2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 15:44
Space for at least four people plus luggage, plenty of power under the hood and don't break the family budget. The extremely sporty Meriva OPC and the decidedly familiar C4 Picasso meet these requirements.
By Sebastian Viehmann
It has never been easier for young families as it is today - at least when it comes to choosing a suitable family carriage. The range of station wagons, spacious SUVs and vans has exploded in recent years. So that vans don't get boring, the manufacturers occupy every conceivable niche. They are available in all sizes, shapes and colors, with five or seven seats, huge glass roofs and seats that can be moved, folded down or expanded as required.
Looking for the perfect family type
A case like in real life: a family of four sets a price limit of 25,000 euros for a spacious family van. Mom loves comfort, the children want plenty of space for their legs and everyone wants a great view on their next vacation trip. The Citroën C4 Picasso is ideal: the still fresh VisioVan with the huge glass roof is now also available with five seats. Dad, on the other hand, still thinks wistfully of the sports car that he had to sell at the time and hides a brochure of the Opel Meriva OPC under his pillow. The speedster from Rüsselsheim is Europe's fastest series minivan with lots of family-friendly driving fun. At 24,360 euros, the Meriva OPC easily falls below the price limit set by “our” family. The C4 also has a lively gasoline engine for this price - the 2nd.0i 16V with 143 hp costs 24,750 euros in the “Comfort” version. What do the two family carriages offer?
Better feeling of space in the Citroën
First of all, plenty of space. You can stretch out comfortably in both the Meriva and the C4 cockpit. However, the lack of a center console makes the feeling of space on the Citroën bridge more impressive. The spacey feeling cannot be saved in the rear: The legroom in the C4 Picasso is only okay for children and small adults, otherwise the knees threaten an involuntary close dance with the backrest. Opel manages the use of space a little better, although the Meriva is quite a bit shorter than the C4.
Its overview through the huge window areas is gigantic, through the narrow and openwork A-pillars, the Frenchman offers a better overview in curves than the Meriva with its thick posts. On the Picasso back seat, even small children can look forward to great views because of the pulled-down side windows.
Both score points with their variable interior space
The French also has more to offer when it comes to the trunk (500 liters, Meriva only 360 liters). With their variable interior, however, both have what it takes to be a load master. The three-part rear seat of the Opel can be folded up in just a few simple steps so that an almost level loading area with 1,410 liters of storage space is created. There is also space for the boards for the new children's room shelf, because the backrest of the passenger seat can also be completely folded down. The C4 Picasso attracts with 1,734 liters of storage space, the rear seats can also be folded down in parts and form a flat loading area. Both cars have a low loading sill, but the Citroën's wide, painted bumper is annoying and should be protected from scratches when loading bulky objects.
Citroën shows attention to detail
As similar as the basic concept of the two cars is, the interior design could not be more different. At Citroën you are only satisfied when all the details are more extravagant than those of the competition. The hub of the steering wheel does not turn with the steering, only the steering wheel rim. Most of the controls live on and behind the steering wheel. Mum and the children are particularly happy about the wide range of storage compartments and shelves: two glove compartments and two shelves in the elongated dashboard can be filled with cards, sunglasses, provisions or toys. Here the Meriva is much more stingy. Shelves are in short supply on board. Practical details such as the small 'fish-eye' mirror above the inside mirror, with which you can keep an eye on the children in the back seat,only offers the C4 Picasso.
"At least Opel has the right instruments for that," Papa will now interject. The Meriva does indeed have chic watches in the blue OPC design. However, the speedometer is sometimes difficult to read because of the small numbers. This applies above all to the area between 40 and 60 km / h, which is important in the city. Still better than with the C4-Picasso: You have to look for the displays in an instrument cluster in the middle of the dashboard, where, despite all the design gimmicks, they simply have no place. If you want to squint at the speedometer and tachometer when cornering quickly, you have to look back and forth between the corner exit and the center console like at a tennis match - brisk driving is no fun. In particular, the digital tachometer, which is also on the far right, almost at the height of the passenger, is unusable.
Meriva shines with a brisk sprint
Which brings us to the topic that is particularly close to the heart of the sporty family man: engine and driving characteristics. The Meriva OPC gallops with 180 horsepower, which it lures out of 1.6 liters of displacement. The C4 Picasso develops 143 hp with its 2.0 liter engine. The Meriva OPC is lightning fast at 222 km / h and accelerates to 100 in just 8.2 seconds. The C4 Picasso is much slower with 11.3 seconds to 100, but is also brisk with a top speed of 195 km / h. Both engines get pretty loud when you ask them to perform. When it comes to driving fun, the French are left behind. The turbo-charged OPC is more agile and, with its torque of 230 Newton meters, is significantly more powerful than the French.
There is also the tight coordination and direct steering. The Meriva can be chased around the bends, only because of the somewhat long-legged van body and the small rims, it lags behind the sportiness of its OPC brothers, the Corsa or Vectra. Dad will have less fun with the C4 Picasso. The 2.0-liter engine is also powerful and helps the Frenchman with a torque of at least 200 Newton meters. But the chassis, which is very much designed for comfort, sometimes upsets fun on bends, and the somewhat callous steering does not make active dads really happy either. In addition, with the Meriva you can do the shift work yourself with a precise six-speed box, the Citroën snatches this pleasure away from you with an automated six-speed manual gearbox (EGS 6) or a four-speed automatic. The automated manual transmission is uncomfortably noticeable due to interruptions in tractive power.
Both are not economical
There is a stalemate when it comes to the environment and consumption. Both vans are by no means eaters: the C4 Picasso consumes an average of 8 liters of super (automatic: 8.9), the Meriva OPC wants to be fed with 7.8 liters. In practice, the Rüsselsheim runabout actually never contains less than eight liters, even if you are extremely economical. When Dad steps on the gas, eleven liters and more easily flow through the pipes. In terms of CO2 emissions, the Meriva OPC comes with 187 grams per kilometer, the C4 Picasso with 190 grams (automatic: 211 grams).
Both minivans are well equipped. The Meriva OPC, which costs 24,360 euros, comes as standard with a sport leather steering wheel, Recaro sport seats, air conditioning, CD radio with steering wheel remote control, multifunction display, all-round electric windows, fog lights and ESP. The C4 Picasso is available at a comparable price in the Confort equipment, which, in addition to the comfort extras also offered on the Meriva, has niceties such as cruise control, a fragrance dispenser for the interior, a cooled storage compartment in the center console, sun blinds or folding tables for the rear seats offers.
Matter of taste
The bottom line is that both cars can qualify as family-friendly and brisk travel companions. The question remains whether you listen to your head or your stomach: The C4 Picasso is the more sensible car because of the better equipment, the many storage spaces, the cooler interior and the well thought-out detailed solutions. The Meriva OPC, on the other hand, offers plenty of driving fun and does without the annoying design extravagances of the C4. If you are looking for economical cars, you are not right with both models - and should rather choose the entry-level petrol or the diesel variants, of which there is enough choice in both vans.
