Citroën C4 Grand Picasso HDi and Peugeot 5008 HDi, comparison (part II)

We continue with this unusual comparison between the Citroën C4 Grand Picasso and the Peugeot 5008. We have tested both models with diesel engines: in the case of the Citroën, a 2.0 HDi with 138 CV and semi-automatic gearbox, while the Peugeot was fitted with a 1.6 HDi with 110 CV.

Both engines are available across the range of the two models, but we found a small difference in maximum diesel power, because the Peugeot 5008 can be equipped with the 163 CV HDi, an engine that is not available on the C4 Grand Picasso.

If you want to know more about the engines and the behaviour of both models, you can read the first part of the test, where we detail all the information on these MPVs and their respective HDi units. But without a doubt the biggest differences between the two are in the styling and design, both exterior and interior. And that is precisely what we will cover in the second part of the test.

Exterior design

As soon as we talk about exterior design, I have to start with the C4 Grand Picasso, because although our unit had only been with us a short time, the new facelift of the model is already available on the market, which affects the front with new LED daytime running lights and a few other small changes, such as the option of two-tone exterior paint.

Returning to our two protagonists in this comparison, despite the changes, the Citroën still keeps a more familiar and established design within the segment, where we can highlight more innovative cut lines that move away from the traditional. Meanwhile, the Peugeot is a newcomer to the MPV market, and that always works in its favour, but when it comes to styling details we are entering the realm of personal taste, since the lion has a more traditional design.

In the case of the C4 Grand Picasso, being the Exclusive version, it had steerable xenon headlights, which offered good illumination, and both had a panoramic sunroof that provides a great deal of interior brightness.

Interior design, habitability and boot

In the interior we again find considerable differences between the two models. In the case of the Citroën we see the typical driving position with avant-garde and futuristic touches, with a centred digital instrument cluster. The steering wheel has a fixed centre, with a bank of buttons that you don’t take long to get used to, and as a curiosity, there are two of them that can be configured to our liking within certain parameters, for example so that pressing them switches on the vehicle’s interior lights.

As there is no centre console and the gear lever is raised, there is ample space between the two front seats (for size and comfort, they can’t really be called seats). Behind the wheel, the C4 Grand Picasso feels spacious, with a good driving position and very comfortable seats that provide good support for the body.

When we get behind the wheel of the 5008, we find a more traditional interior with the raised centre console, which confines you a lot more than in the C4 Grand Picasso, but with the typical instrumentation and dashboard in the style of the 3008. The gear lever is positioned high, which makes it easy to use, and taking advantage of the large dimensions of the centre console, it has a glovebox where a 1.5-litre water bottle fits perfectly.

Also worth highlighting in the 5008 is a feature debuted by the 3008: the head-up display, which projects information on speed, cruise control or speed limiter, and distance to the vehicle ahead, onto the windscreen. It is a very practical element because it lets you monitor your speed at all times without taking your eyes off the road.

As for space in the rear seats, both are even in this respect, since the seating system is the same for both models, so the seven seats both offer work in exactly the same way. Both also have independent rear climate control with adjustable airflow, a detail that is essential in an MPV of this kind.

The comfort of its individual rear seats is noteworthy, where three adults can travel comfortably. The third row of seats has fairly easy access, and these seats can get you out of a fix at any time, being perfectly suitable for an adult and quick and simple to set up.

A good MPV is not measured only by its interior space or the comfort of its seats, but also by the different solutions it offers for stowing our belongings, and in this area the Citroën has the advantage, since it offers more storage solutions than the 5008. In the C4 Grand Picasso there are several glovebox compartments on the dashboard, various cubbies, large door pockets, and even a storage compartment in the floor between the rear seats.

The 5008 shares some glovebox compartments and cubbies with its French sibling, but it is at a disadvantage in some typical MPV storage solutions and has a few fewer cubbies. Finally, the boot has a capacity of 576 litres in the Citroën and 579 litres in the 5008 with the second row of seats in place, and both have the practical little light that serves as the boot lamp.

After looking at the interiors and the differences between the two, in the third part of the test we will focus on equipment, prices and our overall assessment of our two MPVs in this comparison.

Photos | David Taboada