Our fleet: Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6 e-HDi 115 Airdream Exclusive+ 5dr - June 2015

As befits a car with the space  age styling of our Citroën Grand C4 Picasso, our seven-seat MPV is packed with driver technology: much of which has made my time behind the wheel far easier.

Some of my favourite features take a lot of hassle out of parking, which can often be a chore with a car the size of the Picasso.

Our test model is fitted with front and rear parking sensors, as well as cameras above the rear numberplate and on the underside of its door mirrors. These can be used in a couple of different ways: the rear one can be operated on its own so you can see what is directly behind you, or if you select the ‘360’ option, the three cameras combine to give you a bird’s eye view of the car and its surroundings – particularly useful when manoeuvring in car parks.

It also means there is no need to open the driver’s door to see if you neatly parked, which is a particularly positive thing because if you do that with the engine running and the electronic handbrake not engaged, then a warning alarm emits an awful ear-splitting sound.

Our Picasso also features a choice of automatic parking options, which will either steer you in or out of a parallel parking space, or reverse you into a parking bay.