Citroën ë-C4 X review

Many car makers take a saloon or SUV then develop a sleeker coupé version for those seeking style over practicality, but with the Citroën ë-C4 X the opposite has occurred. 

You see, the ë-C4 X electric car is a slightly stretched and potentially more spacious version of the Citroën ë-C4. Arguably, the new rear end looks even more stylish, but we’ll leave that judgement up to you.

So, how much more practical is it? Well, the ë-C4 X is 240mm longer than the regular ë-C4, in theory giving you more rear leg room (a serious downside of the normal car) while also increasing boot space. In fact, the figures promise a boot that’s bigger than even the MG5 EV electric estate’s.

There's also a non-electric version – find out about that in our Citroën C4 X review.

Read on to find out how the Citroën ë-C4 X stacks up against other electric cars that might be on your shortlist. They include electric SUVs such as the Kia Niro EV and Peugeot e-2008 plus some of the similar-sized electric hatchbacks you can buy – think of the MG4 EV, the Nissan Leaf and the VW ID.3.

When it comes to powering the ë-C4 X, Citroën has kept things very simple. Regardless of which trim level you go for, you get the same 50kWh battery and 100kW (134bhp) motor driving the front wheels. You’ll find the same setup in the Citroën ë-C4 and the 0-62mph sprint time is the same too – 10.0sec. 

From behind the wheel, you’ll struggle to tell which of the two you're driving (until you see your reflection in a shop window, that is), and there's enough power for accelerating to motorway speeds and overtaking.

Don’t expect much more than that though, because there isn’t all that much go when you plant your foot. It certainly doesn’t feel as quick as the MG5 EV Long Range, which will dispatch 0-62mph in 8.3sec, and it’s a far cry from the Kia Niro EV (7.8sec). 

Arguably more important than straight-line speed is how far the ë-C4 X will take you on a full charge. Officially, it will cover 222 miles, which is a few more than the standard car’s 218-mile range. That said, when we tested the ë-C4 (non-X version), our maths suggested it would manage 139 miles, so we'd expect a similar real-world range in the ë-C4 X.

That’s disappointing against other new electric cars. The much cheaper entry-level MG4 manages 218 miles officially, while the Long Range version has an official range of 281 miles. The Niro EV, meanwhile, went 253 miles in our summer real range test.

Now, a staple of any Citroën is its soft and comfortable ride, and the ë-C4 X is no exception: you’re treated to the sense that you’re wafting along as you make progress. The suspension setup and 18in wheels are the same across the range, so every version is relatively settled over minor imperfections, especially around town, and it’ll cushion you well over bigger ruts and speed bumps. It’s definitely one to consider if comfort is at the top of your priority list.

It’s not perfect though, because it has a tendency to give a slight thud through sharp-edged imperfections. The softness has the downside of more floatiness over undulations than in the stiffer Renault Megane E-Tech and you can feel more vertical bounce. 

The ë-C4 X tends to lean through corners due to its softer suspension. That’s not to say it can’t handle a flowing country road (you get decent grip levels and the steering is predictable, if a little light), but it's not exactly exciting to drive.

You sit lower in the Citroën ë-C4 X than in most SUVs, but it still offers a higher driving position than in rival electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf and VW ID.3. The seat is broader and more cosseting than in the DS 3 E-Tense and the Peugeot e-2008. Adjustable lumbar support is standard across the range, so it’s great for long motorway trips. Side support in tight bends is a little lacking, though.

The ë-C4 X’s front windscreen pillars don’t encroach on your view out at junctions as much the ones in the Cupra Born but, as in the Citroën ë-C4 rear visibility isn’t great. In this instance, the high boot line obscures low objects when parking, while the shiny plastic trim over the rear shelf reflects sunlight badly in the rear window.

All trims levels get rear parking sensors as standard to alleviate some of the visibility issues, with front and lateral parking sensors and a rear-view camera added on all trims except entry-level Sense. For great visibility at night, LED headlights are standard across the range.

Every ë-C4 X comes with a 10in touchscreen infotainment system using the upgraded software we first saw on the range-topping Citroën C5 X. That’s accompanied by DAB radio, Bluetooth plus wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring. You’ll need mid-spec Shine trim or above if you want built-in sat-nav.

The screen reacts quickly enough to your prods and is easy to read at a glance. You don't get many physical controls, but there is a home shortcut button and a vehicle settings button, plus proper air-con switches, so it’s still pretty easy to use while you're driving.

