fitted my every needs, the EGS gear box does pull the patience strings, especially pulling out from a junction/roundabout but I’m used to it now and I am enjoying this car - Jack Gillingham from Renfrewshire

I am having the same problem while reversing but Citroen UK don’t want to replace? What can I do? Thx - Davey Premsing from Leicestershire

Our ’07 plate Grand C4 has just had the same problem as yours, it’s coming out of the garage tomorrow (25/01/2012) from having a complete new wiring loom costing £3,000 in a Citreon garage but Citreon UK is doing a ’good will gesture’ and we still got to pay £800 on a wiring loom on a 3 1/2 year old car - John Miller from Wiltshire

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2008

I have had the car since June 2008 no probs, I have recived 55mpg on a run from Birmingham to Newquay cornwall, fully laiden. Only ever use the auto gear setting as I find it most practical and it runs happy. Front seats comfy, rear second row seats not too bad, third row seats a bit thin with limited leg room ok, for the kids. Good all round visability, Rise and fall rear suspention brill load it up and the system pumps up the rear of the car. The only prob I have is that I really have to stretch to reach the front windscreen inside the car to clean it (not the car’s fault) Love the dash digital display very clear, All switches to hand and on the steering wheel. When you want speed it gives it to you (turbo) no delay. Good safe car (ncap 5 star ) Please think this as an MPV not a sports car; it’s a good all rounder and great for the family, I am happy with mine.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6hdi VTR +EGS 2008

Had the vehicle practically from new. Driven all over France, northern Spain and UK in last 14months covering 25000 miles. Not a blip. 50+mpg. Suddenly am getting a booming sound at any speed. Anyone with any ideas of cause would be appreciated.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso Exclusive 2.0 EGS 2007

Just coming to the end of a 3 year motability lease. I’ve read the other reviews and it seems like you either get a good one or they’re total c**p. That being said I’ve covered 35000 miles and its had 1 service (apart from the 500 mile) and had no real problems. It’s been a relaxing, effortless drive once you get used to the EGS. Great load lugging capability (we drive to Denmark on a fairly regular basis). On these trips I can just about manage 52 mpg, using cruise control, at about 68 mph. Other than that it’s around 40 mpg. On the minus side I’m not sure about the service intervals at 20k. The oil gets pretty black - so goodness knows what the filters are like. The suspension crashes over pot holes and drain covers and shimmies the car off driving line - you learn to avoid them where possible. The EGS can become confused leading to sharp intakes of breath when it chooses too low a gear to accelerate out of trouble or even just doesn’t engage (vary rare these). The only electrical problems I’ve had are: 1. All the mileages, including service interval, (except the total) reset themselves at with about 12k miles covered. No one at citroen believed me. 2. With 34.5k on the clock warning lights for the ESP and Electronic handbrake (incl hill start assist) showed as failed. Drove carefully home, turned off engine left for 5 minutes restarted - no problems. Would have preferred to give 3.5 stars but hey ho all things considered I’ve enjoyed the car.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2008

I purchased from new, and although it is a a great car to drive, and very roomy, I have had to take it back so many times for different reasons; the petrol cap stuck, the radiator seal leaked causing overheating, lots of squeaks that seem to be there one day then disappear for a few days. On a shopping run a few days ago I had steam coming from the under the bonnet and am now told the head gasket is leaking. I have been lucky up ’til now that most have been covered by the warranty but I am now considering changing before I need to pay for things.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2007

My two stars are for the look, feel, design, space and drive position of the car, I really like driving it, but it ends there. My car is three years old but has only done 18000 miles and is immaculate internally but in the 4 weeks I have had it, we have replaced the water pump, and apparently the replacement was faulty, the back door operating mechanism has been replaced, then the back door actuating swich, the rear washer, the glove compartment door would not lock, the rear high level light casing leaked at the first sign of rain, and the trye compressor which has never been out of it’s compartment does not work. This is our second car and we needed it for family reasons, I have driven my other cars 50K per year for the past 40 years in minis, vivas, hilmans, rovers, vauxhalls and toyotas I have never had a car that has needed so much attention in such a short space of time due to build quality, had I needed it for business travel I could not have managed, my current Toyota has 140K on the clock and it just goes from service to service. This is my first French car and I won’t buy another, AND I am a Francophile.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso VTR + 2007

