Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer (2018 – 2022) Review

People carriers are no longer the car of choice if you want seven seats, but the Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer proves there’s still plenty to like about them. Especially when they look like this, which is as far removed from a dull box as it’s possible to be – let’s face it, the Ford Galaxy and dull but worthy Volkswagen Touran are no catwalk models. Read on for our full Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer review.

As an alternative to the many seven-seat SUVs that tend to be the go-to option for most buyers, the Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer offers as much practicality as you could possibly need, making the most of its footprint in terms of cabin space.

The third row of seats can be folded to leave a sizeable boot, and the sixth and seventh seats are big enough to accommodate adults, too.

You get three engine options to choose from, with 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre HDi diesels as well as a 1.2-litre petrol PureTech.

The 2.0-litre diesel will never leave you short of pulling power if you plan to load up with people and luggage on a regular basis, but the petrol is surprisingly good given its modest capacity and avoids the traditional downsides of diesel.

The three trim levels are Feel, Flair and Touch, and although the Feel has some useful features, including sat-nav, the Flair and Touch models have some more appealing kit such as Park Assist, a panoramic roof and an electric tailgate.

Having gone off sale in 2022, the Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer will eventually be replaced by a new model, but until that arrives this version remains a good all-round offering, even though it is essentially a refresh of the Citroen C4 Grand Picasso from 2014.

The driving experience is undemanding, and although it is not a particularly exciting car from behind the wheel, it does at least offer a good level of comfort for both the driver and passengers.

Interior quality is decent, if not up to the levels of the Volkswagen Touran, and although there are a few cheaper plastics dotted around the cabin, it gives off a good impression of being a civilised and comfortable people carrier.

There are five- and six-speed manual gearboxes available depending on which engine you go for, but for most drivers the six-speed EAT gearbox is the pick of the bunch, not least because it frees up space in the cabin that would otherwise be occupied by a gearlever.

Although no longer on sale as a new vehicle, there’s a healthy number of examples out on the road, so you should have little trouble finding one in a good specification and at a keen price.

As you might expect from a car designed to carry people and luggage, the Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer is geared towards comfort and ride quality, rather than a fun driving experience.

From behind the wheel that’s good news, as it means you can settle in to the driver’s seat and let the suspension soak up the worst of the bumps with ease.

The ride quality is genuinely impressive, and your multiple passengers will enjoy being carted around in comfort.

Even if you do decide to start hurling the Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer around bends, it will grip gamely, although the soft suspension results in a fair amount of body roll – so you might want to hold back a little if you have passengers with you.

The Ford Galaxy offers a more engaging driving experience, but for most buyers of a car like this it will not be a big factor in a purchasing decision.

The steering is reasonably quick, but offers little in the way of feel, encouraging you to make steady rather than rapid progress. The upside is that it is very undemanding, making it easy to cover large distances with minimal effort from the driver.

The 1.2-litre PureTech petrol engine might seem small for a car of this size, but it offers sprightly performance and useful economy if you drive sensibly.

130PS backed up by useful turbocharged torque means it provides decent acceleration, although if you do load it up to capacity on a regular basis, the torquier diesel options may make more sense.

The 1.6-litre BlueHDi 100 offers a little more torque but less power than the petrol, and only comes with a manual gearbox. These combine to make it a little slower than the petrol in terms of acceleration, so unless you are set on the cheapest option available, the more powerful BlueHDi 120 version makes more sense.

It has an extra 50Nm of torque as well as an additional 20PS, and while that may not sound like much, add in the six-speed manual gearbox or the optional EAT6 automatic and it offers a much more rounded driving experience.

It’s rarely short of puff and is surprisingly quiet, while still offering the potential for good fuel economy, and is likely the best option for most buyers.

If you plan to make the most of the Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer’s capacity on a regular basis, you may want to consider the BlueHDi 150 option, which is a 2.0-litre diesel unit dishing out 370Nm of torque.

That’s enough performance to get it to 62mph in under ten seconds with the manual gearbox – probably sufficient to worry your passengers – and the automatic is only a few tenths behind.

However, it’s a little less refined than the BlueHDi 120 and for the most part won’t be as economical either, so it’s a choice for those who really need the extra pulling power.

All versions of the Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer benefit from six airbags as standard, although it’s worth bearing in mind that the curtain airbags are for front-seat and middle-row passengers only.

The Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer wasn’t tested by Euro NCAP, but the five-seat version of the car on which it was based – the  Citroen C4 Picasso – received a five-star rating when it was tested in 2013. This rating has now expired.