When we reviewed the standard ë-C4, we said the interior quality was one of the best efforts that we’d seen from Citroën and that trend continues here. It’s well built and there’s a generous helping of soft-touch materials throughout, with just a bit of scratchy plastic near your feet. You can even get some Alcantara if you go for top-spec Shine Plus trim.

The big sell of the ë-C4 X is the fact that it’s longer than the Citroën ë-C4 so you’d expect more space inside. That isn’t really the case: there’s a similar amount of head and leg room in the front of both models. Still, it's enough to keep two six-footers from touching the roof lining or rubbing shoulders.

The rear is where things are a little disappointing. You see, one of the standard car’s main negatives is the fact that rear head room is very tight, and that hasn’t changed. Even with the sweeping coupé roof being redesigned, those measuring six feet tall will be very close to the headlining, and those taller than six feet will ruin their hair. Middle seat passengers have an even worse time of it, with the slightly raised seat almost certainly causing their head to touch the ceiling. 

Leg room, meanwhile, remains similar to the standard car, so there’s more space in the back than the cramped Mazda CX-30 but it’s far smaller than the Kia Niro EV and the MG4 EV. 

So, you might be asking where all of that extra space has gone. Look in the boot and the mystery is solved: following a 130 litre increase, it’s now one of the largest for a car of this type. Indeed, with a total of 510 litres it’s much larger than the MG4’s (363 litres), the MG5 EV estate’s (464 litres) and the Niro EV’s (475 litres). 

In more relatable terms, that means the wide and flat-floored boot will very easily swallow your family’s holiday luggage, a large grocery shop or a couple of buggies. Our only demerit is that the saloon-like boot lid will make it hard to load tall items – we'd prefer a wider hatchback boot opening for more practicality. 

Conversely, long narrow items won’t cause any problems, thanks to the rear seat backs folding down in a 60/40 configuration (annoyingly, folding them does cause a bit of a step up in the floor). You get a ski hatch if you go for the top-spec Sense Plus trim, which allows you to put long items straight through the car and still use the two outer rear seats.

The ë-C4 X has more boot space, an upgraded infotainment system and more standard equipment than the standard Citroën ë-C4 so it's no surprise that it costs slightly more to buy as a cash purchase. The entry-level model is also more expensive than the top-spec MG4 EV but is cheaper than the Kia Niro EV and the Peugeot e-2008. 

The entry-level ë-C4 X Sense comes with 18in alloy wheels, keyless entry and start, dual-zone air-con, electrically heated and folding side mirrors, automatic windscreen wipers and lots of other kit, including LED headlights. 

Even so, we’d advise stepping up to mid-spec Shine trim because it doesn’t cost all that much more and gives you plenty of extra toys. They include automatic high beam, a heated steering wheel, a head-up display, adaptive cruise control and built-in sat-nav. 

The top Shine Plus trim isn't too much more expensive, but then it doesn’t have all that much more equipment. It upgrades the seats to Alcantara-trimmed ones, adds highway driver assist to the adaptive cruise control and includes as rear ski hatch.

You’ll be able to charge up the ë-C4 X quickly, thanks to its 100kW fast charging ability (quicker than the Niro EV). That means you’ll be able to charge from 10% to 80% in around half an hour, while a typical 7kWh home wall box will take just over seven hours to recharge a fully depleted battery, which is respectable.

The ë-C4 and ë-C4 X didn’t feature in the 2022 What Car? Reliability Survey but Citroën as a brand fared relatively well, claiming 11th position out of 32 manufacturers. Kia and MG came higher, but Peugeot was down in 28th. 

Every ë-C4 X comes with a three-year warranty with unlimited mileage for the first two years and a 60,000-mile cap on the final year. That’s fairly average, matching Renault’s offering, but no match for Hyundai’s five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty or Kia’s seven-year, 100,000-mile package.

The list of safety equipment you get as standard across the e-C4 range includes automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assist and speed-limit information. Mid-spec Shine models add blind-spot monitoring and a more advanced AEB system that can detect cyclists. The upgraded AEB can be added to entry-level Sense Plus models as part of the pricey optional Safety Pack Plus. 

Disappointingly, the e-C4 only gets a four-star rating from Euro NCAP. There were concerns over passenger leg injuries in the frontal crash test, and the potential for the front seat occupants to collide with each other in side impacts because of a lack of central airbag between the two. An alarm and immobiliser come as standard on all versions.

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