Test Drive Citroen C3 Picasso since 2008 Hatchback

Citroen C3 Picasso: excursion bus

February 2010 Moscow-Minsk-Moscow

Four weekends are an excellent reason to neglect kilometers and rush into a small adventure. In the end, people who survive in daily Moscow traffic jams, 600-700 km in one end do not seem tedious distance.

Guided by these bold arguments, we decided to use holidays donated on February 23, and ride from Moscow to Minsk and back. Required car: Comfortable for long-range movements, not too voracious, preferably with cruise control, roomy interior and optimal trunk. In these criteria, the Citroen C3 Picasso Citroen C3, which began in Russia in Russia in Russia, was successfully fit. It's finally in favor of Citroen played a huge glass area: a large windshield provides a vertical overview of up to 27 degrees, and non-standard front desktop racks (in the power structure, there are racks located closer to the center, and the distance from the driver are made thin) do not block the overview when turning. Panoramic roof increases the scale of the glazing area to 4.52 square meters. m. The perfect option for the excursion car!


Moscow-Minsk, 700 km. Required car: Comfortable for long-range movements, not too voracious, preferably with cruise control, roomy interior and optimal trunk. In these criteria, the Citroen C3 Picasso compacted fit.

Such cars enjoy in Europe, not burdened with stereotypes, considerable popularity, but in Russia they are more cooled to them. And in vain. Compact Cube-shaped single-compliment, named after the great artist-Kubist Pablo Picasso, pleases the eyes clear and at the same time with soft lines and black contrast plastic moldings on the doors. The muzzle decorates the extensive black mouth of the air intake, and the stern is a black polished pad. Original and stylish optics, convex twilights of double chevron and a squeezed Picasso signature on the hood makes the image of a utilitarian and a relaxing car bold, fashionable and bright. For promotional promotion, a rich green color C3 Picasso was chosen, but the rest of the body shades is characterized by brightness.


Panoramic roof increases the scale of the glazing area to 4.52 square meters. M.

With the rear seats in C3 Picasso, you can shove baggage by 1,506 liters

Unfortunately, in a panoramic roof test machine, it has not been available only as an option. But without it, the visibility in the car is not inferior to the excursion buses: the windshield is like a helicopter. At the same time, despite visually compact external dimensions, in the cabin is spacious to a large extent due to the same notorious glazing.

The architecture of the dashboard seems to be created for those who spend a lot of time in the car. And if you have 8-10 hours of driving, then on a flat torpedo, like on a table, you can decompose phones, discs, chocolates, maps everything before your eyes and at hand. Inside the table compartment with a lid. In general, Picasso is a lot of pockets for things, there is also a special notch for parking cards. In our case, branches were more relevant on the road to Minsk, on the territory of Belarus, two PPCs of a paid road, a contribution twice in 20 rubles. Above the glove box of Niche, where the phone is asked, and the glove box itself is characterized by a capacity and depth.

Front panel design Pleasant: rounded silver edging air intakes, plastic soft and flat.

The most original element of the exterior of the instrument panel: it is located in the center. Under the visor hide the windows of the side computer and the radio, as well as the digital speedometer. The rear wall of the speedometer is transparent, which allows it to adapt the backlight to street lighting: at night the glow is muted. By the way, outside this window also looks original traffic cops constantly accomplished a look that sailing past Citroen with a luminous red-orange rectangle under the pubis.

Of the disadvantages of the ergonomics of the coil of the heating of the seat heating: they are not highlighted, and it is difficult to navigate without habits, in which direction it must be turned to turn on or off heating. While the temperature of the chair does not tell.

The driver's seat boasts a high bus planting. The optimal range of adjustments allows you to choose a suitable fit, and the convenient sequence profile does not fully tire in a long-scale road.

The crew of Citro will be pleased with the spacious rear seats, in particular the amount of free scene. Also, the rear seats have longitudinal adjustment.
The volume of the trunk will like the travelers: due to the vertical fifth door, the loading space is 500 liters under the rear shelf. With the rear seats in C3 Picasso, you can shove baggage by 1,506 liters.

So, on the road!
Red Citroen C3 Picasso (with a conventional roof) left Moscow on the night of February 22. The Minsk highway immediately covered the MKAD at the Moscow Ring Road, which did not stop until the border with Belorussia. Citroen perfectly showed himself in these extreme conditions, cheerfully holding the trajectory on the road with adhesive snow. In a couple of hours, the sort of stern fell in snow, leaving only a small window, cleaned by a frozen janitor. The only thing that highlights the car on the road is the rear fog.

Citizens of Russia for entry into Belarus are not needed. Kilometers 50 from the border on the roads are beginning to gligrate gazelles with an inscription Insurance, you can stay from any of them and acquire car insurance for movements through the territory of the republic. True, in our case, after the night blizzard, most of the insurance gazelle-offices did not work managers could not get to them.

Shortly before the border, we recommend referring to the Belarusian Belarus more expensive than in Russia, on average 30 rubles. As usual, the owner of Peugeot or Citroen on the refueling is not difficult: such a motorist holds a gas tank cap in his hands. Not too convenient system.

We pass the border (cars with Russian state numbers do not even stop) and find ourselves in Belarus. The rumor about the beautiful Belarusian roads was true: immediately after the border there is the first on the way to Minsk the PPC of the paid road, which must pay 20 Russian rubles, after which they enter the excellent track in two stripes in one direction.

