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John Mahoney19 Feb 2015
REVIEW

Citroen C4 2015 Review

Slow-selling Citroen C4 gains great new efficient turbo-petrol four, revised diesel and new infotainment, but is it enough?

Citroen C4 hatch
International Launch Review
Marseille, France

It’s the last chance saloon for the small Citroen C4 hatch in Australia, with local sales on the floor and showing little signs of recovery. Now the French car-maker has leapt into action and facelifted the C4, which should finally make it more relevant to buyers in Australia, where it's now been confirmed for release by September. But is it too little, too late?

The Citroen C4 has never made an impact here, despite selling 450,000 units globally. Worse still, as more modern rivals emerged last year, its sales bombed to just 125 examples – more than 40 per cent less than in 2013. This revised model aims to reverse that decline.

Designers have given the small Citroen the mildest of facelifts for the 2015 model. At the front there’s a more dominant, wider silver chevron grille, plus new headlights that incorporate LED daytime running lights. At the rear, again, a pair of 3D-effect LED lamps have been added. But that’s it -- think nip ’n tuck, rather than full-on redesign.

Inside, the changes are also subtle with new upholstery material and a 7.0-inch infotainment system. Comfort is a recurring theme with the new C4, with features such as the C4 Picasso’s massage seats and a panoramic roof hitting the options list.

Two new paint colours will be offered, both grey.

Yes, we know. But before you give up all hope with the 'new' C4, rest assured that the engineers have spent the budget where it counts -- under the bonnet.

Say goodbye to the wheezy 82kW 1.6 with its jerky EGS automated manual gearbox and say hello to a heroic little 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo (badged PureTech), which is also available in the Peugeot 308.

In the C4 it produces either 86kW/205Nm or 96kW/230Nm and comes with a five-speed manual gearbox in the lower powered version or a six-speed with the 96kW version.

As well as a new engine, Citroen has finally seen the light and ditched the EGS automated manual for a conventional six-speed automatic, made by Aisin.

The same new ‘box is also available with what we believe is the other engine being considered by the Australian importer -- a revised Euro 6 emissions-compliant version of the current 1.6-litre diesel badged BlueHDI.

This time round the small diesel is available not only with the new auto but with either 73kW/254Nm or 88kW/300Nm. Other markets will have the option of an even more powerful 110kW/370Nm 2.0-litre diesel, which may or may not come here.

Citroen's engineers make it clear their goal was to make the facelifted C4 as comfortable and stress-free as possible -- two words not normally muttered in press conferences. Most car-makers like to bang on about their new car’s 'dynamism' and 'sportiness', so it makes for a refreshing change.

On a highway cruise it's clear the engineers have worked hard to fulfill their brief. The C4 certainly is a quiet and comfortable place to soak up the kays. Road and wind noise are well suppressed as well as engine noise, whether you’re driving the occasionally vocal diesel or the smooth new petrol triple.

We spent most of our time with the petrol and came away very impressed. Having sampled the same engine in both the 308 and C4 Cactus, the small turbo triple feels most at home here with little vibration to indicate it’s a cylinder down. It sounds good too.

Performance is reasonable, with the most powerful 96kW version sprinting to 100km/h in 10.9 seconds with the auto fitted -- that’s only a tenth slower than the six-speed manual.

Unlike the new Peugeot 308, the Citroen isn’t built around PSA’s most recent EMP2 platform that carved 140kg off the 308’s kerbweight. This means the C4’s chassis isn’t quite as torsionally stiff and, when you do find yourself on a country road, the small Citroen quickly feels outclassed by the likes of the Ford Focus or VW Golf.

There’s more body roll and less body control, grip and, frankly, less overall involvement.

That said, the C4 begins to shine when you wind the pace back. Its ride is especially well-judged with 16-inch wheels and still decent with the bigger new 17-inch wheel option.

The steering is precise and offers some feedback and, overall, it’s hard not to like the C4’s left-field approach of not rattling its occupants all the way to their destination.

The biggest change is the new six-speed auto that replaces the pretty horrible EGS automated gearbox. Citroen didn't have a dual-clutch gearbox at hand so it had to buy the off-the-shelf Aisin one. It might not be the most quick-witted of 'boxes but it makes up for this with smooth shifts, which suit the torquey petrol and the relaxed nature of the C4.

Running costs should be significantly improved with the new petrol triple, which is said to be 25 per cent cheaper to run than the old 1.6.

The 1.2-litre PureTech now averages fuel consumption of between 4.7 and 5.1L/100km (110-117g/km of CO2) depending on the version. The diesel, naturally, is even more impressive with its combined 3.6-3.9L/100km (95-100g/km of CO2).

Some markets will also get an ultra-frugal version of the diesel (badged BlueHDI 100) that can average 3.3L/100km while emitting just 86g/km of CO2.

The C4 has already bagged the full five stars of protection in ANCAP crash testing and engineers have added new tech to make it safer still. In comes blind spot detection and lane keep assist to help keep you from accidents.

It’s a shame other safety tech such as collision mitigation (autonomous braking) and traffic sign recognition wasn’t added. Instead, money was spent developing a new keyless starting and 7.0-inch touch-screen infotainment system — two areas current owner feedback indicated were in need of attention, says Citroen.

Unfortunately, we’re not a fan of the new sat-nav — it feels a generation old. It's slow, not very clear and can’t compete with some of its more modern rivals.

Some of the same criticisms can also be leveled at the C4’s interior, which feels dated compared to other cars. Still, at least the boot is still huge (408 litres) and the small Citroen remains spacious enough for four.

So the Citroen C4 is finally an efficient, comfortable alternative — but should it be on your shopping list? We’re not sure — even if the importer can screw the price down of the petrol C4 auto to $24,000, the better-equipped, better-to-drive Golf with its seven-speed dual-clutch auto would still get our nod, even though it’s priced at around $25,490.

The Golf – and for that matter France's new 308 — are the better cars all round, but if you value ride, comfort and distinctive stylish over anything else, with its six-year/unlimited-km warranty and capped-price servicing, you can buy the more relaxing 2015 C4 with complete peace of mind.


2015 Citroen C4 PureTech 130 price and specifications:

On sale: September
Price: $28,990 (estimated)
Engine: 1.2-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder
Output: 96kW/230Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.1L/100km
CO2: 117g/km
Safety rating: Five stars (Euro NCAP)

What we liked: Not so much:
>> Decent ride comfort >> Feels ancient
>> Quiet on the freeway >> Terrible sat-nav
>> Great practicality >> Not much fun to drive

Also consider:
>> Mazda3 (from $19,980)
>> Peugeot 308 (from $21,990)
>> Volkswagen Golf (from $21,790)

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Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
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Engine, Drivetrain & Chassis
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Price, Packaging & Practicality
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