Sector: Compact MPV Price: £21,555 Fuel: 70.6mpg CO2: 105g/km

In a segment where practicality and running costs come top of the priority list, it must be difficult for manufacturers to endow an MPV with much character or identity. But Citroen, which has a long-standing presence in the compact MPV sector, has managed to roll all three into the new C4 Picasso.

Now that the DS Line is an established part of the range, Citroen has begun to overhaul its C range. The C4 Picasso is the first to benefit, featuring the new split headlamps and soft body lines with three-dimensional LED tail lamps available as an option. While the carmaker’s designers will say it’s a simpler new form, it’s turned this into one of the most stylish cars in the sector. By comparison, everything else looks a little dated.

The interior is similarly radical. Most dashboard controls, including temperature have moved to a touch screen display, while instruments such as the rev counter and speedometer are relocated to an attractive high definition screen on top of the centre of the dashboard. There's no CD player, which can be a bit frustrating, but it feels solidly built and looks great, which will please parents and children alike.

Style aside, it’s infinitely practical. All except the driver’s quickly fold flat, giving a 2.5-metre load length from tailgate to dashboard, and the rear bench features three independently sliding seats to extend the boot space or provide extra shoulder room. Between the front seats is a huge storage box with a retracting lid, and there are extra cubby holes in the rear footwells. Aside from a third row of seats, there’s not much flexibility missing here – and the Grand C4 Picasso fills the seven-seat gap.

The added trick Citroen has pulled with the C4 Picasso is a dramatic reduction in weight. This is the first model to use the carmaker’s new modular platform, and at 1,298kg it’s over 100kg lighter than an equivalent version of the C3 Picasso. It also allows the larger car to offer better fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions than its smaller stablemate. Drivers who can manage without the larger wheels on the Exclusive will find this is the only conventionally-powered MPV capable of slipping under the 100g/km threshold.

This also helps with the driving experience. The C4 Picasso isn’t an out-and-out drivers car but, with lower overhangs and a drop in weight, it’s pleasingly sure-footed while cornering without resorting to stiff suspension. Ride quality and refinement at speed are also impressive, boosted by a near-silent engine. The automatic cruise control would benefit from softer braking, though.

Citroen has proved itself in this sector several times now, and the C4 Picasso arrives feeling so well-rounded that it’s near impossible to fault. The C-MAX is a better drive, but Citroen’s newcomer proves boundless practicality doesn’t have to be boring.

Verdict:

Beneath its futuristic styling and gadget-packed cabin, the C4 Picasso is an excellent small MPV with practicality and running costs firmly in its favour. Qualities which bode well for the seven-seat model, expected to account for two thirds of British sales volume.