Let's face it, if you're after a mini-MPV, then you're not short of choice. Almost every mainstream maker will try to convince you that its product is a market leader. So when buyers in this sector come to us for advice as to which car really best cuts the mustard, then the decision isn't easy. Or at least it wasn't until we first tried Citroen's C4 Picasso.

First impressions were so positive that we decided we needed a second opinion - and several others. As a result, a few months later, this car joined our long term test fleet. We've been running it now for nearly four months. And no, our initial impressions haven't changed. This is still the best mini-MPV you can buy.

You want to know why? Fair enough. Let's start with the basics. There's a wide choice, with buyers able to opt either for a five-seat version or the Grand Picasso model with seven seats. Affordability comes next. The asking prices are realistic and the running costs (in the case of the HDi diesels anyway) amongst the lowest in the class. But then you could say the same about, say, a Renault Scenic. What sets the Citroen apart?

We think avant garde design. It isn't just that this car is easily the best-looking in the class (though in our opinion it is): it's just that everywhere you look, there's a clever piece of design. Highlights include the unique fixed hub steering wheel and the high-topped 'jet fighter' front windscreen. If you push your Citroen dealer with tales of poverty, they'll be forced to admit that this car's predecessor, the old Xsara Picasoo, is still for sale for a couple of thousand less but please stretch up to a C4 - whatever it takes. Life's too short for mediocrity.

Mind you, clever design is all very well but it's not much use if the car in question has the build integrity of a fisher price toy. To be honest, Citroen models of the past have been guilty on this particular score but this one seems to be a real step forward in this respect. But then, our car is less than a year old, so you should be able to expect nothing less. Perhaps more to the point, other owners we've spoken to are equally happy with their cars.

"Our initial impressions haven't changed. This is still the best mini-MPV you can buy."

Our usual range of testers have been grabbing the keys to this car. In fact, our Road Test Editor was so keen to drive it that he abandoned his expensive prestige-brand test model and snaffled the C4 for a week's skiing in the Alps. It returned grubby but none the worse for the experience.

Closer to home, my usual family team have been applying sticky fingermarks all around the interior - that's my wife, Katie (not guilty of the grubby fingermarks), plus Caris (9), Ellie (7) and baby Amy (2). All three kids are well capable of reducing a spotless car to a playroom mess in no more time than it takes to visit the local shopping centre. On arrival, the setback trays will have been pulled out of their sockets, muddy boots will have decorated the carpets with a liberal coating of slime and a decorative frosting of crunched-out crisps will have been frosted around the rear passenger compartment. Ah, the joys of parenthood.

For our long term testcar, we opted for the five-seat version on the basis that Citroen expect to sell rather more of them here in the UK - though apparently, there's no much in it. Had I had a free choice, I'd have paid the small increment extra to have the extra seats for those times when my mother wants to accompany us to the garden centre or the kids want to bring friends home from school.

With a choice of a 127bhp 1.8-litre or 143bhp 2.0-litre petrol engines or 110bhp 1.6 or 138bhp 2.0-litre HDi diesel units, C4 Picasso drivers won't be wanting for decent powerplants. We went for the 2.0-litre diesel, but the 110bhp 1.6-litre diesel would have been just as acceptable. Either way, you really want a diesel if you're going for a car of this kind: I can't really see any argument for buying a petrol unit aside from the price premium being charged up front for the diesel option. Whether you can justify this comes down to a simple issue of how many miles you're likely to cover. If you're simply using the car to go to the shops and back, then yes, petrol is probably your best bet. Otherwise, opt for the HDi every time.

I mentioned in an earlier report that my wife wasn't usually intrigued by family cars but she was interested by this one. She still is. Like most people new to the C4 Picasso, her initial attention was immediately drawn to the clever wide-angle panoramic windscreen that rises up and over the front seat occupants, doubling vertical visibility in the front to seventy degrees compared to 35 degrees in a standard MPV. This might sound a little pointless but it actually makes a surprising amount of difference to the ambience inside the cabin. And if you're a mother with three screaming children to keep quiet on the school run, then that really matters.

Not having driven the Citroen C4 hatchback before, Katie was also interested by the Picasso's steering wheel, which features the same clever arrangement where the wheel turns around a fixed centre hub on which are mounted all the main controls. Why has no one thought of such a simple, eye-catching and clever idea before, she wanted to know? I couldn't answer that one.

The driving experience is, as was its predecessor, geared towards comfort and safety rather than outright handling prowess. But then if you're buying a car of this kind, then on-the-limit handling is not likely to be high on your list of ultimate priorities. Katie always snorts when I mention it in connection with any family-orientated car. I can see her point.

Which brings me back to where I started. If you need a mini-MPV. If you want a mini-MPV (and yes, there is a difference), you still need to try this one. Sometimes things really are that simple.

TOP 5 C4 PICASSO DEALS

The results below show the top C4 PICASSO deals on buyacar

	Citroen C4 Picasso 1.6HDi 16V Exclusive 5dr EGS [5 Seat] People Carrier
	ETR	Mthly £279	Saving £5,361	Price £15,229
	Citroen C4 Picasso 2.0HDi 16V Exclusive 5dr EGS [5 Seat] People Carrier
	ETR	Mthly £285	Saving £6,092	Price £15,598
	Citroen C4 Picasso 1.6HDi 16V VTR Plus 5dr [5 Seat] People Carrier
	ETR	Mthly £244	Saving £4,662	Price £13,528
	Citroen C4 Picasso 2.0HDi 16V Exclusive 5dr Auto [5 seat] People Carrier
	ETR	Mthly £296	Saving £6,287	Price £16,103
	Citroen C4 Picasso 1.6HDi 16V VTR Plus 5dr EGS [5 Seat] People Carrier
	ETR	Mthly £252	Saving £4,814	Price £13,876

typical 12.13% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000