2016 Citroën Picasso: Private Fleet Car Review
Citroën first released the Picasso in 2009 and have released two updated models in 2015, the Picasso (five seater) and Grand Picasso (seven seater). Rebodied, revamped, and re-engined, A Wheel Thing wonders why there’s not more of them on the road.
The version tested, the five seat version, came with a 1.6 litre tubo four, with peak power of 121 kilowatts, albeit at a high 6000 rpm. What’s important is the torques, all 240 of ’em, at 1400 rpm, driving a six speed auto. It endows the the Picasso with useable driveability, just what you need in a five seater family mover. It’s fitted with Stop/Star tech, which is a thing that doesn’t really float A Wheel Thing’s boat, as it has a tendency to add a vital second to getting the car under way. 
What Citroën says it does is give the Picasso a 5.6L per 100 kilometre fuel economy (combined cycle). The gearbox itself is slick, shifting smoothly under light load and giving a sportsman like performance when pushed. The downside? Where the selector lever has been placed. Think old style column shift where the lever was on the dash and that’s where Citroën have placed it. It’s on the upper right quadrant of the steering wheel mounted dash (the actual driver’s binnacle is centre mounted) and when moving the lever for the wipers it was all too easy to hit the gear selector as well.
It’s a pretty interior, it must be said. It’s light, bright, airy, spacy, with a cool mix of black and beige leather, an option over the standard black and grey cloth or the other optional black cloth/grey leather. Don’t think it doesn’t look good because the dreaded word “beige” is mentioned, because it suits the car admirably.
The driver and passenger seats have fold out tables in the back (part of the “Lounge” option pack), along with a cargo net storage section below, and there’s massage functions fitted as well. Yes, they work, but wouldn’t be advised for tired drivers. The rear seats are individually mounted, allowing superb personalisation and flexibility.
Citroën being Citroën, they throw in a quirk or two and it’s the location of the dash display. It’s in the centre of the dash, and is a LCD screen of 12 inches in size. It’s a touch screen, housing satnav, information such as guidelines when reversing, an unusual look in that there’s an almost window pane style at times and, thankfully, it all works well. Just underneath is a seven inch screen, housing the audio and thankfully again, there’s DAB or digital radio. I say thankfully because the range of stations you suddenly find yourself presented with makes for an interesting drive when cycling through all the options for tunes…
The Picasso also gets a full glass roof. It adds to the feeling of spaciousness and adds an extra element to the ambience when it’s raining. There’s a translucent material that rolls back and forth at the touch of a roof mounted jog dial, giving wannabe pilots a semblance of being in a cabin by reaching up, instead of pressing a dash button.
Outside, the Picasso draws clear design cues from the C4 upon which it is based. There’s a huge glass area all around, including ahead of the driver and passenger to the right and left. There’s a bluff nose which transmutes quickly into a steeply sloping windscreen and a curvaceous roofline that tapers, when seen from above, towards the tail in an almost teardrop line. It’d stylish, chic and lends the Picasso to having a real visual presence. The LED running lights sited above the headlights enhance that further, as do the LED tail lights in the powered tailgate.
Citroën have done a sensational job in the packaging; the Picasso is just 4428 mm in total length, rolls on a 2785 mm wheelbase (and 205/55/17s as standard, with 225/45/18s as an option) plus has a rear overhang of 764 mm from the rear axle line, providing 630 litres of cargo that increases to 1851 when all seats are flat. Speaking of seats, the headrests shy away from the tradition flat pack cushion style, instead opting for a sports seats style, wrapping around the noggin.
One of the joyous things about the Picasso is its ride. Naturally biased towards comfort, it’s nevertheless not so soft that it ever feels spongy or wallowy. It’s in fact quite the opposite, with a suspension tune that somehow almost seems sporty without the tight and taut characteristics. You can hustle the Picasso around as if it’s a smaller and more nimble car without it feeling as if it’s top heavy. You can press the go pedal and have only a moment’s hesitation before you get under way and the brakes are the same, with just a touch of travel at the top of the pedal before it tells you the grip is gentle and will tighten the harder you press. Hit a bump and there’s a fall and rise and settle, there’s no ongoing movement but an acknowledgement of an intrusion that is dispatched immediately.
At The End Of The Drive.