I bought the car when 11 months old, the first problem was a squealing noise from the engine area, after 3 visits to the dealer the waterpump was changed, Then the car was losing water with no evidence of drips under the car. This was then confirmed while having the car serviced that the air bleed valve was not tight. The car has been in 3 times for the fuel flap relase not working. The upgrade was carried out but the problem still exists. One of the rear boot area seats would not collapse, this problem is yet to be looked at. I had a puncture and proceeded to get the compressor to inflatete the tyre, I could not get any air via the compressor into the tyre, I had to get the breakdown company out to get me to a garage to replace the tyre, they only had the top of the range £200 tyre available. Now that the hot weather is here I went to use the AC but no cooling was apparent. I proceded to look under the bonnet and to my shock one of the pipes to the compressor has split and was hanging around in the engine compartment. Has anyone had an AC problem of this nature? I am expecting a resounding "not under warranty" comment when I take it to the dealer...........Frustrated Sh**tron owner.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6hdivtr 7str 2010

The car looks fab, matches our honey coloured brick work, and the space inside is great for all the kids I look after. However, they are getting as sick as me of the car cutting out and us having to stop and restart. yesterday was the last straw. The car cut out on me on a main road and just by luck I managed to get into a layby. Got it going again and got home. Car juddered and was going to fail just as I was reversing into my drive, then it surged with power and I shot backwards into my gate post. Insurance company really good about it. Car still able to be driven, did school run and it happened again, this time I nearly landed up on a pavement but managed to get it under control. Garage has it now and they are going to replace the fuse box as it is faulty. However it looks as though there might be a bit of a battle about the "blame "situation. Has anyone else had similar problems to this? what if anything was diagnosed as the problem, what happened? Has the problem been solved?

Responses to this review

Mine looses power, air pollution warning light comes on and engine then cuts out, not fun on motorway doing 70. Been back at main dealer twice, not good still not fixed, car only 2 yrs old - Ann Milligan from Stirlingshire

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2007

I’ve had quite a few problems with mine. I got it on the 4th of September 2007. On the 6th I took it back via the RAC truck, it would not start, immobilizer fault. After it came back the dash fault light was still on, I also have problems with the gear box going from 5th to 4th. Citroen won’t admit there is a fault. I have a ghost in the passenger seat system says there is someone there even if door has not been opened. De-pollution fault x4, front fog-lamps flash on and off over 55mph – I’ve been pulled loads of times by the old bill - they fixed that, they took out the relay as they couldn’t find a fault. I usually keep a car for 5 years but this one will go in September when it’s 3 years old and I will be looking for a different 7 seater.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2008

Hi all you Citroen Grand C4 lovers, hope you’re all getting on fine with your cars? I bought one a couple of weeks ago and it’s the worst move I have ever made. The car is a 2008 model vtri, the rain comes in through the aerial on the roof and it leaks in through the rubber door seals on every door. After it rains, for about 20 mins, it starts to come in and what you need to do to check this is to go out to your car with a hose and hose the doors from the top on both sides and then open the doors and see if you have water coming in the car, it will be on the right hand side of the drivers side and the left hand side of the passenger side. I dont know if I am the only one to suffer this problem? We have water in the LCD screen on the dash, rust all under the stering column, too much to list. If you do this test and have the same problem email me jimscom@aol.com, thanks.

Responses to this review

It’s a badly fitted replacement windscreen that is allowing in water. You need to get it checked by Citroen. The windscreens are held in place by glue, which if not cleaned before putting new glue on allows tiny holes which let water through. I should know, there are too many Mickey Mouse companies who fit windscreens badly and we at Citroen have to put them right - James King from England

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2007

Super car except for the Auto Gear box/clutch. This caused an accident when on a rolling start the clutch did not engage until a lot of revs applied and then went off like a rocket into a fence!! More recently the car has been setting off in a series of judders and jumps until it eventualy settled down. Auto gear change when on a journey has also been so clunky it makes rear passengrs car sick. Today I have had the software updated to version 9666649580 and the car is a different machine as a result. Why don’t Citroen chance a recall on this problem rather than accept all this criticism Just over 30000 miles covered in nearly 3 years. The citroen dealer says that I should have complained earlier but it wasn’t until two other drivers drove it with me as the passenger that I realised how bad it really was.

