Used Citroën Grand C4 Picasso 2007-2013 review

According to experts, it can cost up to £10,400 a year (including child care costs) to raise a child in the UK to the age of 18. And that’s before we consider driving school fees, helping out with further education and, of course, the odd bit of furniture in their first home. Happily, you can save some money by buying an inexpensive used MPV such as the Citroën Grand C4 Picasso, because early examples can be found for under £1000.

However, the Grand C4 Picasso doesn’t just have value on its side. It has enough space inside for seven seats, but its innovative design along with a vast number of hidden storage compartments means it’s great to live with. There are numerous petrol and diesel options available to suit all budgets: the 127bhp 1.8-litre petrol and 109bhp 1.6-litre diesel being the two most prevalent engines on the second-hand market.

The Grand C4 Picasso is almost identical to the smaller C4 Picasso, but the Grand is a bit longer and can, therefore, accommodate an extra row of seats in the back. Five adults can sit in comfort, but the back two are a bit of a squeeze, and certainly won’t take a child seat. The middle bench comes with three Isofix points and can slide forward and backwards to maximise leg room or extend the boot space. The third row of seats is quick and easy to fold into place, and there's still a bit of space for luggage when they're in use.

For an MPV, it's good to drive, with a soft ride that copes well with bumps. It does lean a little through corners, and the steering could do with more feel. The large windows give good visibility and allow children to be able to see what’s going on, which should help limit motion sickness. There is a fair amount of wind noise, though.

Standard equipment on the base model LX is a bit stingy with only cruise control, heated door mirrors and electric front windows. You’ll need an SX model to get air conditioning and VTR for smart-looking alloy wheels. Later VTR+ models got parking sensors. The top-of-the-range Exclusive has dual-zone climate control, more comfortable seats with lumbar support, and pneumatic rear suspension that maintains the vehicle’s ride height when fully loaded and can also lower the car to assist when loading heavy items.

Early examples can be found for a few hundred pounds now, but they’ll often be high-mileage examples or cars with numerous issues. Spend between £2000-£2500 to find something with a full-service history that has covered less than 100,000 miles. You’ll find many tidy examples of a pre-facelift Grand C4 Picasso with below-average mileage for £3500.

A decent post-facelift car from 2011 onwards will set you back a little over £4500. If you want to plump for one of the very last examples from 2013, set aside about £8500 for a Grand C4 Picasso with 20,000-30,000 miles on the clock.

Check the value of a used Citroën Grand C4 with What Car? Valuations

The 1.6 and 2.0-litre diesel engines are the most fuel-efficient Grand C4 Picassos available, with NEDC figures of 53.3mpg and 49.6mpg respectively. The 118bhp 1.6 VTi petrol engine is slightly more frugal, at 37.7mpg, than either the 127bhp 1.8 or 143bhp 2.0-litre petrols, which both return an economy figure 35.3mpg.

Insurance bills should be competitive with rivals, although repair costs from even low-speed accidents can begin to mount up. The insurance industry's research centre, Thatcham, believes that a 6mph shunt to either end could result in a repair bill of over £1300.

The Picasso will cost more to service than rivals such as the Ford S-Max. A 10,000-mile/12-month minor service at a Citroën main dealer costs £179, while a major 24-month/20,000-mile service is £299.

A diesel engine makes the most sense in a car of this size, due to their economy and pulling power. We find that the 108bhp 1.6-litre diesel suits the car best because the 138bhp 2.0 version isn’t vastly better. If you want a petrol-powered Grand C4 Picasso, then choose between the 1.8- and 2.0-litre engines. We'd go for the former because it's not much slower than the latter.

Stretch your budget, if possible, and avoid the entry-level LX model. It's sparsely equipped and doesn't even have air-con. The SX is a much better bet, but the VTR+ gets alloy wheels and rear electric windows and therefore looks a lot smarter. The Exclusive has climate control and parking sensors but isn’t necessarily worth the extra cost.

The manual gearbox may be clunky and vague, but it is likely to be more dependable than the EGS option, so you might as well stick with a traditional manual.

Our favourite Citroën Grand C4 Picasso: 1.6 HDi VTR+ manual

Big seven-seat MPVs have been falling in popularity of late, with customers defecting to trendy SUVs instead. However, the Ford S-Max and Galaxy still offer bigger families practical seven-seat motoring without you having to resort to something with a high ride height or four-wheel drive. The S-Max is the sportier of the two, with the more squared-off design of the Galaxy offering the most interior versatility.

If you don’t wish to spend quite as much, then take a look at the Renault Grand Scenic. It’s not much cop to drive, but it is very safe, has plenty of oddments storage and a range of very economical diesel engines.

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? Newsletter here