The Xsara Picasso was an MPV developed by Citroen for the compact-segment.
It was built for a family and it was spacious and comfortable. But it came too late for the party. Megane Scenic was already there.

Citroen understood its mistake when it didn’t make the Espace MPV in the ’80s. It had the project in its hands from the initial developer, the Matra company who made the project for Simca, a brand that was bought by Citroen-Peugeot. In the ’90s, the Xsara platform was fit for a mini-van and that’s how the Xsara Picasso appeared on the market.

It was one of the strangest looking cars on the road. It was like a bubble with headlights and it was the only vehicle that featured five side pillars. In the front, the hood was continued with the windshield. The curved roofline was extended to the rear, toward the tailgate. On the side, the car featured two front pillars, as A- and B-pillars for the windshield and another reinforcement.

Inside, there was room for five adults. The rear seats were individual and could have been adjusted, slid, folded or removed completely. The trunk could hold the luggage for a weekend. The dashboard was wide and low, with the instrument cluster mounted in the middle of it. It was available with digital display, an unusual feature for those years. The high-mounted gearstick allowed a free passage from across the cabin for the front passengers.

Under the hood, the Xsara Picasso featured some of the engines from the regular Xsara sedan, ranged between 90 hp and 136 hp.