Responses to this review

Hi John. I read your review with interest as I have just picked up my used 2.0 litre petrol egs automatic c4 Picasso. 2 years old and covered 30k miles. A lovely car but I have been experiencing exactly the same problems with the gearbox as you did. Jerky, especially setting off up hills. Was yours the esg gearbox? I am taking it into the citroen dealer shortly and am thinking of quoting the software download number that you did. Did this eliminate the problem altogether? The dealer that I bought it from did a software download before I bought it, but it has made no difference. Your reply would be appreciated - Stuart Mapp from Yorkshire

Hi People, I too own a Grand C4, 2.0l petrol with the EGS (semi-auto) gearbox, at 15,000. I started getting the juddering and bunny hopping at very low speeds and also the whining noise, (the whining noise was eventually sorted by some sort of greasing of the rear brake pads which are in constant contact with discs). After a further 12,000 miles, 8 months, 6 software updates and untold visits back to my local Citroen dealers in Ashford they finally admitted that the problem was a ’faulty clutch bearing’ and suddenly had great knowledge on the subject. The bearing is located inside the gearbox. They then argued that it was poor driving that caused the problem and refused to fix problem free of charge and told me that that the gearbox is only under warranty for 15000 miles. I then took the car to a main dealer (not a franchised dealer) who were a lot more sympathetic and changed the bearings free of charge under the warranty after immediately agreeing that it is in fact is a ’failed component’ and not driver error (how can you have control over a automatic clutch on an automatic gearbox?), although I think I was lucky because the original dealer logged the complaint 8 months early so I could prove the problem existed so early on in the gearboxes lifetime - Mr Disgrantled from London

Hi John where did you have your softwhare upgrade done as my c5 has the same problem? Thanks - Mark Cooper from Lancashire

Hi, I have just had my worst driving experience in 50yrs of driving. The C4 Picasso 2 years old had had a service and a software update to correct a fault causing the engine to run on at slow speed. The next day I was in a line of traffic coming to a halt at a red light, the car surged forwards like a rocket, I swerved and nearly ran down a young girl It was as if the car was possessed. I was left a gibbering trembling wreck. I have returned the car and am refusing to drive it again - Mike Dee from Yorkshire

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2.0hdi.vtr+ 2008

Bought this car around a year ago from Citroen Edinburgh, after previously owning a 1.6hdi Xsara Picasso, which served us well for 4 years. If the Xsara Picasso was good the Grand Picasso 2.0hdi vtr+ has been brilliant. A brilliant load lugger when making regular 200 plus mile excursions with all the family and dog plus roof box. Even sitting at the legal max of 70mph on the motorway fully laden with roof box it still returns near enough 40mpg. I was a little apprehensive about the EGS box, but I have found it to be easy to adapt to, just lift off the throttle slightly at gear change revs, which becomes second nature after a short time, if you want a sportier drive just flick it in to manual mode and use the padels to shift gear. The car has been used reguarly with 7 seated and even the back 2 seats are quite comfy. I am well over 6ft and I find the leg room and head rom great as well. All in all I have been really impressed by this car.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2007

Although bright, roomy and very comfortable on a long journey, this big Citroen, has one major flaw, the tailgate switch. It is a moulded plastic handle with a very thin joint that holds it to the body. this snaps through wear and tear, after only a short period of use. The actual switch is far too fragile and not up to the job. If you look at the letter"l" and double it in width, thats the citroen switch. A replacement costs £59 (inc vat) I am on my third tailgate handle/switch combined, and my car is an 07. If the switch fails, you have to remove the interior trim of the tailgate from inside the car, which can be quite tricky. I have added a small push button switch in parrallel that I can access from inside the car, just in case of an emergency.

