Smooth operator

THE compact five-seater minivan that is the Citroen C4 Picasso may look the same but it has a new powertrain that makes it feel like a totally different car.

When it was first unveiled a year ago, the Picasso came with a 1.6-litre turbodiesel that was Euro 5-compliant and mated to a jerky six-speed automated manual gearbox favoured by the Europeans.

But now that the French carmaker is focusing on growth markets in Asia, it is offering a smoother alternative. Enter the six-speed conventional automatic transmission for the C4 Picasso 1.6 BlueHDi.