It scored a strong 86% for adult occupant protection and an even better 88% for child occupant protection, as well as an 81% rating for safety assist. The pedestrian impact rating of 68% is slightly less impressive.

Versions fitted with blind spot monitoring offer a useful extra safety feature.

The BlueHDi 150 offers the best towing capacity here, with up to 1600kg braked. The 1.2 PureTech can haul up to 1400kg braked, the BlueHDi 120 can manage 1500kg while the least powerful BlueHDi 100 can only manage 1300kg.

It’s best avoided if you plan to haul additional cargo.

On the key criteria for an MPV, the Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer delivers the goods. Up front the amount of space available is excellent, so drivers and passengers of any shape and size should have no issues with head, leg or elbow room.

It’s a similar story in the second row, too, helped by the flat floor, so there’s no awkward transmission tunnel for the middle occupant to negotiate.

The third row is perfect for children. If you want to install taller adults in the rear, the second row needs to move forward, which can make things a little more cosy. But as an occasional option, it’s useful to have.

Storage space is good, too, with big door bins and a large central cubby, although there is less of this the further back you are sat.

Seat folding is also easy, with individual chairs in the second and third rows and the facility to fold them flat, so you can turn it into a posh van in a matter of moments.

While quality may not be a typical strong suit of the French brand, the Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer performs reasonably here, if not quite up to the standards of key rivals.

Cloth-seated versions feel quite smart, while models with leather are a step up, with the added bonus of them being more resistant to unwanted spills.

Switches and buttons operate with reassuring heft, and although there are some cheaper plastics dotted around the cabin, the majority of it is soft to the touch, making it feel more like a proper passenger car than a hopped-up van conversion.

The seats also feel sturdy and well constructed, which is good news if you plan to be folding them up and down on a regular basis.

In terms of reliability Citroen finished a lowly 26th out of 29 manufacturers in the most recent Honest John Satisfaction Index.

Most versions of the Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer are fitted with a seven-inch touchscreen, which is modestly sized by today’s standards and can feel a little inadequate given the size of the cabin and the dashboard itself.

A selection of hard keys around the outside of the screen help navigation between the menus, but tapping between the various pages can be a frustrating experience, not helped by the screen itself being sometimes slow to respond.

The steering wheel does have a fairly comprehensive set of controls which allow you to control several functions, but don’t allow you to avoid using the touchscreen altogether.

Additionally, the climate control functions are operated using the touchscreen, which can make it a fiddly process to make quick adjustments on the move.

Basic versions offer a reasonable sound output, but higher specification models such as Feel and Flair add in Bluetooth connectivity and smartphone mirroring, so you have more choice over audio inputs.

The instrument display is also placed centrally rather than behind the steering wheel, and while this is the best position from an ergonomic perspective, you might find this takes a bit of getting used to if you’ve jumped into the Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer from a more conventional car.

This generation of Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer went off sale in 2022, so it’s no longer a car you can buy brand new.

But there are plenty of nearly-new low-mileage examples for sale at £30,000 and below, which means useful savings compared to the previous list prices.

It’s worth avoiding the lowest spec Feel versions and going for a Flair or higher model to get the better infotainment system, panoramic roof and interior trim.

The main alternatives are the Ford Galaxy and Volkswagen Touran, but you can expect to pay a little more for the equivalent Volkswagen.

Go for the Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer BlueHDi S&S version and you have a car with a claimed CO2 emissions figure of 98g/km, which means very low fuel consumption for a vehicle of this size and capacity. 

However, in truth all engine options deliver good economy for their size.

Insurance groups are relatively low, too, with petrol versions falling into group 14 and even the highest 2.0-litre diesel version into group 25, which should mean modest bills.

Depreciation is not a strong point for larger Citroens, but as this is no longer a car you can buy new, the biggest sting will have been absorbed by the first owner.

Standard equipment on Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer Sense models includes 17-inch alloy wheels, aluminium roof bars, a 12-inch infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and a reversing camera.

Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer Shine models add xenon headlights, panoramic sunroof, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and lane departure warning.

On older cars, the Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer Touch Plus includes the 12-inch infotainment system and Connect Nav as standard, DAB and Bluetooth.

Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer Feel Plus has slate grey leather, keyless entry and start and a rear parking camera as well as active safety braking, driver attention alert and speed limit recognition, plus fog lights with cornering function.

Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer Flair Plus models offer xenon headlights, active lane departure warning, intelligent beam headlights, active cruise control, park assist, an electric tailgate and integrated rear side window blinds.