citroen c4 drive test – rpmGo.com

The new Citroen C4

My family has a long history with French cars: they currently own 3 Citroens that they’ve bought during the past 6-7 years. I remember how cool I thought the Citroen C4 Coupe VTR looked when I first saw it. Given the context, you can imagine that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the new C4, when I was invited to the launch.

I can’t say we agreed at first. Yes, this new creature had a more aggressive front styling and a bigger front grill, just like the more recent Citroen cars, but at the same time the lines are smoother, more tamed. This is what I don’t really fancy. I liked the lines of the old Coupe. But since the new C4 is not a coupe, it’s definitely better looking than the old model, which was fluffy like a doughnut. And I didn’t really like the doughnut, although the C3 pulled it off quite nicely.

Back to the cars I drove. As always, I picked the most powerful cars that were lined up: 150hp, diesel and petrol. And I did like what they can do: they have fast reactions to gas pedal, climbing up to 140-150 km/h quite hastily and it doesn’t struggle to get there. What I really disliked was the semi-automatic gearbox. I’d rather have the manual one any day. The semi-automatic is quite strange, because, as low speed, you feel like someone’s braking before you get to change speeds.

And this is about everything I don’t like about the new C4. These issues are more about Citroen in general, than about this particular model.

And now for the good part: what I do like about the new Citroen C4.
I absolutely love the interior! I’ve always liked Citroen interiors, from the C5 to the C3 Pluriel and C4 Picasso. Yes, I thought the fixed steering wheel was weird (and they gave up on that, by the way), but I still liked every tiny bit of the cars’ interiors. The good news is that now it’s even better looking. Especially in the full option version, with the sat nav and all the perks.

The dashboard is asymmetrical. The left is a whole another story from the right. They’re from different books, I tell you. Right in front of the driver, above the indicators and what not, a series of crests that make it look like some kind of prehistoric creature. The whole plastic detailing is great quality, so there’s no cheap feeling there.

Another pleasantly strange thing about the interior is the massage seats. This is a strange option for a car that isn’t necessarily in the premium category. But this is good strange. Citroen are known for the amount of technology they put in their cars and the massage seats are… recommended. They’re just right to keep you relaxed while you speed into the tricky curves of the Carpathian mountain roads.

As for the exterior, I’m really not a big fan. The C4’s design fits quite well into the line of the medium sized cars that has been advertised lately, but I want the rough, pointy edges of the old C4 back. Not to mention that there is no coupe version of the new C4 and I assume that the new DS4 will fill the sporty spot on the Citroen team.

Well, it seems that I’ve been complaining a bit too much. I haven’t covered that well just how much I liked to drive it. With some nice music in the background, but with the pedal to the floor, the car is more than a pleasant experience. I expected the C5 to be very cool, with a great interior and great noise cancellation and so on, the C4 took me by surprise.

Overall, I liked the new Citroen C4 more than I expected to. I didn’t like the semi-automatic gearbox, so I’d like to stick to the manual one, please. I confess I would love a bigger engine, which I hope we’ll get on the new DS4. And the interior is so great that it makes me want to sleep in this car.

What’s under the hood? Well, you’ll find three version for engine they’ve put in the new C4: – Diesel 1.6 HDI 90 hp, 0-100 km/h in 12.9 seconds, top speed -180 km/h – Petrol 2.0 HDI 150 hp, 0-100 km/h in 8.6 seconds, top speed – 207 km/h – Petrol 1.6 HDI 110hp, 0-100 km/h in in 11.2 seconds, top speed – 190 km/h.

The cool thing about the car is that there are tons of accessories, some useful, some just for looks, that you can make your car stand out.

To complete the picture, take a look at this video, shot by our friend Razvan from Trafictube. Also, check out the full set of pictures from the drive test in our gallery.

The new Citroen C4 from trafictube on Vimeo.

Photo Gallery: 2011 Citroen C4