Wikipedia Commons – Andre Gustave Stumpf
At the beginning of the 21st century, the National Police Force was supplied with a good number of units of the Citroën Xsara Picasso, manufactured in Vigo.
A few days ago, the National Police announced the renewal of its fleet of vehicles with 2,200 units, so we wanted to remember the most mythical Zeta car of the Police: the Citroën Xsara Picasso.
Throughout history, there have been many zeta police cars that have remained etched in the memory of many Spaniards. We could talk about that Talbot Horizon from the 80s or, going further back in time, the Seat 1500 from that Spain in black and white.
But, if there is a mythical police Zeta car, that is the Citroën Xsara Picasso, the compact minivan that catapulted the chevron brand to the top of the sales rankings in the early 2000s.
The Citroën Xsara Picasso was the most mythical zeta car of the Police
Actually, the relationship of the National Police Corps with Citroën began a long time before, when the agents began to patrol Spanish cities in a Citroën BX.
Later, the Citroën Xantia would arrive, which was in service between 1998 and 2002 and incorporated the versatility of the Hydractive suspension.
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But, at the beginning of the 21st century, the police force received a good number of units of the Citroën Xsara Picasso, a Made in Spain model from the Vigo plant, chosen for its spacious interior and versatility.
The first generation patrolled between 2003 and 2010. This was followed by the second, as Citroën C4 Picasso, painted entirely in blue, except for the roof, which was still white).
Curiosities of the Citroën Xsara Picasso of the Police
As a curiosity, in July 2007, the National Police received 1,000 units of the Xsara Picasso to modernize and adapt its fleet. But a design flaw forced to order the change of the driver’s seat.
The reason was that, between the protection screen that separates the agents from the detainee area, behind the driver’s seat, there was a metal bar to house the agents’ own equipment.
This bar caused a significant comfort problem for the agent driving the minivan and, after a collective protest, the seats in each unit were reformed. Actually, it was not a manufacturing defect of the car, but a problem derived from its adaptation to a police vehicle.
Another curious fact is that, despite the years that have passed and the new vehicles that have been incorporated into the police fleet, there are still some Xsara Picasso in service, like the one in the Prado Museum.