At the time of writing, November 2016, there’s a driveaway price of $39990, identical to a price in 2010 when A Wheel Thing was also a vehicle salesman. Then it was good value, but with the complimentary Tech Pack which is worth a cool five thousand large, (Xenon headlights, Electric tailgate, Adaptive cruise control, Electrochrome rear view mirror, Lane departure warning, Smart beam function, Collision avoidance alert and Active seat belts) it’s sensational value now. With room aplenty, a poky engine and a fluid chassis, it really is a wonder why there’s not more of the Picassos around.
For more info, a pricing calculator and a test drive link, go here: 2016 Citroen Picasso
2017 Suzuki Baleno GLX Turbo: Private Fleet Car Review.
Suzuki has brought back a name from the past, the Baleno, and there’s two models to play with. The GL and GLX Turbo are what you can buy. A Wheel Thing took home the GLX Turbo.
Both models are physically identical in dimensions, with a compact 3995 mm overall length. Inside that is a 2520 mm wheelbase, providing a spacious cabin and an engine bay to hold the 1.0L Boosterjet turbo three cylinder engine. Yep, a turboed three potter. It’s got an unusual and engaging thrum, this little banger, pumping out a handy 82 kilowatts at 5500 rpm. More impressively, there’s 160 torques from 1500 through to 4000, via a six speed auto and will haul the 975 kg (kerb) charmer along without stress. Along the way, it’ll average a nice 5.2L per 100 km from the 37 litre tank.
The Baleno GLX Turbo’s strength is that engine. It’s a delight to listen to and begs to be revved hard on the freeways. Around town it’s flexible, willing, and responsive to the questions a driver asks. The auto is slightly less compliant, with some hesitation on upchanges. It’ll also hold ratios on downhill runs and will willingly slip from sixth to fifth to fourth before staying there without any driver involvement. Oddly, there’s no manual mode and, as a result, no steering column paddle shifts.
The interior is the weak point of what could and should be a sporty themed car, given the verve of the engine. Flat, slabby, unsupportive seats, cheap and tacky looking silvered plastic trim and lurid red backlighting contrast with the cobalt blue dash lighting on a 4.2 inch LCD screen and the almost coronal look the dials have with that lighting. Although the switchgear is reasonably laid out, the low budget look for the interior disappoints.
There’s also far too much road noise from the 185/55/16 rubber, regardless of road surface. The smoothest roads have the noise level as marginal at best, and coarse chip roads make radio listening and cabin conversations almost impossible. Again, given the aural appeal of the three banger and the sheer enjoyment in the drive of it that the engine imbues, it’s a disappointment.
To sharpen the edge, Suzuki do offer a good range of standard equipment, including dusk sensing HID projector headlights, Hill Hold Control, satnav via a touchscreen, voice command and Apple CarPlay. CD Player? Why, no sir, get with the times, as today’s modern lad or ladette stream music via Bluetooth. The touchscreen is the same as found in the Vitara, for example, and it’s a simple, easy, intuitive setup. The leather clad steerer has a good heft and feel, houses Bluetooth and cruise, plus has a quick enough steering rack ratio to imbue enough of a sporty feel that it backs up the driveline and chassis.
It’s a tried and true combo, the MacPherson strut/torsion beam mix. The spring rates are such that there’s minimal body roll, a generous level of compliance and comfort tuned in, an easily controllable amount of understeer in a sharp turn by using the throttle judiciously, feathering power into the front wheels. But to give the Baleno GLX its head is a delight; that throaty warble from the three cylinder matches up with the surprising acceleration, combining to delight the senses and the soul of a true driver. It’ll hunker down, it feels, and exhibit some handling traits that are engaging and, frankly, fun to have.
Outside, the Baleno both harkens back to the original and brings along its own sense of style. A smooth, fluidic, and elegant profile hides a sensible and usable 355 litres of cargo (with a space saver spare) that increases to 756 Lwhen you fold the rear pews. With a smooth mix of angles and curves at the front, including DRLs whilst the rear also tags the memory with largish tail lights it’s an attractive looking prospect.
Inside and out you’ll find six airbags (both cars miss out on a seemingly mandatory nowadays kneebag), Electronic Stability Control (that’s well balanced with only the occasional feel of the electronics tugging the car back into line), keyless Start/Stop and reverse camera as standard. However, there’s no rain sensing wipers nor, surprisingly, do you get parking sensors, front or rear.
