Citroën C4 hatchback

Drive

The engine line-up in the C4 is made up of three petrol engines and three diesels, including an e-HDi micro-hybrid unit. Kicking off the range is a 95bhp 1.4-litre petrol engine and above that are a 1.6-litre and a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine. Expect 0-62mph times of 10.8 and 8.7 seconds respectively. The range-topping 2.0-litre diesel matches the quicker petrol for performance but also delivers excellent fuel economy. Our only recommendation would be to avoid the EGS automatic gearbox because it's slow to change gears and makes driving an incredibly jerky experience. The C4 is geared for comfort so through corners it tends to lean to one side and the steering is too light and doesn’t offer much feedback. 

Comfort

This is an area where the C4 manages to nose ahead of its rivals. The ride is very comfortable and even it deals with most road imperfections easily. Not only that, but it's also very quiet on the move. The petrol engines can barely be heard at idle, and the diesel engines are almost just as good. At motorway speeds there's very little wind and road noise either, making the C4 a relaxing long distance cruiser. There are even some premium options like a massage function, but it's more of a gentle push at the bottom of your back than anything else.

Reliability

Not previously one of Citroen's strong points but things have improved recently. Thankfully, this model feels incredibly well put together and should be able to follow the lead of the latest C3 and DS3 models, which so far have had no major faults associated with them so far.  Euro NCAP awarded the C4 a full five stars in crash safety tests, partly thanks to its six standard airbags and stability control. An eTouch service also features, which allows you to call – and be located by¬– emergency services if you breakdown or have an accident. 

Practicality

Again, this is an area where the Citroen trumps its closest rivals. Boot space with the seats up stands at 408 litres and the rear seats can be folded flat to make for a total load space of 1,300 litres. There's room enough for four tall adults too. One upside of equipping the automatic gearbox is that you get a cooled storage area just ahead of the gear-level that can fit four 500ml bottles of water in it. 

Value for money

There's a pretty good range of standard equipment on all models in the new C4 range. Kicking off with VTR specification, you’ll find electric windows, air-conditioning and cruise control all included. VTR+ adds alloy wheels to the package amongst a few other minor additions. Topping the range are Exclusive models. Citroen themselves predict residual values that are second only to the Volkswagen Golf in this segment. 

Running costs

None of the engines in the current line-up manage to sneak under the 100g/km CO2 emissions figure that qualifies for free road tax and congestion charge exemption but they’re still impressive. The most frugal engine – badged e-HDi – achieves 67.3mpg and CO2 emissions of 109g/km. The most powerful 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel claims 56.5mpg. The petrols are cheaper to buy in the first place but even the most efficient 1.4-litre unit manages 46.3mpg.