The road after nighttling was already cleared, and new features of our companktva manifested themselves on a clean track. First, the side wind, which flew into a high car with the Belarusian fields, is quite tangible to the car, secondly, Citroen turned out to be quite noisy. But perfectly showed himself cruise control. Permitted speed of 120 km / h. It is easy to exhibit with a digital speedometer and install on a cruise. If desired, the specified speed can be enlarged and reduced by the keys, the car itself is adjusted for a new limit, and the driver's feet in the meantime can relax. The car is easily and comfortable on the road, without annoying passengers with disadvantages of the road surface.


Despite the fact that the body of the car was covered with wet mud, the glasses remained clean another bonus of the car.

On February 22, Minsk was overcast, but the roads remained clean and even dry. The parking sign is prohibited, as in Moscow, collects a dozen parked cars under him, but unlike the Tver Central Minskaya Street Avenue Avenue is not forced by machines, all rows are amazing for the city center of the city. Driving style from Moscow is not radically different, except that the pedestrians are more polite attitude. In traffic jams, I also did not happen, despite the weekday: the movement is though difficult in the evenings, but working.

Flat LED traffic lights are common in Minsk, which are clearly visible in the afternoon. With a non-burning green arrow, the section itself is highlighted in red, the presence of an additional section is noticeably afar.

We fell into the Belarusian capital just in the midst of the promotional promotion of the new C3 Picasso advertising with green compacttva, the whole city was hung.

New features of Citroen found out in the city rhythm. High landing in the city of undoubted plus. But the lack of informativeness of the clutch pedals and the accelerator disappointed. The transfer of the five-speed gearbox (French compacts are available only with mechanics) are included clearly, the gas pedal is distinguished by a long run. The 1.4-liter 95-strong motor provides dynamics only after 4,000 rpm. Slowly ride on the highway goes with a bang, the car is perfectly held by direct, and in the urban rhythm of acne and revolutions lacking.

The grip steering wheel gives pleasant tactile sensations, the steering is characterized by good informative. The suspension (front McPherson, the back semi-rigid beam), who pleased us comfort on the track, will not leave and turns into turns: the car, despite the tall body, is in the turn on a given trajectory almost not blunt.


Finally in favor of Citroen played a huge glazing area: a large windshield provides a vertical overview to 27 degrees. Non-standard front bond racks (in the power structure, there are racks located closer to the driver, and the long-distance droves are made thin) do not brake overview when turning. Perfect option for excursion car!

To the honor to say, in the very capital of the road is not ideal everywhere. On the central avenues and transport highways (in Minsk, by the way, there are also MKAD, as well as its transport rings) the coating is excellent, but mud and pit can be found on the side streets.

The city itself is very bright and clean. He simultaneously resembles European capitals, only in the O-O-very spacious scale, and Stalin's Moscow, embezzled with cute architectural frills. From the attractions worth seeing a city town hall of the snow-white building ensemble, the National Library (on the roof of the observation deck), on the walls of which the laser show, the Palace of the Republic, the Victory Square is played in Minsk and their TSUM as if transferred from the Soviet University of the department store.

Minsk hospitable city, everyone speaks Russian perfectly. The inscriptions are found both in Russian and in Belarusian.

February 23 Minsk decided to celebrate the blue sky and spring sunlight. And it's time for us to move back to Moscow

The road home, as usual, turned out to be faster and easier not to a small extent due to the weather. Slightly detained the border: the wagons are built into the multi-kilometer queue, and under the silent blessing of road traffic police officers, passenger cars are carefully made through the opposite. And, of course, at the entrance to Moscow we were waiting for the usual Moscow traffic jams

For three days we managed to study Citroen C3 Picasso in different modes and conditions. Despite certain disadvantages, somehow: the non-informative and long-time pedal of the accelerator, mediocre noise insulation, lethargy on low revs, the car as a whole produces a very good impression. It is pleasant and comfortable to go along the uneven track, exposing the desired speed on the cruise; Move in the city stream, slitted by a clear lever of the PPC; Without sports amart, but predictable and without unnecessary rolls to enter turns. In the rear seat, two passengers will be happy and there will be a long way there will be a long way, while things will easily fit into the trunk on four, as well as the jack of non-freezers in the road. Citroen appetite is optimal for large runs and urban traffic jams.

Citroen C3 Picasso comes to Russia with 4-cylinder gasoline motors of 1.4 and 1.6 liters with a capacity of 95 and 115 hp and a 5-speed manual gearbox. Perhaps the fact that cars are not equipped to choose from automatic transmission, for Russia is an annoying, but tolerant disadvantage. But the basic price of 499,000 rubles is definitely plus.

The Russian Citroen C3 Picasso market comes in three levels of equipment: Classique, Confort and Exclusive. Basic Classique with a 1.4-liter motor, electric power steering, central locking, frontal airbags, front windows and electrically regulating mirrors costs 499,000 rubles. Surcharge for a more powerful 115-strong motor (from configuration configuration) is 21 500 rubles.



Top Citroen C3 Picasso Exclusive with an engine of 1.6 liters, front fonts, decorative front bumper linings, additional discontinuities in the cabin, heated front seats, 2-zone climate control, full of electric car, parking sensors and electric mirrors are offered for 624,500 rubles. The cost of additional equipment can reach 134,000 rubles.

Svetlana Aleeva

pros
Comfortable suspension
Large glazing area and excellent visibility
Clear job gear
Price
       
Minuses
Noise insulation
Uninformative clutch and accelerator pedals
Lack of automatic transmission
       
Price of the tested car - from 499,000 rubles

 

A source: Carclub.ru.