What does it cost?
Citroën C4 Hatchback full 9 point review
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Performance
Three petrol engines (a 1.4 and two 1.6s) and three diesels (two 1.6s and a 2.0) cater for just about every taste, delivering outputs of 90 to 155bhp and producing between 109 and 162g/km of CO2 emissions. They're smooth and refined, and even the weakest gives the car a respectable turn of speed. However, the most economical e-HDi unit comes with a semi-auto gearbox that takes some getting used to.
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Ride & Handling
If you love the idea of an old-school cushy Citroen ride, then this is the car for you. It smothers most of what the roads can throw at it, although just occasionally you can feel the back axle hop over a mid-bend bump. Sadly, the steering's weighting is totally artificial and there's an over-strong self-centering effect. The car also wanders around in crosswinds and on cambered roads.
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Refinement
In keeping with the comfort theme, the C4 is a pretty refined car. The engines are smooth and quiet, road- and wind noise is well isolated from the cabin. The two versions with the slow-witted six-speed paddle-shift gearbox are best avoided, though, as it makes it almost impossible to drive smoothly until you get used to it.
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Buying & Owning
The C4 range starts at just less than £16,000 and runs to more than £21,000. That means it's anything but a low-priced contender, and resale values will have to be a lot better than those of the previous model to make it an affordable ownership proposition. Economy and emissions figures are competitive, but there'll be no sub-100g/km model until 2012.
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Quality & Reliability
Soft-touch plastics in all the right areas, nice chrome detailing on the dials and switches, controls that shift with a satisfying click – the improvements that have been evident in other recent Citroens are also to be found in the C4. The company's reliability record has been heading in the right direction of late, too, and the previous C4 rated as above average in this respect in the 2011 JD Power customer satisfaction survey.
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Safety & Security
Stability control and six airbags are expected these days, but the C4 offers a few unexpected features, too. Blind-spot monitoring, cornering lights and a programmable cruise control and speed limiter with five memory settings will be available, while the eTouch system puts you in contact with an emergency centre at the touch of a button if the car breaks down or is involved in an accident.
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Behind The Wheel
You can vary the instrument backlighting from white to royal blue and choose your own selection of bings and bongs as warning chimes. Other than that, it's all pretty routine, with decent seats, par-for-the-course visibility and a logical and easy-to-understand control and switchgear layout.
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Space & Practicality
Rear legroom is somewhat restricted for tall passengers. Headroom is good, though, as is access. There's a big rectangular boot (slightly reduced if you go for the optional Denon stereo) with a low lip, but the rear backrests don't fold completely flat.
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Equipment
Standard on the entry-level VTR are air-con, electric front windows and cruise control. VTR+ brings alloys, customisable instruments, front foglights, rear parking sensors and Bluetooth. Range-topping Exclusive models add part-leather upholstery, climate control, automatic headlamps and wipers, and front parking sensors. Also included are electric lumbar adjustment with massage function on both front seats, while options include blind-spot monitoring and even Wi-fi.
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Our pick of the range
Citroën C4 Hatchback 1.6 HDi 110 VTR+ 5dr
This is one of the best models in the range, with a strong, but frugal engine and a good level of equipment at a sensible price.
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