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Car #1
Make
Model
Variant
Engine
Car #2
Make
Model
Variant
Engine

compare selected cars
2004. - 2009.
M - MPV
MPV, 5 door
front
Badges
Production
Vehicle class
Body style
Wheel drive
Safety
2006. - 2010.
M - MPV
MPV, 5 door
front

Marketing

Dimensons & Outlines

4467 mm
1768 mm
1581 mm
532 liters
1604 liters
55 liters
Length
Width
Height
Boot (min)
Boot (max)
Fuel tank
4470 mm
1829 mm
1680 mm
500 liters
1734 liters
60 liters
2004 Seat Altea XL
2006 Citroen C4 Picasso

Engine

Volkswagen
1.6 8v ALZ
Petrol
4 - Inline, 2 valves per cylinder
Nat. Asp.
1595 cc
102 hp
148 Nm
Engine
Fuel
Configuration
Aspiration
Displacement
Power
Torque
Peugeot / BMW
1.6 Prince N13B16
Petrol
4 - Inline, 4 valves per cylinder
Turbo
1598 cc
136 hp
220 Nm

Performance (manual gearbox)

manual gearbox - 5 gears
1295 kg
13.0 s
181 km/h
10.6 l/100km
6.2 l/100km
7.8 l/100km
185 g/km
Gearbox type
Vehicle weight
Acc. 0-100
Top speed
Cons. (urban)
Cons. (highway)
Cons. (average)
CO2 emissions
 
kg
s
km/h
l/100km
l/100km
l/100km
g/km

Performance (automatic gearbox)

 
kg
s
km/h
l/100km
l/100km
l/100km
g/km
Gearbox type
Vehicle weight
Acc. 0-100
Top speed
Cons. (urban)
Cons. (highway)
Cons. (average)
CO2 emissions
automatic - 4 gears
1514 kg
12.6 s
192 km/h
11.9 l/100km
6.5 l/100km
8.5 l/100km
200 g/km

Expenses

2100 EUR
Price from
2600 EUR

Virtual Adviser's™ opinion

Overview

Well, these are two pretty similar cars we have here! It's only details that could potentially make the difference. Considering they both belong to the mpv segment and utilize the same 5-door MPV body style and the front wheel drive system, it all comes up to the specific petrol engine choice they offer. The first one has a Volkswagen-engineered powertrain under the hood, a 4-cylinder, 8-valves 102hp unit, while the other one gets its power and torque from a 4-cylinder, 16-valves 136hp engine designed by Peugeot.

Safety

The first thing to look into here would be the results from European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) tests performed on the two cars. Good thing is that both vehicles got tested, with the same number of safety stars gained in the process. Still, apart from the official crash test results there are other things we need to be aware of. Both vehicles belong to the mpv segment, which is generally a good thing safety-wise, but that fact doesn't break the tie between the two cars. On the other hand, when it comes to weight, a factor that most people underestimate, the French car offers a considerable difference of 17% more metal.

Reliability

I don't like generalizing things when it comes to reliability, although it does seem that both brands display similar results in faults and breakdowns, all the models observed together. These are the results of an independent reasearch, while our visitors describe reliability of Seat with an average rating of 4.4, and models under the Citroen badge with 4.1 out of 5. The same official information place Altea as average reliability-wise, and C4 Picasso is more or less at the same level.That apart, owners of different cars powered by the same engine as the Spanish car rank it on average as 3.7, while the one under the competitor's bonnet gets 3.8 out of 5.

Performance & Fuel economy

Citroen is a bit more agile, reaching 100km/h in 0.4 seconds less than its competitor. In addition to that it accelerates all the way to 192 kilometers per hour, 11km/h more than the other car. When it comes to fuel economy the winner has to be the Spanish car, averaging around 7.8 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (36 mpg), in combined cycle. We can't ignore that 9% difference compared to the French car.


Verdict

Seat appears just a bit more reliable, although the difference is truly marginal. The most important thing when deciding between any two vehicles should always be safety, both passive and active. In my opinion, everything taken into account, the French car offers significantly better overall protection, taking the lead here. It all continues in the same direction, with Citroen offering somewhat better performance, just enough to call it quicker. It does come at a cost though, and that's the fuel consumption... It's really tough to make a final decision here, but if I'd need to, I'd say Seat. Nevertheless, let's not forget that people have different preferences and needs, so what really counts is your personal feel. I'm only here to help. In case you have two minutes to spare I invite you to define your needs, desires and budget and see which car would be chosen by the virtual adviser, out of 12.000+ vehicles we currently have in our database.

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