Responses to this review

Hello. I also have a broken back door switch. The whole thing is very flimsy. I have had the de-pollution fault on several occasions which has meant being off the road for weeks at a time. They could not find the fault at first, but changing the fuel filter seems to have cured it. There have been other faults eg. fan staying on and flattening the battery, catch on glove box broken etc. At low speeds the car stops to change down on steep hills (it is an automatic). I will be glad to get shut - Eric Green from Lancashire

I am on my 4th boot lock, and now it is locking and unlocking the boot when it pleases, not great with kids in the jump seats - any ideas? Loraine from Kent

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2.0 HDi EGS 2007

The Grand C4 Picasso is a virtually faultless car with technology and comfort that far surpass most in its class. The fuel economy is excellent even up to 50 MPG on a long journey, which considering its engine size and the weight of the vehicle, fully laden, is impressive. The engine is punchy once it is going, but can occasionally lack power on leaving junctions or accelerating away, which can leave you fearful that it will not perform. Once going it is excellent. The ride comfort is pretty good generally.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso Automatic 2009

I got my new motability car last November 2008 it ran for about 1 month then came up with the problem of losing power and system failure showing on the screen. The car could not go any further. It went into the dealer to be fixed then 2 days after I got it back again the same happened, system failure, stopped dead. This went on for 8 months giving it chance again and again as it fully suited my disabled needs. Motability terminated the car after another 5 breakdowns within 6 weeks and I had to order another car which I did in October 2009, had to wait ’til Thursday, 28th Jan to pick it up, which I was really looking forward to, great off we go! I got an 8th of a mile out of the dealership when guess what? Yip, I broken down. I tried to restart the engine - nothing, it was showing gear box failure on the screen, which I recorded for motability to see. It would not go into any gear at all, actually it would not start. So, I called the dealer (an 8th of a mile away) and was told "call the RAC"! super, great service, thanks. So after sitting for 4 hours waiting for RAC for him to tell me he could not tow it as he did not know what gear it was in, then waiting for tow truck to put it on the back, it was then taken back to dealer. Next day the dealer was full of apologies, it was just "confused" what! Yes, I had confused it by asking it go go somewhere lol. OK, so got the call to pick it up this morning, down we go all excited, got the car, got my husband to follow me for a bit to see everything ok. Stopped about 2 miles away to go into Tesco, put it into reverse, whoops no not into reverse, did not like that, it froze, it would not go into any gear at all, auto, neutral, manual or reverse. So I turned it off and then back on again, it would not even start, "gearbox failure" on the screen. Are you all remembering this car has not done 5 miles yet? So, its now lying in Tesco’s car park in Edinburgh I have come home and called RAC left the keys with Tesco customer care (who care more than Citreon do) and I give up! Is it me? Am I just unlucky? No more, I have written a letter to motability terminating the agreement due to mechanical breakdown. I am so upset by this happening, am I alone in this?

Responses to this review

It is so nice to know I am not alone. I have just replaced my C4 Grand with a Ford S Max for very similar reasons. It will be 3 years old in April and it has had 2 new gear boxes, (and we are still geting warning errors), 2 serious errors with the handbrake, the car takes it’s self out of gear regularly or won’t go into gear, we have had a new back windscreen as they found a fault in the way it was fitted and plastic interior of the car has fallen off twice , the whole of the back of the car has had to be re-sealed and the glove boxes replaced are amongst some of the larger faults. Oh and be aware the boot lock is a faulty design and have had to have it replaced twice, apparently this is a common fault. The battery un-charges itself and their solution to this was to unplug it every night!!!! whilst I have found Woking Citroen wonderful to deal with (I am on first name terms with them) it is a pile of junk metal! Good luck! - Louise Howe from Surrey

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6HDi VTR+ egs 2007

Just a load of junk, I’m so glad it will be going in September. I have had most of the faults noted by other unfortunate owners. I think it’s a S**troen built by robots. It should be driven by a crash test dummy into a wall, at speed and recycled into a decent car.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso C4 Picasso BTR 2007

Excellent car. 1.6HDi zippy and economical - even with 4 adults, 2 top boxes and filled for camping. Covered 25000 miles so far and no faults / unexecpcted visits to garages. Everything works as advertisd and no rattles anywhere. Towed my trailer tent for 500miles - excellent - better than my C5. Worthy upgrade to our Xsara Picasso (and that’s been VERY impressive @ 106,000 on 2 exhausts and original clutch). I know you can get lemons - but everyone else I know who has one of these has loved them.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2007

