Citroen C3 Picasso 1.6 HDI VTR+.

Nov 20 2009 Jonathan Smith

DO you want to have some fun and maybe put a smile or two on friends' faces? Well, you don't have to spend a fortune to do so.

I've been behind the wheel of one of the most practical small cars in the worldand it's also one of the funkiest and a good drive, too.

The latest in the line of Citroen Picassos is also the best. Its no-nonsense, boxy shape may be dictated by the need to maximise space, but the detail work with bulbous headlights, protruding tail-lights and panoramic glass roof mark it out from the crowd.

What's more, although it's far from fast, its super-direct steering and magic carpet ride make it a pleasure to drive.

In the C3 Picasso, Citroen has drawn upon its rich heritage of advanced small cars that have managed to combine family-friendly cabins with the sort of style you'd expect only to find in far more expensive machinery.

Models like the 2CV, Ami and the larger DS really put the French marque on the map and it's good to see the French company returning to original values instead of trying to emulate successful German rivals in producing less adventurous models.

The version I drove was the anticipated best seller, the £13,695 1.6 HDi VTR+ which, like most of its rivals gets a diesel engine.

With a mere 90bhp to haul a not inconsiderable amount of metal, five doors and a possible five people aboard, the performance is somewhat short of electric - 62mph in 13.4 seconds and a top speed of 107mph are hardly drag strip statistics. But the sweet-sounding diesel's flexibility helps in making the best of the resources and I seldom found the lack of horsepower a problem.

The cabin is a visual treat with its large, oval pod on top of the dash containing speedo, rev counter and fuel gauge plus other vital info. It is well placed and in direct line of the driver's view of the road.

The fascia materials are of high quality and there's an attention to detail in the grained plastic and soft-touch textures that is more common in prestige saloons. More bright colours and fewer shades of grey would be appreciated though, in a car that's fun as well as practical.

MPVs - even mini ones like this - have to maximise space and the Picasso does just that. With the rear seats in place there's almost 400 litres of cargo room and when folded this grows to more than 1,500 litres. The tall stance means that passengers sit fairly erect allowing loads of leg and headroom. There's a drawer beneath the front passenger seat, the rear seats slide and recline.

Even with five on board, the environment feels spacious and uncluttered with a pleasant airy atomosphere. Worked hard, you can expect to squeeze around the mid-forties out of the 1.6-litre engine although the official combined figure is 60mpg. The HDi comes with a five speed gearbox which is a bit on the vague side and needs some stirring when fully loaded.

Citroen has delivered just about everything a young family looking for a small MPV would wantand some more besides.

FAST FACTS

Citroen C3 Picasso 1.6 HDI VTR+

Price: £13,695

Mechanical: 89bhp, 1,600cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 5-speed manual gearbox.

Max speed: 107mph

0-62mph: 13.4 seconds

Combined mpg: 60.1

Insurance group: 4

C02 emissions: 125g/km

BiK rating: 18%

Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles