‘I don’t want to compromise on comfort, so the heating stays on’
To put it disrespectfully, the Citroën ë-C4 is of the same cloth. It may have a unique appearance, but we know its drivetrain from dozens of other Stellantis models and its driving range is certainly not always easy in practice. What about this streamlined hatchback?
This drivetrain has the well-known specifications: a 136 hp electric motor delivers its power to the front wheels and 46.1 of the 50 kWh battery capacity are available to the user. Too few? That’s striking. It is now also available with 156 hp and a net 51 kWh battery. We may be able to address this at a later time when more users have shared their experiences with this version. For now we’ll stick with the original.
Range Citroën ë-C4 50kWh
The Citroën ë-C4 was allowed to perform several times in comparative tests, where we of course subjected it to a consumption and range test. In a test against the MG electric station wagon, under normal conditions, we achieved a consumption of exactly 18 kWh/100 km, good for a maximum driving range of 257 kilometers. During a winter test against its cousin Peugeot e-2008, the electric C4 showed a different side, with a consumption of no less than 24.1 kWh/100 km. Then you suddenly only reach 192 kilometers. On average, this results in a driving range of 220 kilometers, but as we said before: an average range does not say everything.
Yet that is where we start: taking an average of both our tests and the values that owners and users report in their reviews. If we do that, the value of 253 kilometers (and 18.3 kWh/100 km) turns out to be slightly more positive than our own average. Under winter conditions this drops to an average of 202 kilometers and consumption rises to 22.9 kWh/100 km.
Riders experience this
The difference between the average range and the range in winter seems limited to about 50 kilometers, but that shows how treacherous an average can be. “In the summer I was quite satisfied with the range of the C4. 325 to 360 km was feasible,” writes the driver of an ë-C4 Shine after 10,000 kilometers. “Now in the winter, with the heating on, the range is shrinking alarmingly. At the time of writing, I will be happy if I reach 150 km. I don’t want to compromise on comfort, so the heating stays on.”
Another driver, who is otherwise quite enthusiastic about his car, is also not happy with the winter performance of his C4. “The ë-C4 is completely allergic to highways,” he writes after 56,000 kilometers of experience, “and actually also to 80 km roads. At temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius and a very calm driving style (never faster than 100 km/h), the range is not the advertised 350 km WLTP. That is understandable. 300 km then? Nope. 250 then? Nope. 200 then? Actually neither. Look for it more in the 175 km range.”
A third driver reports mainly positive experiences after about 10,000 kilometers. “With a few degrees below or above zero, I get between 16 and 17.5 kWh/100 km. In summer this is much better: 14 to 15 kWh, depending on the journey and driving style. Sometimes I stay below 14 kWh on a highway trip. I don’t mind that.”
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl