Review: Citroën C4

Long renowned for innovation, French cars have not had the greatest of reputations for build quality – but that criticism cannot be levelled at the new Citroën C4.

Doors that close with a solid clunk, razor tight shut lines and quality materials make the most of the new car’s attractive sculpted lines.

Specifically designed to meet the needs of retail customers and business users, looking for a practical five-door hatchback, the new C4 is driver-focused, yet impressively comfortable, benefitting from cutting-edge Citroën engineering and an environmentally considerate range of powertrains.’s

The high quality of the C4’s interior finish is immediately apparent from the tactile soft-touch material on the top of the one-piece dashboard and the generous amounts of chrome around the dials and vents. This is a car created to deliver a supremely satisfying on-board experience as well as long-term durability.

Personal comfort can be tailored to individual requirements, with users able to adjust the colour of the instrument display, select their own ‘polyphonic’ sound alerts and even set the intensity of the automatic air conditioning to one of three different settings.

New C4 is intelligently designed with a range of new technologies, a number of which are unique to the segment. There is a new blind-spot monitoring system, a cornering light function, cruise control and speed-limiter with favourite speed settings, as well as Citroën’s innovative eTouch emergency and assistance system.

Selected models feature a new raised centre console housing a cooled and illuminated storage area that can take four 0.5-litre bottles. Other available equipment includes a connecting box that provides Bluetooth connection and a USB socket; front and rear parking sensors; parking space ‘gap’ measurement; Xenon dual-function directional headlamps and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

An environmentally respectful car, the new C4 has CO2 emissions from just 109g/km, making it one of the most ecologically-conscious models in the segment.

A gear efficiency Indicator – standard specification on all manual models – signals the optimum moment to change gear and encourages economical driving.

Power comes from an extensive range of refined and efficient powerplants – three BMW co-developed petrol engines and four efficient HDi diesel units. Power output ranges from a refined 90hp to a punchy 155hp. Automatic, five-speed manual, six-speed manual and six-speed EGS transmissions are all available.

One of the safest vehicles in its class, new C4 has been awarded the maximum five-star Euro NCAP rating, including a 97 per cent score in the ‘Safety Assist’ category – the highest writing for any vehicle of its type.

Available in three well-specified trims – VTR, VTR+ and Exclusive – the C4 is attractively priced, starting at £15,595 and rising to 

£21,495 for the range-topping 2.0HDi 150hp Exclusive.