Where do I begin? It’s a pile of rubbish, we have had nothing but trouble with this car. When pulling out on to a roundabout, this is in automatic mode, it hesitates and loses power, which has nearly caused an accident several times. As you pull away at a junction it has no power and it can’t make its mind up what gear it should be in. The engine is constantly revving so the petrol usage is very high. We have had it back to the gargage several times, they can’t find anything wrong with it but they keep downloading new software. We are getting rid of it in June as it’s a mobility car thank god we didn’t actually waste our own money on this pile of rubbish.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2009

Everything you need in a MPV comfortable, smooth, excellent gearbox, I cannot see any problem with it. Spacious, far better than my last car, a zafira, which I must admit I rated pretty highly. Both cars a big in improvement on the Merc 160c that I ran before these two. Well done Citreon.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2006

There are inherent faults with this car. The petrol cap not opening from inside the car is one. The brakes have gone on at traffic lights and I have been unable to free them for some time, to include turning off the engine and re-starting. The automatic clutch judders badly, especially when cold. If you stop and park for a bit, all the electrics go off, to include the radio/cd etc. The ride is not brilliant on country roads. It is a heavy car and the suspension is not what we used to expect from Citroen. Having said all that, the car has all the thing that you and your wife and your children and grandma could ask for. Loads of space. All the equipment you could want. It is great on motorways and wide roads. It is high, so you can step in and out without changing levels. It has class and it is good to look at. I wish someone at Citroen could sort out the faults, because it has so much going for it on the plus side. And, yes, I’m going to buy another before long, although I’m going for the full auto this time. Hopefully no more juddery starts in the morning!

Responses to this review

Hi there, I read your review along with all the others. I have just ordered my car the 1.6 vtr hdi grand, I noticed that you said you are going to order the full auto model next time? When I ordered the car 1 week ago I was advised by Citroen that they have stopped making the fully auto model as no one was purchasing it and the only two models now available are manual or the EGS models? Maybe you have been told differently? - Phillip Rawes from England

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6 hdi 2007

First of all, not England, Portugal. I used to be a Portuguese C4 grand Picasso owner, used to, because the C4 was completely destroyed in a terrible accident, unfortunately involving my 2 young children. The electric brake failed, and the van fell into a 20 meter ravine, smashing onto the road. My children, aged 3 and 6 years old suffered multiple fractures, but thank God they are alive, even if the hospital visits are becoming a regular routine, either for physiotherapy or plastic surgery. Few days after the accident, Citroen France, sent an expert to Portugal in order to do an inspection to the car to find out what happened, the accident was on the 15th March, we still don´t know nothing, we still haven´t received any reply from them. Is it possible that these type of cars received 5 stars EuroNcap, and then almost kill my children? I have pictures that I can share, just post me a request with email address.

Responses to this review

Hi there, I too have had a crash involving my C4GP. The brakes failed as well, resulting in me hitting a wall. Luckily, nobody was hurt. The front of the car was a mess. At first, Citroen did not want anything to do with it, trying to blame the crash. Can you share your photos with me as an extra backup please? Here is my address - davidmcinulty[at]btinternet[dot]com.
Thank you - David McInulty from Renfrewshire

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2.0 HDI Exclusive 2007

Well here we go again, after the C4’s last trip to the garage and some new servos to repair the gear box things have got worse. Hand brake that doesn’t release, severe judder on pulling away from junctions when cold, crap acceleration, carpets and arm rests that look as though they belong in a 300,000 mile car not a 30,000 mile car and today to top it off complete brake failure on the trip to the office. I can’t find reference to the brake failure on any forums but I suggest that it felt as though the servo had failed, it felt like pushing onto a hard bit of wood not a progressive travel and feel, oh and it didn’t stop either!!! This is truly the worst car I have ever had the misfortune to drive and believe me there was some rubbish about in the 1970s. Does anyone make a decent reliable large people carrier with 7 seats plus boot space for a wheel chair and a pushchair and shopping for a family of 7? If so let me know because Mr Citroen can have this heap of junk back.

Responses to this review

I agree heartily with your comments!! This car has to be the worst car we have ever had (on motability scheme). The build quality is garbage. We are start ing our final 12months with this car, thank God. We have driven just over 28,000miles - certainly not carefree, troublefree miles either: Handbrake releasing itself Mirror lenses not remaining stuck in their housing Handbrake faulty warning light coming on at 70mph esp faulty light coming on at 70mph dashboard information disappearing at random Door trims coming loose Rear passenger seats folding on own accord Locks on gloveboxes not holding closed Remote door locks replaced Over the 24month period we have been ’using’ this heap - its been in the service bay of our local Citroen main dealer for around 6 weeks in total. This is the last Citroen we will ever have - Joe Jones from Lancashire

I agree with the both of you. I have had this car for 2+ years on mobility and what a load of s*#t it has been. The dealers have had it more than i have. Its been on the back of an RAC truck more than the road itself. Went in for a service and came back with more faults then it went in with.The hand brake kept coming on as I was driving which was quite scary as another car could of easily crashed in to my behind. Rear seats broke twice. First time they fixed it but took them 7 weeks now the other one broke they’r saying it’s neglect an won’t sort it. Jet washers broke twice. Boot wouldn’t shut or lock that been fixed twice. petrol door wont open without pulling it open. Reving loudly and preformance really sluggish but when it went in then said it was nothing. The latest was a frozen pump so they said, which they say made the engine go bang and they were trying to bill me for at more than 3 grand, what a joke. Now it turned out after more investigation it was the head an not my fault and they have had it now a whole 4 weeks and not even started it. I have never driven such a heap of junk. I would never touch another Citreon. I went fot this car as we are a family of 6 and needed a boot space for a wheel chair and double buggy. Luckily this car goes back in a few months and I will be buying my own car after this. looking at a Toyota Previa, they seem a safer option - Stressed Out from England

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.8 VTR 2008

First the good news: We have the vehicle on a 2 year lease and it is going back in January 2010. The bad news? Everything else. I cannot be positive about this car, however much I try. Lots of other options on the market, I wish I had looked at more before ordering.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6 HDI VTR PLUS 2007

At the moment I am unable to give this car a true star rating! Why? - read on ..... As of Friday evening we were attending a friends party - myself and our two children (aged 10 and 2) got out of the car and waited for my husband to find a parking space. Within minutes my husband had got out of the car, parked it but smelt burning - he checked the underneath of the car only to find that it was on fire! We rang the fire brigade and could only watch as the entire front of our Citroen C4 Grand Picasso went up in flames. I used to think this was a lovely car to drive but am wondering if with so many electrical mod cons that a fire could happen all too easily - although with most cars another hindrance has been the amount of plastic as the entire front of the car collapsed - with tyres, rims, bonnet etc all melting.

Responses to this review

Dear Lisa, same happened to me end of October 2010. If you don’t mind, would you email me on melissagw.davies@btinternet.com? Thanks - Melissa Davies-Wright from England

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6vtr+hdi 2008

Have had my Grand Picasso just over a year. In the last 2 months it has been back to the dealers 4 times. The parking brake activates whilst being driven bringing the car to a standstill, the dashboard lights up like a christmas tree warning me that the parking brake has failed, gearboke falure, low oil pressure etc, I could go on! The dealer has downloaded new software, replaced brake sensors and the fuse/relay board complete, but the problem still persists!!!!

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2.0 HDi Exclusive EGS 2008

You will see from my name that I am a fan of Landrover products. I replaced an ageing Range Rover with over 180,000 miles on the clock with a leased C4 Grand Picasso due to rising fuel costs and growing family. What a fatal error I made!! The C4 is great to ride in and use as a family car but that is where it stops. The engineering is very poor, in 2 years and 25,000 miles it have been recovered on a lorry 3 times! 1st time some oil was pouring out of the rear end, something to do with the exhaust dosing system and the particle filter. 2nd time hand break locked on. 3rd time total and complete gearbox failure. The EGS box is not sorted and doesn’t work. When approaching a junction if you role up to it and put your foot down to the floor to pull away nothing happens! You just role under no power out into the traffic, deadly !! you have been warned. The gear box judders on pull away and slips between changes like mad. I have had it back to the dealer twice for this problem and been told that they have downloaded some new software and fixed it. Well I have news for Mr Citroen, you didn’t and today it finally went bang. So RAC back to the dealer with a big sign saying I told you so stuck to the dash board. The moral of this story, buy another Range Rover at least it doesn’t get stuck in the fields on the farm! Verdict, in case it isn’t clear, the worst car I have ever had the misfortune to drive.

