Icon: enlarge
The new Citroën C4 is offered with three drive variants and tries to meet as many demands as possible with equipment and design
Photo: Citroen
The first impression:
what now?
Around the bottom, the new Citroën C4 looks like an SUV with the beefy sheet metal, but on top is the cab of a coupé.
That doesn't really fit, but at least the C4 stands out.
This is what the manufacturer says:
"The Power of Choice" - this is how CEO Carlos Tavares describes the PSA strategy for the transition into the electric age.
While competitors such as VW are developing their own platforms for battery cars, the French are integrating the new drive into the old architecture and giving customers the choice.
This may be helpful for marketing, but there is a technical compromise behind it that has disadvantages.
Example: The seating position is higher than in a pure combustion engine, the space available is worse than in a pure electric car.
However, manufacturers are sparing the billion-dollar development of a new platform and can react flexibly to the demand for different drive variants in the factory.
This strategy has another advantage: it can be implemented more quickly.
While the motto for the drive is "either or", the design means "as well as".
Because while customers in the compact class usually have to choose between a hatchback or an SUV, there is a mixture of both here.
Well-meaning people may feel reminded of the former avant-garde claim of the French in view of the new C4, while critics consider the car to be overloaded and oversubscribed.
On the other hand: there are enough boring compact cars.
And the accusation of boredom is really wrong with the Citroën C4.
We noticed that:
Citroën has furnished the C4 to be comfortable and cozy.
The seats are particularly soft thanks to an additional 1.5 centimeter thick padding.
The back seat is reminiscent of a sofa.
Even if you look at the materials on the door panels or below the dashboard that there was price pressure - the car looks classy and less sober than many of its competitors.
The impression is reinforced by a unique chassis.
The springs are stored in oil and should be as comfortable as an air suspension from the upper class.
In the eyes of the makers, the car thus ties in with the tradition of the legendary DS with the hydropneumatic chassis.
Even if the C4 does not swing unmoved over bumps - a country trip with it is more relaxed than with some German compact models.
The approach goes well with the electric version of the C4 because the low center of gravity is added to the feel-good chassis.
In addition, the almost 500 kilos extra weight (due to the battery) create a feeling of sovereignty.
And above all there is a calm that otherwise prevails in luxury models.
However, that is the only advantage of the E version, apart from the emission-free driving.
Because the electric C4 is a conversion and not a new design, it lacks many of the advantages of the new drive.
It offers less space than the VW ID.3, in which the drive disappears into the underbody.
At the rear, the feeling of space also suffers from the fact that the roof on the Coupé rear drops off early and the rear side windows are small.
When it comes to the operating system, the e-C4 looks pretty conventional: there are only a few other menu windows on the screen.
There is no feeling of departure like in VW ID.3 or BMW i3.
Manufacturer: |
Citroën |
Type: |
e-C4 |
Body: |
Compact car |
Engine: |
Electric machine |
Transmission: |
Automatic entrance |
Drive: |
Front wheel drive |
Power: |
100 kW / 136 PS |
Torque: |
260 Nm |
From 0 to 100 km / h: |
9.7 sec. |
Maximum speed: |
150 km / h |
Battery capacity: |
50 kWh |
Consumption: |
16.6 kWh / 100 km |
Range: |
350 km |
Empty weight: |
1694 kg |
Trunk: |
380 liters |
rebuilt: |
1250 liters |
Dimensions: |
4355/1800/1520 |
Price: |
34,640 euros |
You have to know that:
Citroën started selling the C4 at the turn of the year and now has an engine variant every few weeks.
In the case of combustion engines, there is initially a three-cylinder gasoline engine with a displacement of 1.2 liters and a four-cylinder diesel with a displacement of 1.5 liters and an output of 131 hp each (standard consumption values of 3.8 to 4.8 l / 100 km) at prices starting at 23,940 euros.
For a good 10,000 euros more, there is a 100 kW electric motor in the front of the C4, which enables a maximum of 150 km / h and is fed from a battery with 50 kWh.
This enables a range of up to 350 kilometers.
That should be enough for most drivers every day, but many original Stromer offer more.
But the platform of the C4 does not offer more space for larger batteries.
After all, Citroën has built in powerful charging technology: 80 percent of the battery can be recharged in 30 minutes using a DC column.
The C4 shares the technology with other cars from the Stellantis Group such as the Opel Corsa or Mokka models, the Peugeot 208 and 2008 models or the new DS4, which is coming in spring.
This also applies to the equipment, which ranges from the head-up display to the cruise control with distance control.
We won't forget that:
the drawer above the glove compartment in which Citroën has integrated a holder for a tablet computer.
Not a technical revolution, but very useful.
Icon: The mirror
