Our cars: Grand C4 Picasso and Fiesta ST
Read the latest updates on the What Car? long-term test fleet. Our Grand C4 Picasso’s manual gearbox impresses its custodian, and the Fiesta ST goes camping – again...
Every day, we take a look at a few of the cars that we are living with. Today, it's the turn of the Citroen Grand C4 Picasso and Ford Fiesta ST.
Citroen Grand C4 Picasso
Context is very important. That may seem obvious in our line of work, comparing one car with another, but it’s something that car buyers often don’t get to experience.
Take our Grand C4 Picasso’s gearbox, for example. Compared with many other manual transmissions, it’s nothing to write home about. Sure, it’s reasonably light to move around, but slotting it into gear makes it feel decidedly notchy.
However, it’s a world away from my previous long-termer – the BMW 3 Series GT. In that car, the manual gearbox felt like it was from another decade. It was springy, stiff and transmitted far too much vibration from the engine to my fingertips.
So while the Citroen might not have the slickest shift in the business, it’s a much more comfortable proposition for me, which makes passing away all those miles that much more relaxing.
By John Bradshaw
John.Bradshaw@whatcar.com
Read all of our updates on life with our Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6 e-HDi.
In the car park
Group production editor Euan Doig takes the Ford Fiesta ST on its second ‘camping’ trip, and is delighted by its practicality and pace – not to mention an average of 36.3mpg.
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