First look: Citroen's Picasso stoops to C3 level

WITHIN hours of revealing its facelifted C4 hatch, Citroen has released first images and details of its surprising new C3 Picasso - three months ahead of its global public premiere at the Paris motor show in October.

Due on sale in the UK in mid-2009 and under consideration for sale in Australia around the same time, the C4 Picasso’s all-new C3-based smaller sibling is a boxy but contemporary take on the mini people-mover concept from Europe’s top-selling MPV brand.

Citroen says comfort and practicality are the newest Picasso’s strengths, along with “an intrepid personality, spacious interior, intuitive layout and nimble road manners”.

The compact five-seater wagon measures 4080mm long, 1730mm wide and 1620mm high and its “deceptively spacious” modular interior features independently sliding split/folding rear seats that can be folded away “in one effortless motion” via simple seatback-mounted controls.

A moveable boot floor makes for a flat load space behind the front seatbacks and the front passenger seat can be folded fully flat to increase loading length and double as a table top.

The C3 Picasso features the same trademark three-piece windscreen as the C4 Picasso and the Xsara Picasso before it, which is said to provide its high-riding passengers are commanding view of their surrounds.

Citroen says its all-new people-mover entrant will be powered in Europe by two new petrol engines in the 50kW VTi and 90kW VTi, plus two diesel engines - the 67kW HDi and 82kW HDi.