A Certain Kind of Plush

What we like:

Engine and transmission

comfortable drive

excellent brakes

good boot when seats are folded up

What we dislike:

Poor plastics

lacking in rear legroom

bad boot when seats are folded down

The 1.2 litre 3-cylinder turbocharged right-sized unit was a pleasant surprise (it does drive almost like a 1.8NA engine, or even a 2.0). Mated to a 6 speed automatic transmission, acceleration was rapid, with maximum torque of 230Nm coming in at a low 1,750rpm, there was close to no lag when taking off, and the car responds well to accelerator inputs.

Century sprint timing for the 1.2 is at a leisurely 11.5 seconds, but it does not feel it at all. The AISIN transmission induces a little bit of a jerk between first and second ratios, but other than that, gearshifts are smooth, and after clocking a number of hours on the road, I would dare say, that the C4’s Quick Shift technology of syncing gearbox and engine control has ensured that gearing is well planned out, and matched the engine’s power band perfectly. This my friends, is where the C4 comes out shining.

Damping from the set-for-comfort suspension makes the C4 quite bouncy, and induces quite a bit of body roll compared to the German competition. At times the car can feel a little unsettled with multiple directional changes, however, it will take quite a lot of unsettling the car before you’d feel that the car is about lose it, thanks to the electronic stability programme which comes equipped as standard.

Steering feel is decent, although I would wish for a slightly smaller wheel. While many manufactures are going electric with their steering, Citroen has done the in-between by providing the C4 with a electric-hydraulic unit. Perhaps the best of both worlds?

The 4-wheel discs, which are equipped with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution puts plenty of high speed stopping power into the wheels when you plunge your right foot down on the pedal; and is further helped with the transmission gearing down for you. On the flip side, they would tend to bite too hard when you’re in start-stop situations, and will need time to get used to how much pressure you should be feeding into that stop pedal.

What makes a good car great? This is always the question I have to ask myself. And if only, the plastics were better, if only the rear legroom was much better, if only the steering was smaller, if only there was a little less roll.

But there is no car that is perfect. But it is the sense which you make out of it. In this case, the C4 delivers in terms of driving pleasure, the delivery of the power, comfort and a generous boot. Yet it does fall short on rear space amongst a list of other things.

But perhaps, here is something to ponder, that if there is so much it can already deliver. The Citroen does all this from a shade under $100k after CEV rebate (17 November 2016).

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