Citroën has raised its game with the arrival of the new C4 Picasso.

This super smart MPV looks quite sleek for a family car, helped by the slim daytime running lights by the leading edge of the bonnet. The huge panoramic windscreen gives you a great view of the road while also allowing light to flood into the cabin and make everything feel brighter and more spacious.

Inside is uncluttered, with an impressive dashboard that has a futuristic look to it. The 12-inch screen can display information such as the cruise control and speed-limiter settings, and you can switch simply from phone to satnav, heating and ventilation.

Changing radio channels on the touchscreen, however, felt a bit fiddly, but it may be something I’d just get used to over time, like the electronic handbrake.

There are four trim levels – VTR, VTR+, Exclusive and Exclusive+. I drove the 115hp 1.6-litre turbodiesel engine, and it was a comfortable ride that performed well on the motorway, with very little road noise too.

Despite it being slightly shorter than its predecessor, boot capacity has increased to 537 litres and expands up to 630 litres with the rear seats pushed forward.

The small glovebox in the centre console has a couple of USB slots and a 220V socket so you can charge laptops and DVD players.

And if you’re crazy enough to have three young kids, you’ll be pleased to hear that all three rear seats are an equal size (some rivals have a narrow centre seat), so you can safely carry three young children in the back with conve-niently positioned Isofix mounts.

With its five-star Euro NCAP score, safety is good, and it is fitted as standard with intelligent traction control, as well as ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution and emergency braking assistance.

Other safety measures include radar guided active cruise control and a video lane departure warning system that vibrates your seatbelt if the car drifts out of a lane without indicating.

This is particularly effective if you’re tired, and although it feels weird at first it’s less intrusive than an alarm sounding and does encourage you to signal when changing lanes, which is good practice anyway.

The Picasso is available in a range of eight body colours and all versions are fitted with alloy wheels as standard, with a range of original designs from 16 to 18 inches.

Fact File:
Car: Citroën  C4 Picasso Exclusive e-HDi
Price: £21,555 (on the road)
Top speed: 117mph
0-62mph: 11.8  seconds
Fuel: 70.6mpg  (combined)
CO2 emissions: 105g/km