Citroen C4 revealed
Citroen C4 revealed French firm’s new Focus rival gains a hike in quality and more understated style.
Meet the new, more grown-up Citroen C4. The Ford Focus rival has replaced the quirkiness of its predecessor with an increased emphasis on quality.
Measuring 4.33-metres long, 1.79-metres wide and 1.49-mertes high, the newcomer is 5cm longer, 2 cm wider and 3 cm taller than the car it replaces, liberating 408-litre of boot space, which Citroen claims is the best in its class.
The exterior features intricate surfacing on the bonnet and side panels, plus a more aggressive front end. The clamshell bonnet fits flush on top of the headlights and integrates gracefully with the twin chevron grille, with echoes of the C5. At the rear, there’s a clean, uncluttered bootlid which owes much to the current C3.
While the exterior is more conservative than the outgoing car, the cabin goes some way to make up for this. Top-spec Exclusive trim models gets splashes of chrome, leather and soft-touch materials everywhere to emphasise the hike in quality.
The gear selector for the automatic ’box has been miniaturised, and finished in sturdy metal and leather. Together with an electronic handbrake, it frees up room for a big refrigerated storage bin ahead of the gearlever.
Gone is the controversial fixed hub steering wheel, replaced with a conventional multi-function unit. Sculpted leather seats hold you firmly in place, while the hollow headrests add a degree of flair to the interior.
Neat touches include options to change the colour of the instrument panel, polyphonic alert tones, blindspot monitoring and a cornering light function.
The exact line-up of petrol and diesel engines is still under wraps until the car’s launch at the Paris Motor Show, but Citroen’s new range of e-HDi stop-start powerplants will feature.
Compatible with 1.4, 1.6 and 2.0-litre oil-burners, the C4 will be offered with a 110bhp 1.6 e-HDi from launch, producing 109g/km of CO2, although a tax-dodging 99g/km variant will follow shortly afterwards.
Also likely to debut alongside the C4 at Paris is the production version of the DS4. Previewed by the three-door High Rider Concept which was shown earlier this year in Geneva, the five-door production car will be the second addition to Citroen’s premium DS sub-brand, and is set to put the focus more on luxury than the sporty DS3.
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