Citroen C4

The reviews of the Citroen C4 are generally fairly positive, though not exactly what you’d call glowing. The critics seem to be fairly impressed with the refined and economical engines, the abundant space and the improvement of build quality over its predecessor. However, there were some areas where the testers weren’t so pleased with, and overall the C4 still isn’t as brilliant as the class leaders.

Interior

Whereas the first-gen C4 had a funky interior, with digital readouts and a steering wheel with a static centre, the new car’s cabin is altogether far more conservative in comparison. However, the build quality has been improved substantially over the old car, and quite a few testers were pleased with the smartly styled centre console.

Space is good all-round, with decent knee and headroom for the driver and passengers, quite a few storage spaces up front and one of the largest boots in the class. However, the swoopy exterior styling does compromise front and rear visibility slightly.

Driving

Citroen prioritised comfort and refinement when developing the C4, so it’s no surprise that quite a few testers were impressed with the ride quality and noise insulation, which makes it ideal for motorway journeys.

The focus on comfort means that it’s not quite as agile or as dynamically composed as a VW Golf or a Ford Focus, with reports of numb steering and a fair bit of body roll in corners. There were also quite a few complaints regarding a slightly fidgety ride when equipped with the larger wheels.

Engines

There are a wide range of engines on offer, ranging from 1.4 petrols to 2.0 diesels. Though there aren’t any bad engines in the line-up, most of the critics seem to prefer the 1.6 diesel units over the rest of the range, as they’re amongst the cheapest to run.

Quite a few, though, wouldn’t recommend the petrols or the larger oil burners, as they have higher prices and running costs.

Value for money

The Citroen C4 is well priced when compared to its rivals, and even the lower specs come with a decent amount of kit as standard. There are also quite a few optional extras that are usually the preserve of more expensive cars, such as seats with a massage function. However, the top-spec cars are a bit pricey, especially as highly capable rivals are on offer for similar amounts of money.

Worth noting

The 1.6 e-HDi and THP models only come with a six speed automatic gearbox, and quite a few critics weren’t that impressed with it – one even said it’s possibly even a deal breaker! Many testers thought it was too jerky in both manual and auto modes, and was quite frustrating to use.

Conclusion

Though the new car loses the daring styling of the original, the new C4 is a big improvement over the old one. The build quality is better, there’s now more practicality and is overall a better car this time around. However, the family hatchback segment has also changed drastically since the days of the old C4, and the new one simply isn’t good enough to rival the class leaders.

It’s not a bad choice, and it’s certainly appealing if you want something that’s different from its main rivals. Even so, we still reckon that you should consider the C4’s more capable competitors as well, as they’re generally much better cars than the Citroen.