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CITROËN
XSARA PICASSO
AN EXTENDED OFFERING
Citroën launched the Xsara Picasso in January 2000.
Since then, more
than 750,000 Xsara Picassos have been sold. Citroën
has increased
production rates steadily since the launch in order
to keep pace with
the vehicle’s success. The current output is 1,150
vehicles/daily. The
Xsara Picasso is produced in Vigo (Spain), Porto
Real (Brazil) and,
more recently, in Wuhan (China).
Through its distinctive and innovative styling,
roomy design and
roadholding qualities, the Citroën Xsara Picasso
responds to the
aspirations of customers looking for a versatile,
modular vehicle that
combines all-round practicality with the qualities
of a saloon. It is
attractive, reassuring, robust and easy to drive.
To give new edge to the arguments of the Xsara
Picasso, Citroën has
extended the range. The Xsara Picasso 2.0i 16V
Automatic, which is
scheduled to arrive in early 2003, will also feature
enhanced safety
functions.
Available with the Exclusive trim, the Xsara Picasso
2.0i 16V Automatic
is fitted with an engine appearing in the range for
the first time: the
2.0i 16V (137 bhp) powerplant coupled with an
automatic auto-adaptive
sequentially controlled gearbox. The eminently
driveable engine and
intelligent automatic gearbox – designed to adapt to
the driver’s style
and to conditions of use – give new edge to the
driving pleasure for
which the Xsara Picasso is already renowned.
In terms of safety equipment, the Xsara Picasso is
fitted with the
latest electronic wizardry including ESP (electronic
stability
programme) coupled with traction control, and a
cruise control function
that maintains vehicle speed at a set level.
ROADHOLDING QUALITIES
The
Xsara Picasso range is structured around four
engines. There are three
petrol engines: the 1.6i developing 70 kW (95 bhp),
the 1.8i 16V
developing 85 kW (117 bhp), the new 2.0i 16V
developing 100 kW (137
bhp), and one diesel: the 2.0 HDi developing 66 kW
(90 bhp).
The 2.0i 16V engine made its debut in the Xsara
Picasso range.
Available with the Exclusive trim, it is coupled
with the auto-adaptive
automatic gearbox.
This transmission adapts perfectly to the driver’s
style and to
conditions of use. The auto-adaptive programme
selects the shift
pattern that is most appropriate to the immediate
situation.
Automatic mode relies on ten programmed gearshift
patterns to adapt the
gearbox automatically, in line with the driver’s
style (economy,
medium), the selected programme (sport), external
conditions (road
profile, grip, vehicle loading, acceleration and
deceleration, etc.)
and internal conditions (gearbox oil temperature and
pressure, cold
engine, etc.).
This automatic gearbox can be switched to “manual”
mode using a
sequential control system. In “manual” or
“sequential” mode, the
automatic gearshift patterns are deactivated and the
driver can change
gear as required.
The driver can select sequential mode from the D
(Drive) position of
the auto-adaptive programme at any time, or return
to automatic mode by
moving the gear lever sideways. Gears are changed
using the lever:
forwards to move up (+) or backwards to move down
(-). This is a quick
and easy operation. Sequential control offers the
same advantages as a
manual gearbox, but without the clutch action.
For increased safety and comfort, automatic mode
takes over in three specific cases:
o changing down automatically at around 1,000 rpm to
avoid stalling,
o changing up automatically at the appropriate
engine speed,
o changing down on sudden acceleration.
The dashboard instrument cluster displays the
current gear speed.
The 2.0i 16V engine and auto-adaptive automatic
gearbox set high
standards of performance. The high engine torque
available from low
engine speeds ensures a smooth response to driver
input. The 2.0i 16V
engine provides 90% of its maximum torque (190 Nm at
4,100 rpm) from
2,500 rpm and develops maximum power of 137 bhp at
an engine speed of
6,000 rpm. The presence of this power, combined with
the steady
increase in engine speed, makes the Xsara Picasso
2.0i 16V both
reassuring and enjoyable to drive.
The 1.8i 16V 1,749 cm3 engine developing 85 kW (117
bhp DIN) at 5,500
rpm, also offers generous torque of 160 Nm at 4,000
rpm.
Fitted on entry-level petrol versions, the 1.6i
1,587 cm3 engine
develops 70 kW (95 bhp) at 5,700 rpm for maximum
torque of 135 Nm at
3,000 rpm.
For diesel models, the Xsara Picasso is available
with the
high-pressure direct-injection 2.0 HDi engine. This
common-rail
technology range sets high standards in terms of
driving pleasure,
economy in use and environmental impact. For
capacity of 1,997 cm3,
this engine develops 66 kW (90 bhp) at 4,000 rpm for
torque of 205 Nm
at 1,900 rpm.
Consumption levels over a standard combined cycle:
are 7.5 litres per
100 km for the 1.6i, 7.7 litres per100 km for the
1.8i 16V, 8.6 litres
per 100 km for the 2.0i 16V Automatic and 5.5 litres
per 100 km for the
2.0 HDi. The consumption levels of each engine are
among the lowest in
the category, resulting in lower pollutant
emissions. CO2 emissions per
kilometre, in particular, now stand at 178 g and 184
g for the two
first petrol engines, 205 g for the 2.0i 16V
Automatic and 147 g for
the HDi engine.
OPTIMISED SAFETY
The
Xsara Picasso offering, like all those developed by
Citroën, is a
dynamic offering. It is regularly enhanced with new
technologies that
increase driving pleasure and on-board well-being –
as in the case of
the new engine/automatic gearbox – as well as
enhancing safety levels.