It’s surprising how much room Suzuki have engineered in, given the compact size. It’s under four metres in length (3995 mm), has an overall width of 1745 mm and rolls on a 2520 mm wheelbase. Although Suzuki haven’t quoted interior dimensions, be assured that for four adults it’s fine.
At The End Of The Drive.
Suzuki’s badly needed renaissance continues with the dual Baleno range and the GLX Turbo stands as an example of how the brand has reinvented itself so successfully. Against competitors such as the Cerato, i30 or Corolla, it’s better than a worthy contender as a driver’s car. However, the ride noise and the iffish interior (except for that eyecatching dash dial colour mix) unfortunately bring the Baleno’s overall allure down a notch. A three year/100K kiloemtre warranty is also standard but also behind some competitors. However, the range does start at $16990 driveaway and thats definitely worthy of checking out.For more info and to book a test drive, go here:2016 Suzuki Baleno range and info
Contact Private Fleet to see what we can do for you on price.
A Few Biofuel Myths Busted
Tons of research is being done in the area of producing biofuels, even if you might not know this when you go to fill up your vehicle. Heck, there’s whole scientific journals – several of them, in fact – dedicated to researching biofuels. A lot of them cover obscure and hard to understand topics, like research to find particular bacteria that are capable of breaking down wood mass so it can be turned into ethanol, but someone’s got to do all the fiddly research if we want something sustainable to put into our cars.
Nevertheless, there are still quite a lot of misconceptions out there to do with biofuels. Biofuels Association Australia, among other people, are doing their bit to educate the public and expose these myths for what they are. Some of these things might have been true in the past but all that research has changed things – but general thinking doesn’t seem to have caught up.
Private Fleet Car Review: 2016 Peugeot 2008 Outdoor Diesel Manual
Peugeot’s 2008 kicks off a month of French chic at A Wheel Thing, with the Citroen Picasso, Peugeot 308 GTi and the 508 sedan pencilled in as well.
The 2008 is a small to mid sized SUV, with a diesel and an unexpected five speed manual. Unexpected in that it was a manual and unexpected in that it was “just” a five speed, not six. It’s here that mentioning it’s a three level range and the manual is the TOP of the range (the other two are the Active and Allure) puts this into a different perspective. Power from the 1.6 litre capacity engine isn’t bad, at 68 kilowatts, but there’s a wealth of torque, with 230 of them at 1750. Redline for the Outdoor starts at 4500 and it feels like that torque runs through to 4000.
That’s why the surprise at just five cogs, not six, as there’s enough twist to deal with an appropriately geared extra ratio. Whatever Peugeot’s reason, you can’t fault that the five do a good job on economy. Peugeot quotes a combined figure of 4.0L per 100 kilometres and just 3.6L of the good oil for every 100 klicks out on the highway. Around town, it’s still frugal, sipping 4.6L/100 km. Tank size? 50 litres, so, theoretically, Sydney to Melbourne or Sydney to Brisbane on a tank and then some.
It’s also very refined, with barely a chatter under load and almost imperceptible when not. Even when punted hard from standstill, the characteristic noise expected was muted. It’ll pull nicely, with those five ratios well spread and matched with a well balanced clutch & pick up point, offers the driver a joyful experience. But if you’re expecting a rocketship, forget it, as an 11.5 second run to the century is….leisurely, at best.
The 2008 Outdoor also rides, as you’d expect, pretty well and handles, as you’d expect, pretty well. There is a notable measure of understeer, as if the steering rack ratio needs some tightening up It’s also slightly numb on centre and never feels as if the turn you do is quite enough to pull the nose around as tight as you expect. As a package it’s liveable with, as it’s firm without being excessively taut, compliant without excessive softness and barrels over the usual speedhumps and bumps with only minimal intrusion, thanks to a torsion bar rear and Macpherson strut front.
It’s not a terrible place to be either, inside the 2008 Outdoor. It’s a mostly ergonomic dash but the dials placed above the rim of the tiller takes some getting used to.
The overall look is of high quality, easy to use buttons, plus a lack of reflection of the plastic in the windscreen is a pleasant bonus. There’s some silver/chrome trim that does catch the sun and reflect into eyes to deal with however. The dash design itself is a smooth curve, both into the binnacle directly ahead of the driver and to the downwards curve of the centre console housing the touchscreen (housing DAB, satnav and music streaming), centre vents, and aircon controls. 
You’ll also get a dial to change the drive settings, such as Snow, Mud, and Sand, a system Peugeot calls Grip Control.
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