C4 not bad, but nowhere near the leader
The caustic Liverpudlian thought for a moment before responding. “Ringo, the best drummer in the world? Nah. He’s not even the best drummer in the Beatles.”
I was reminded of the encounter recently when pondering the place in the world of the five door Citroën C4. When I thought about it, it came to me that the C4 hatch is a decent enough car, but it is not even the best C4 available right now.
Both the much-lauded C4 Cactus and the C4 Picasso are individually way better than the car that actually preceded them.
The C4 is certainly not a bad car, but when compared with such as segment rivals like the Ford Focus and the Volkswagen Golf, it is nowhere near being the leader of the pack. While there’s absolutely no doubt that Citroën is a brand on an upward curve right now, what with such as the aforementioned Cactus and Picasso models, as well as the whole the model line-up in the revitalised DS range which has moved the French manufacturer into a whole new area of endeavour and sales potential.
For its’ part, however, the C4 remains mired up to its’ oxters in mediocrity. Sure it is decent enough to look at, represents decent value for money and is without doubt very comfortable to drive, but there has been a yawning chasm in terms of driving dynamics between this Citroën and its main segment rivals.
Well, as part of a new engine development programme within parent company PSA – which also owns Peugeot – Citroën is desperately trying to change the public perception of many of its products – a perception that is reflected in the numbers it clocks up in sales. One way of doing this to refresh the car altogether and then throw in a raft of new engines, one of which we test this week in the shape of the C4 in Feel grade and fitted with the new 1.2 litre PureTech three cylinder petrol engine. And a fine thing it is too.
It might just be that we have mentioned the burgeoning number of three cylinder petrol engines appearing on the market right now in these columns in recent times and now the PSA Group have thrown their lot into this increasingly competitive sphere.
I really do like these small engines and the fact that such as Ford, VW (and Audi, Skoda and Seat, obviously), BMW, Toyota, Renault/Nissan and a raft of others indicates this sort of powerplant is once more becoming “du jour.”
The PSA effort is certainly among the best I’ve come across. It outputs some 110bhp, will hit 100kph from a standstill in 10.4 seconds, has a top speed of 189kph and will return an economy figure of 4.6 l/100 km (61.4 mpg), all of which is impressive.
Indeed, it is a nice engine to drive and live with and it is not fazed by any aspect of modern driving demands – be they motorway driving, urban motoring or point to point cross-country ambling.
This is another cogent argument for small petrol units and it is a very welcome addition to the Citroën line-up. It is an engine which will see many other applications across the company’s range. In itself, however, it does not bridge the gap between the C4 and its rivals.
Colley's Verdict
The Engine: A welcome and attractive addition to the Citroën engine choice.
The Specification: Surprisingly abundant in ‘Feel’ spec.
The Overall Verdict: Good new
engine doesn’t quite allow the C4 sit at the same table as its main opponents
