Citroën C4 Coupe full 9 point review
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Performance
There's only one engine in the C4 coupe, the 1.6-litre petrol unit that's our favourite in the five-door hatchback range. It does a decent job, with performance that's more than acceptable, although perhaps not quite in keeping with what you'd expect of a car with the Loeb name.
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Ride & Handling
Previous Citroëns have been renowned for a soft ride. The C4’s ride, however, is remarkably firm, particularly at low speeds. The suspension gives good body control at higher speeds, although the mid-corner bumps thump through the helm uncomfortably. The steering is light and provides sharp turn-in to corners but doesn’t offer enough feel.
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Refinement
The distinctive three-door body has been designed to cut through the air without stirring up wind noise. It largely succeeds, but the door mirrors create some noise. Road noise is nearly non-existent, the engine is smooth and quiet, while the controls are light and fluid.
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Buying & Owning
Citroën is offering its usual deals to tempt customers, including interest-free finance and cashback deals. The car will sell on its low price, plentiful equipment and painless running costs. That doesn’t mean to say you won’t be able to squeeze a discount out of your local dealer, however, and the three-year/35,000-mile servicing package is well worth considering.
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Quality & Reliability
Citroën has made a successful effort with the C4 to inject a bit of class. Everything looks and feels good, even in areas that are often overlooked, such as lower seat frames and beneath the rear seats. Citroën’s reputation for mechanical reliability isn’t fabulous, but things are getting better.
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Safety & Security
Every C4 has electronic driver aids to stop it skidding off the road and a full set of six airbags to protect you from someone else’s mistakes. The door locks trigger automatically once you’re on the move. There’s even an optional warning that alerts you if you stray over a white line without indicating. Deadlocks and an immobiliser help to hinder thieves.
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Behind The Wheel
You can’t use the seat-adjusters easily, the sloping sides nibble at headroom and rear visibility could be better. The profusion of digital instrument displays can be confusing, but tere are some novel ideas, such as the fixed steering wheel boss that keeps the controls mounted on it in fixed positions.
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Space & Practicality
The three-door Coupe provides identical passenger space to the five-door models, but they’re not the roomiest small hatches. The sloping sides make the cabin narrow but space is fine for anyone under six feet tall. The boot is reasonably sized and shaped unless you order the premium sound system with its extra speakers.
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Equipment
The primary reason for choosing this model is its unique look, including a Loeb signature on the front doors, tinted glass and white or black alloy wheels. However, it has pretty decent equipment on top of the safety equipment mentioned above. That includes air-conditioning and an MP3-compatible CD stereo with steering-wheel -mounted controls. The only option is pearlescent paint.
Citroën C4 Coupe 1.6 16v VTi VTR 3dr
On balance, this is our favourite C4 Coupe. It has reasonable power and performance with a sensible price tag, but we'd still recommend you test drive its rivals before buying one.
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