CITROËN C3 PICASSO MPV READER REVIEWS

My car

My last car was a BMW, so not being able to stretch the budget and BMW not offering a similar model I decided on the Citroen.

So far My wife and I are extremely pleased with the car. It offers everything we need, all the toys except sat nav, that's an extra I don't need. We have only done 1600 miles so far the fuel consumption over this mileage has been 36.3 mpg, with 49.6 on the motorway on a 200 mile run. It is very comfortable, quiet there is not the wind noise spoken about in the What Car Review, perhaps the build quality has been adjusted. I am impressed with many thoughtful features the The makers have added. But most of all I was impressed with the Citroen dealer we bought the car from. Nothing was to much trouble, like tuning the radio to my favourite stations before delivery. On delivery the car was in the showroom with a large red cover over it and the salesman spent half an hour going over the controls and tuning my phone into the Bluetooth. All in all I have bought many new cars over the years so far this is by far the best buying experience I have had.

My car

Attracted by its funky looks and space (we have two dogs) but felt £14500 for a new 1.6 HDi VTR+ was too much. We paid £7500 for a mint 3-yr-old ex-Motability car from the supplying dealership (inc new MoT, full service, 2 yrs extra warranty).

3000 miles and two months on, we're well pleased. Very good fuel economy (a key factor for us) - 550-600 miles on a tankful, depending on conditions. The car cruises happily at 1500rpm at country A-road speeds, it's fairly refined up to about 80mph, and acceleration is more than adequate. The controls are light but positive, steering effort is minimal at low speeds, with a tight lock that makes parking easy. Ride is good on all but very poor surfaces; it's not as 'floaty' as some Citroens.

Driving position is high and all-round vision excellent (at five foot nothing I've a problem with low driving positions in some cars). Seats are comfortable even on longer journeys. The big fascia-mounted speedo and electronic display are great - no excuses for speeding now!

Running costs are reasonable so far - insurance was slightly more than our old Hyundai Getz, road tax is £100 (newer models are cleaner, apparently, with £30/year tax). Servicing will be done by an independent garage; £250 for a 25000-mile service at a Citroen dealer seems high. Tyres are a bit pricey, with original-fit fuel-saver Michelins £100+ each!

Minor niggles: some slightly flimsy plastic mouldings; tiny glovebox; inadequate CD storage; radio reception is only s