Citroen C4 Grand Picasso vs Ford Galaxy. Reasonable sufficiency

 

Citroen C4 Grand Picasso. Price: from 806,400 rubles. On sale: since 2006.
Ford Galaxy. Price: from 770,700 rubles. On sale: since 2006.

Citroen C4 Grand Picasso fully satisfies the owner and his family. It is comfortable, spacious and functional, but... Maybe we should have taken something bigger? How about a Ford Galaxy?
 
Boris Koltov, 34 years old, entrepreneur, drives a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso, driving experience 17 years

I honestly admit, the appearance of the new Galaxy made a pleasant impression on me. Of course, it doesn't reach the beauty level of my Grand Picasso, but it can catch the eye. However, in this minivan, to my taste, there is excessive formality. Its appearance is so strict and representative that it looks more at home in a motorcade of top officials than on a lawn with children. The C4 Grand Picasso is much simpler and more accessible in this regard — it can be used without a twinge of conscience as both an office and a family car.

I move on to further inspection. As I understand, the Galaxy is longer than my car. Perhaps that's for the better: the bigger the car, the more space in the cabin. It remains to find out how much. I'll start with the trunk. Yes, in the five-seat configuration, the storage space of the Galaxy is noticeably more spacious. How many liters did you say? One thousand one hundred thirty up to the very roof. A solid figure. But my Grand Picasso also has a decent reserve — five hundred seventy-six liters with the second-row seats pushed back. And that's only up to the level of the backrest. If you fold both rear rows, you get about 1951 liters. True, the Galaxy also has a higher figure for this. Commendable. And how is the glass opening in the tailgate arranged here? It doesn't open?! That's a clear miss. Through such an opening, it's extremely convenient to load things when the trunk is already half full — nothing falls out.

Apparently, in both my car and this one, the third row of seats can only be called full-fledged with a big stretch. Giving someone a lift for a couple of stops is no problem, but only a ten-year-old child could sit for three or four hours. I generally believe that the only truly comfortable third row was in my previous Mazda MPV. So in this parameter, the Galaxy and Grand Picasso are practically no different. The only thing is that in my car, the mechanism for folding and unfolding the third row is somewhat simpler. But in the second row, it seems more spacious in my car. It looks like in the Galaxy, they decided to give the main share of the cabin volume to the luggage compartment. As well as a significant part of the ceiling. I must admit, such an abundance of overhead boxes is a novelty for me. It feels like you're sitting not in a car cabin, but in an Airbus cockpit. True, I suspect they are unlikely to withstand a heavy load, and "crickets" may appear when loading. And yet, it would be dishonest not to admit that there are more little compartments here than in my Citroen. But the fact that the climate in the Grand Picasso cabin can be controlled more effectively than in the Galaxy is a fact. The Ford has dual-zone climate control, while the Citroen has four-zone. And its controls, in my opinion, are located much more thoughtfully. As, indeed, are all the other buttons and knobs. In the Galaxy, everything is also in its place, but the layout here is traditional. Citroen, on the other hand, was not afraid of experiments, thanks to which the interior, especially the front panel, looks noticeably more interesting. The instrument cluster alone is worth it. Beautiful, convenient, and informative. And the fact that it's in the center is a matter of habit. It took me no more than three days to adjust, and now I take it for granted.

A few words about visibility. Here, the Galaxy definitely loses to the Grand Picasso. Firstly, its front pillars are thicker, and secondly, it doesn't have such a huge windshield that extends onto the roof. And this glass greatly simplifies life in the city, especially when you stop at a traffic light. You don't have to peek out from under the visor. Seventy degrees of vertical viewing angle versus the standard thirty-five is a noticeable difference. Did I like the Galaxy in motion? Overall, yes. It accelerates quite confidently. By the way, the dynamics, by feel, are similar to the Grand Picasso, despite the more powerful engine. Due to the longer wheelbase, it holds the straight well, rocks less, and, let's be honest, due to its greater weight, it's softer. But the brakes seemed a bit weak to me. Compared to the Grand Picasso, they are somewhat sluggish. You press the pedal, but the deceleration is not as active as you'd like. I was also surprised that in the Galaxy, the automatic electric parking brake is only offered as an option. In the Grand Picasso, it's already in the base configuration, and, I must say, it's very convenient to use. Of course, with an automatic transmission like the Galaxy's, it's not as critical, but, as far as I know, there are versions with a manual, and there it would definitely come in handy. After all, it's great when the car doesn't roll back when starting on a hill.

Citroen C4 Grand Picasso.

Driving
I practically don't feel that I'm driving a minivan. In behavior and dynamics, the C4 is almost indistinguishable from a regular passenger car.
   
Interior
Spacious and very comfortable. Especially pleasing is the abundance of glove boxes on the front panel — everything you need fits without difficulty.
   
Comfort
The level of comfort is very high. I especially like the four-zone climate control. Sound insulation also doesn't let you down.

 

Safety
In my opinion, it's optimal.
   
Price
Quite satisfactory.
   


Ford Galaxy

Driving
The car is solid, and on the road it behaves accordingly. However, with such an engine, you can also have some fun. The only thing is the brakes, compared to the C4, are not as grippy.
   
Interior
Quite spacious and comfortable, but the trunk impressed me the most. Although, it seems to me, there's even an excess of it here.
   
Comfort
Everything is at the level, everything is convenient, except that the seats, in my opinion, could be softer.
    
Safety
I'm sure everything is in order here too.
   
Price
Doesn't scare off.
   

My verdict

Without a doubt, the Ford Galaxy is a convenient, spacious, well-equipped and, most importantly, modern car. However, for my tasks, it's too big. And its design is somewhat alien to me — too pompous. But the C4 Grand Picasso is exactly what I need. At least, both the dimensions, equipment, and comfort fully satisfy me and my family. And if I were faced with a choice today, I would still choose the C4 GRAND PICASSO. True, I would take it with the rear air suspension — the spring one is still a bit stiff.

Expert opinion

OLEG KALAUSHIN, JOURNALIST OF "5 KOLESO":

 

— In general, we didn't expect any other outcome of this meeting. The C4 Grand Picasso is indeed more of a home car than the Galaxy. But the latter, given its strict design, is better suited as an office car. As for preferences, we liked both.

Data bank

Dimensions, weight   

Citroen C4 Grand Picasso - Ford Galaxy
Curb weight, kg     1560 -1734
Gross weight, kg     2240 - 2465
Length, mm    4590 - 4820
Width, mm    1830 - 1884
Height, mm    1680 - 1764
Wheelbase, mm    2730 - 2850
Trunk volume, l    672 - 760

Dynamics

Maximum speed, km/h    195 - 191
Acceleration time to 100 km/h, s    11.5 - 11.6
Control fuel consumption
urban cycle, l/100km    11.1 - 13.8
Control fuel consumption
highway, l/100km    6.2 - 7.5

Technical

Engine type     petrol, 4-cylinder
Displacement, cm3    1997 - 2261
Power, hp at rpm    143/6000 - 161/6500
Torque at rpm    200/4000 - 208/400
Transmission    6-speed manual - 6-speed automatic, robotic
Drive - front   
Front suspension - independent  
Rear suspension     semi-independent - independent