As a result, the Xsara Picasso features all the
latest electronic
systems, designed to take active safety to even
higher levels.
The ESP (Electronic Stability Program), which is
standard on the 2.0i
16V Automatic, works with the EBA (Emergency Braking
Assistance) to
provide further back-up for safe driving. This twin
function is
accompanied by traction control, disc brakes at the
rear and hazard
lights that come on automatically in the event of
sudden deceleration.
The 2.0i 16V Automatic also features a cruise
control function as standard, to maintain vehicle
speed at the level set.
Like other Citroën vehicles, the Xsara Picasso aims
to prevent
accidents, wherever possible, and to provide maximum
protection for
occupants should impact occur.
From the basic trim level, the Xsara Picasso is
fitted with two front
airbags and two double side airbags (head and
chest), front seatbelts
with force limiters and pyrotechnic pretensioners,
ABS with electronic
brakeforce distribution, an Isofix system to anchor
child seats to the
rear side seats and functions to warn the driver of
black ice and
excessive speed.
The Xsara Picasso is well protected against theft
and break-ins with a
function that relocks the car 30 seconds after it
has been unlocked if
no door has been opened. This prevents accidental
unlocking.
Moreover, at speeds above 10 km/h, the doors and
boot lock
automatically. This function is disabled when a door
is opened.
The Xsara Picasso is also fitted with an electronic
engine immobiliser,
lock-picking protection and an anti-theft coded
radio.
ENHANCED DRIVING
PLEASURE
The driving pleasure supplied by each engine
is enhanced by the Xsara Picasso’s approach to
driving comfort.
A considerable effort has been made to lap the
driver in comfort, as
illustrated – for example – by the driving position.
The
height-adjustable steering wheel and driver’s seat
adapt to all body
shapes. The comfortable, raised driving position,
featuring
lumbar-support adjustment and an armrest on the
front seats, combines
the driving comfort of a saloon with the sensation
of height and the
dominant view of the road that is specific to
people-carriers.
The centre of the dashboard features an instrument
cluster that can be
seen by all the occupants of the car. It displays
warning messages and
information on the audio system and on-board
computer, as well as
showing the range, distance travelled, average and
current consumption
and average speed.
The highly ergonomic central part of the dashboard
brings the gear
lever, radio controls and air conditioning controls
within easy reach.
The Xsara Picasso is fitted with an audio system
featuring a CD-driver
and steering wheel controls as well as – on the
Exclusive trim – fully
automatic air conditioning.
To further enhance on-board comfort, the Xsara
Picasso is also equipped
with variable-assistance steering, front power
windows with one-touch
and anti-pinch functions on the driver’s side, two
electric, defrosting
rear view mirrors, a window wiper whose intermittent
rate is indexed to
vehicle speed, central locking with HF control,
indicator lights for
the centralised locking and child safety functions
on the central
screen.
To enable the driver to concentrate fully on the
road, the Xsara
Picasso also features an optional navigation system.
The guidance
system relies on a black-and-white graphics display
unit and a voice
synthesis function to give the driver instructions.
An
infrared remote control system is provided for the
guidance system, which is intuitive to use.
AN ORIGINAL DESIGN AND
A USER-FRIENDLY LIVING AREA
Resembling
a single-volume vehicle at the front, with the
continuous line of
windscreen and bonnet, and a hatchback saloon at the
rear, with its
raked rear window, the Xsara Picasso clearly belongs
to the family of
compact vehicles. But although it takes up limited
floor space, its
unusual proportions make it a truly user-friendly
car offering generous
space (4.27 m in length, 1.63 m in height and 1.75 m
in width).
It features five real seats (the three passengers at
the back have
seats of equal size) and a vast 550 dm3 boot under
the parcel shelf,
providing a loading capacity equivalent to an estate
in the M2 segment.
With the Exclusive trim, each of the three rear
seats can slide forward
over a distance of 14 cm, a function that further
increases the
available boot volume.
The seats can also be folded down, taken out and
easily moved, thanks
to their integrated handles. So the interior layout
can be changed to
suit. The dashboard-mounted gear lever, the
handbrake placed
immediately next to the driver’s seat and the flat
floor pan contribute
to the modular, user-friendly design of the Xsara
Picasso by freeing up
a walkway inside the car.
PRACTICAL DETAILS
To
meet customer requirements, the Xsara Picasso boasts
a host of neat,
practical touches, including plenty of stowage
compartments and a wide
range of functions made possible by digital
multiplex wiring. All this
makes life on-board an even more enjoyable
experience.
There is no shortage of stowage compartments, with a
15-litre glove
box, a 1.5 litre bottle holder and can-holder in
each door inner panel,
two stowage bins in the floor at the rear, a drawer
under the front
passenger seat, parcel shelves, large map pockets on
the backs of the
front seats, an eyeglass holder...
The boot is also generously endowed with two stowage
compartments: a
closed compartment on the left-hand side of the
boot, and the Modubox
on the right-hand side. This removable, folding
trolley on wheels can
carry loads of up to 18 kg without effort.
Another asset to ensure peace of mind: a host of
automatic functions.
Digital multiplex wiring does not just bring the
Xsara Picasso
increased reliability. It also provides the basis
for a host of comfort
and safety functions, including a black panel
function; an indicator
light on the instrument cluster for the child safety
lock; a message
display on the instrument cluster to warn the driver
of a key left in
the ignition, excess speed, a risk of black ice, or
a door left open;
an indicator showing the distance to be covered
before the next
service; and a car radio whose volume is indexed to
vehicle speed.
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