Responses to this review

Hi Landroverman, sorry to hear of your troubles, I bought one a few months back and realised that this is the mistake of my life. Never driven such a poor quality built car in my life. Nothing is good about it. It’s unfair to say that - there is one thing it is good at and this is the petrol consumption. Don’t expect support from Citroen UK when it comes to the warranty thing. Thanks - Davey Premsing from Lincolnshire

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso vtr+ 2008

Although price is king, when looking at the ’budget’ end of the market, sometimes you get what you pay for. Having had a contract hire deal on a Peugeot 407 SW, I was looking for something more spacious and cheaper to run. The C4 GP is a delight. Easier to drive than the 407 ( the 407’s turning circle is abysmal), much, much better on fuel and for a 1.6 diesel packs as much punch as the 407 2 litre hdi. I have always had 2 litre plus engined cars so was a bit wary of getting the 1.6 Citroen, but it is really good, not boy racer stuff but perfectly respectable. With it averaging 43 around town and 45-ish on the motorway (not exactly sparing the horses), you could easily get 50 plus if you stick to 70, it is great on consumption. We haven’t used the 7 seats much but they work very easily. On the minus side, the plastic boot casing, backs of seats etc, is breakable, if you get the seat belt caught in it and try to put the seats back up (it would not have happened on my old BMW 525) but apart from that it is well worth the lease fee. P

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6 hdi VTR+ 2008

I have had this car for over a year now and it has served me well, it has never let me down and is a pleasure to drive. The EGS gearbox took a little time to get used to but once you get the hang of it it works brilliantly. In full auto mode it never skips a beat and is silky smooth, (it can be a little jerky if you are a little heavy with your right foot ) but its not a sports saloon. My vehicle has now covered over 12000 miles we have travelled through France and Spain in it and it was very economical. I would not hesitate in recommending this vehicle to anyone.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6 HDI EGS VTR+ 2008

No problems with our C4 GP, it is comfortable, very economical and above all spacious enough to get the grandchildren and all their luggage in when they come to stay. The EGS is great around town or in traffic and coupled with the variable rate steering it makes for a very relaxed and easy car to drive. I do wonder at some of the reviews I read about the C4GP before I bought one, why it is said to suffer from body roll when pushed hard on twisty road’s... it isn’t a sports coupe but a very capable seven seater that has performed perfectly for us so far.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2.0 Diesel EGS + 2007

Having read lots of reviews on here I had to have my say - this car is brilliant. I have the EGS model and the gears smoothly change with no hassle. I have had this car just over a year and the only problem is the petrol cap has started to stick which apparently is a fault so I am awaiting instructions from Citroen. I have 2 children and the 7 seats help with trips with Grand parents etc. Without the 2 extra seats up its great for camping as we can fit everything in the boot.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso Exclusive 2007

Firstly, This is an AUTOMATIC CAR not Semi Auto as some might think. According to the DVLA the car is an Auto - You need group A on your licence to drive it. I got my C4 in Aug 07. And it has been the worst car I have had, but only for two reasons. 1. The EGS gearbox is rubbish, and you need to make sure that you change gear correctly otherwise you run the risk of getting clutch slip, and also flywheel damage. I can some of the posts on here are on cars with less than 5000 miles, maybe these people can repost after they reach this mileage and see if anything has changed? My car has had a failed tailgate switch, great with a car with 2 dogs locked in the boot in 35c. Rear brakes replaced at 3000 miles due to binding noise and clonking in reverse. This was an upgraded set of pads made specifically for the Grand Picasso only, they were released in April 2008 and as long as your car was under a year old and covered less than 4000 miles Citroen will replace with the new compound pads for free. The clutch started to slip on my Picasso around 3400 miles. Last week the Fire Service came out to cool it down as it caught fire on the driveway because the clutch had burnt out. And this has also damaged the flywheel. This is the second identical failure of this car as I have also found one with the same issues that was replaced by Citroen for free in Canterbury. My car is now in a dealer having a new clutch, flywheel and actuators as well as loads more software updates. I have been told that this might happen again in 5 or 6000 miles. And you want to buy one? You have been warned. The EGS is no good, it is poor in damp conditions because the micro processor that runs it gets effected by cold and damp. So if you get shudder when you pull away, go to a dealer and ask them to check it over, chances are the clutch is slipping. Go for the full auto or stick with the manual for the best car you can buy in its class. Without the EGS this car is incredible, but it is seriously bad as the problems cause you too many headaches.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2.0 HDI Exclusive EGS 2008

