After two years of absence, Citroën has another C4 in the range. It is not only available with a petrol or diesel engine, but also in an electric version. Equally remarkable is that it stands significantly higher on its legs. A small revolution. However, the French say that they mainly emphasized comfort during development. How does that turn out?
Opel two years without Astra? We can’t imagine it, any more than Volkswagen without Golf. At Citroën, on the other hand, the C4 quietly disappeared from the scene two years ago without a successor ready. But do not worry enthusiasts, the C4 is back in the price list. At least in name. Only now not as a conventional compact middle class but as a crossover, and therefore longer and significantly higher than its predecessor. Furthermore, the new C4 is now not only available with petrol and diesel engines, but is also fully electric.
With its increased dimensions, it is remarkable that the C4 does not use the platform technology that you see within the PSA group in many middle class cars, but that it shares its basis with more compact cars such as the Opel Corsa and Peugeot 2008. It underlines the flexibility of these types of platform strategies. When we get in, you immediately notice the space in the interior. The sense of space is enhanced by the fairly far forward placed dashboard with its straight lines and tight folds. Up front you have more than enough elbow room in all directions and with an above-average length you will not easily hit the headlining. The seats have a more comfortable padding, it is a pity that the seats are quite short. There is plenty of legroom for passengers in the rear seat, but the headroom is slightly less there due to the sloping roofline. The view of traffic coming from behind is also less. This is hindered by the spoiler that runs over the rear window.
SIMPLY CLEVER
The important controls are all right at your fingertips. In the center tunnel, only the versions with a manual gearbox have a poker, the versions with an automatic or an electric powertrain have a selector switch for the direction of travel at that location. The instruments consist of a compact and well-organized digital screen on which only the most necessary information is displayed. For those who appreciate it, a head-up display provides additional information. For the rest you have to rely on the wide infotainment screen. With other models of the concern we see a row of keys below that screen to directly reach the desired function group, which the C4 unfortunately does not have. It is nice that the air conditioning can also be operated via a separate panel with physical buttons. Tribute! The interior contains numerous storage compartments with a total volume of 39 liters. Most notable is a handy drawer above the glove compartment. Here we find a holder for a tablet that can be clicked on the dashboard in front of the passenger. Simply clever they would say in the Czech Republic …
COMFORT FIRST
Citroën kicks off immediately with a choice of a petrol, a diesel and an electric motor. Both combustion engines peak at 130 hp, the electric motor delivers a maximum of 136 hp. More powerful and less powerful engines will follow later. We have our first acquaintance with the electric version, the ë-C4. It is equipped with the same technology that we know from the other BEVs of the group. The ë-C4 moves forward smoothly, the electric powertrain fits neatly with the comfortable chassis. The battery pack has a capacity of 50 kWh, which means that the car has to travel 350 kilometers according to specifications. In practice, however, based on the information on our instruments, you have to look out for a charging point after a not exactly groundbreaking 250 kilometers. Plugging is possible at the 3-phase AC charging station or wallbox with a maximum of 11 kW or at the DC rapid charger with a maximum of 100 kW.
In models that are available with both a conventional and an electric powertrain, we see that the set-up of the chassis sometimes gets bogged down in a compromise. They did not fall into this trap at Citroën. The C4 does benefit from the weight of the battery on the right side of the center of gravity. The car is stable and stable on the road as an adult. Nothing betrays the chassis relationship with the smaller PSA models. It is clear that springs, dampers and rubbers are tuned for comfort, and the hydraulic pads, which we know from other Citroëns, also contribute. Without it becoming too vague or too dull, the car seems to float over the road, bumps in the road surface are neatly filtered out. The control works fairly lightly and makes a somewhat detached and little communicative impression. Nevertheless, the car neatly follows the course you impose on it.
The lane assistant we are introduced to protects the car from leaving the lane, but also keeps it neatly in the middle of the lane … that bit of comfort is just not there yet. At sister brand Peugeot, we see that this technology is indeed available. Perhaps something for an update. It does not alter the fact that Citroën has succeeded in creating a comfortable machine with the new C4 that clearly distinguishes itself from the rest within the group.