Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer Review (2018-present)

Indeed, with a wide variety of different configurations for its seven seats, it’s one of the most practical family cars there is. First, there’s the front passenger seat, which folds down flat to help you transport longer loads. Then there’s the middle row, which consists of three individual seats that fold, slide and recline, each with their own Isofix mounting points. In the back row, meanwhile, are two more seats, which can each be folded into the floor individually.

With this done, boot space behind that big hatchback is a whopping 632 litres, but this can be expanded by sliding all three middle-row seats forward to an even more enormous 793 litres. With all five rear seats folded down, meanwhile, a van-like 2,181 litres of space is available. That makes this one of the most practical new cars on the market.

Pretty underwhelming, to be honest, but then, what did you expect? The Grand C4 SpaceTourer is a seven-seater, not a sports car, so it should come as no surprise that it isn’t exactly the last word in dynamism.

The steering is accurate, but too light and lacking in feel, and the big, tall body leans over on its soft suspension if you try and corner in a spirited fashion. On the plus side, there’s plenty of grip, and the handling is free of vices, so it shouldn’t catch you out in an emergency.

The soft suspension means the ride is pretty comfortable, too, though the Grand C4 SpaceTourer isn’t perfect in this regard, and can get a little thumpy over poorly surfaced roads.

You only get a choice of two engines – a diesel and a petrol – and with either engine, you get a six-speed manual as standard, or can pay more to upgrade to an eight-speed ‘EAT8’ automatic. The petrol engine, a punchy little 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo, is badged ‘PureTech 130’ and kicks out 129bhp. As it happens, and as you might gather from the 1.5-litre diesel’s ‘BlueHDi 130’ badging, its output is exactly the same. However, keep mind that because the diesel’s engine is heavier, it’s also slower, taking about a second more to complete the 0-62mph sprint.

Generally, the entire range of engines is pretty good, though, with enough muscle to haul the Grand C4 SpaceTourer along even when it’s fully loaded (though the diesel is slightly better than the petrol in this regard due to its greater mid-range muscle).

The Sense version of the Grand C4 SpaceTourer is pretty well equipped, given it’s an entry-level version, with cruise control, a reversing camera, parking sensors, dual-zone climate control, sat-nav, and both Apple Carplay and Android Auto coming as standard.

That said, if you opt to pay more for the top-spec Shine model, you don’t actually get an awful lot more for your money; while the powered tailgate, fold-down tray tables, panoramic glass roof and adaptive cruise control are nice to have, they aren’t exactly essentials.

What’s more, because the Grand C4 SpaceTourer is now an old design, some of the equipment you’d expect on a newer model simply isn’t available – for example, LED headlights. It is at least plusher inside than Citroen's other seven-seater, the Berlingo XL, however - and from the front seats, the view out is excellent.

Now let’s talk touchscreens – for the central touchscreen is just about the most frustrating part of the Grand C4 SpaceTourer. For starters, it looks quite dated – another by-product of the underlying car’s age. This is less annoying than its finicky, fiddly menus and its sluggish responses, which become all the more annoying when you realise just how much you have to use the screen – because most of the car’s functions are accessed through it, including the climate control. This means you have to find your way through the menus each time you want to adjust the temperature, or turn the fan up or down, which soon grows tiresome.

As you might expect, the diesel engine is by far the most efficient of the two that are available in the Grand C4 SpaceTourer. You should see somewhere between 50 and 55mpg from the BlueHDI model on average in real-world use, though be aware that if you choose the automatic version, you’ll see around 3mpg less than you will with the manual alternative.

Opting for the manual petrol engine instead will see your fuel consumption figures drop off to somewhere around 40mpg on average, or maybe just shy if you tend to do more driving in town. Once again, you can bank on a penalty of roughly 3mpg if you choose the automatic instead.

Citroen’s servicing costs aren’t quite as affordable as those of some rivals like Ford, but neither are they exorbitant. What’s more, Citroen dealers offer a menu servicing scheme, with discounted servicing and repairs at its dealers for cars that are three years old or more, which helps to keep costs down. Alternatively, you can opt for a service plan, which allows you to pay for your servicing on a fixed-price, monthly basis.

Both of the Grand C4 SpaceTourer’s engines use rubber timing belts, which need to be changed every few years so that they don’t degrade and break up, causing serious engine damage. The diesel engine’s belt should be changed after five years or 125,000 miles, whichever comes up soonest, while the petrol engine should go six years or 60,000 miles between changes.

Expect to pay upwards of £500 to have the belt changed, which is quite expensive compared with other manufacturers; keep in mind, too, that some of the C4 SpaceTourer’s rivals use metal timing chains instead of belts, and these shouldn’t need to be changed at all, eliminating one semi-regular (and very costly) bill.

The Grand C4 SpaceTourer’s reliability record is somewhat less than stellar. In the latest What Car? Reliability Survey, it finished second from bottom in the MPV category, while in the preceding years, it’s finished either last or second-to-last too.

You only get a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty as standard, too, which is about the bare minimum you can get away with in the car industry these days. By comparison, the Kia Carens's seven-year warranty and the even longer guarantee you can now get on a used Toyota Verso are much more worthwhile.

Electrical glitches are the most common fault, with dashboard warning lights, erratic behaviour of the dash-top screen that displays the car’s speed and other driving information, freezing or buggy touchscreens, and lots more besides.

The SpaceTourer suffers from mechanical issues, too, though; fuel injectors and air-conditioning condensers are particular trouble spots. What’s more, its petrol PureTech engines have become associated with an issue whereby the timing belt disintegrates if it isn’t changed soon enough.

Because the belt runs through the engine oil to keep it lubricated, this means miniscule pieces of rubber are deposited within the oil, and then clog up the oil filter, or worse still, circulate through the engine and pump. For this reason, it’s imperative to ensure any Grand C4 SpaceTourer you buy has had its timing belt changed on time, if not earlier than specified to be on the safe side.