Owned it for 8 months & 5000 miles so far, despite what others have said nothing at all has gone wrong. EGS can be a little lurchy until you get used to it, and it still sometimes chooses the wrong ratio. But usually it’s brilliant and it gives much better MPG & lower emissions than standard automatics. So economy is pretty good for such a roomy car, 32-33 MPG around town 45 on motorway. Interior is an absolute pleasure to use, seats fold really easily, kids love all the features it feels unlike any other car which all seem boring in comparison.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2007

One star is being generous. I bought this car one year ago and have had nothing but trouble. The list of faults are endless - for example - engine needed to be replaced after 6 months due to unfixable oil leak; all the rear light clusters replaced due to water ingress; front braking system replaced due to a loud clunking noise whilst applying the brake in reverse; petrol cap mechanism replaced as the cap wouldn’t open from inside the car; gearbox removed and new actuator fitted as EGS system failed; dealer fitted a towbar and used the wrong wiring kit and had to go back to dealer three times to be fixed. There are more faults in this car but I don’t want to completely put you off buying one.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6HDi VTR+ egs 2008

Was concerned that the 1.6 engine would be lacking, but it is great. EGS gearbox is smooth when you get used to it, and easy to override even when in automatic mode. I travel a bit on the motorway so economy is 50mpg, coupled with the low tax bracket this is such an economic car. Best looking in its field (s-max comes close but way too expensive). No problems yet (only 2000 miles on clock).

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2008

You must be one of the lucky ones. My Citroen is only 1 month old and has received 3 down loads for the electronic gear shift and still to no avail and the sister car is the same. This is a common problem and Citroen are aware of such problems.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2.0 vtr+ Diesel 2007

Had this car 11 months, never missed a beat. Gearbox bit strange at first but now no problem. Returns 42mpg overall. Loads of storage space and seats extremely versatile. Drives well with one or 7 in but does not like high winds. Now owned more than 60 Citroen’s and it has been a pleasure to drive. May go for the 5 seater next as I don’t need a 7 seater.

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 2.0 hdi vtr egs 2008

Having read several bad comments about the electronic gearbox on this car, I was quite concerned that I would be disappointed. How wrong can people be?-The gearbox is the smoothest thing since Guinness! I can only think that the bad comments have been left by people who can't drive! The car is already giving 45 mpg, with less than 1000 miles on it, so it's not yet even run in and is getting better all the time. As stated earlier, the gearbox is superb, even in auto mode, which can be over ridden at any time using the paddles and has not missed a beat. I've owned several "people carriers", from most main line manufacturers and this is definitely the best! My family love it and the standard features are nearly all "extras" on other cars (particularly, my previous favourite, the Zafira)-This knocks the Vauxhall into a cocked hat! Don't worry whether you'll like it,-If you can drive-You'll LOVE IT!

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso Grand Picasso 2007

Put one as you can’t put 0 stars. Have owned a grand picasso diesel with automatic gear box for less than 48 hours, and already it’s in the garage. The parking break failing and ESP failing as well as service lights went on, car immobilized, one day sat at the dealer’s, had to take bus home as waranty only kicks in after so many hours, so had to go and get rent a car 25 km from home at night. Was enjoying it untill then, wish I had bought Volkwagen.......................... How can Citroen sell defective cars like so ??????????????????

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6 HDi SX 5dr 2007

Brilliant car. We have 2 kids and a Welsh border collie and have plenty of space for all three. Very good cabin layout and extremely comfortable. It also comes with Isofix, which is perfect for our 13 month old. Very economical to run and very easy to drive. Visibility is excellent and it handles like a much smaller car. My wife also feels confident driving this and she’s not a great lover of driving. Very quiet engine. All round excellent car.