Citroën e-C4 review: A wonderful drive and very comfortable but lacks stamina
The Citroën e-C4
|
Citroën e-C4 |
|
|---|---|
|
|
★★★☆☆ |
|
|
€31,730 - €36,603 as tested in Flair trim (SEAI grant included) |
|
|
134 bhp electric motor and 50 kWh battery with 350km range |
|
|
excellent – giving the car a premium feel |
|
|
nearly brilliant |
I have always had a soft spot for all things Citroën – and no that’s doesn’t mean a blanket bog in Leitrim.
The French concern was once a paragon for design brilliance and engineering ingenuity and even in modern times when its inherently innovative character was emasculated by corporate ignorance of the company’s wonderful heritage, it still managed to produce cars that stood out from the pack.
A case in point is the Citroën C4, a car which first saw the light of day back in 2004 and was originally a three or five-door hatchback and was, in itself, not a particularly outstanding example of the company’s design chops, but gestated into a number of interesting concepts, not least of which was the C4 Cactus – complete with unique ‘Airbump’ for avoiding car park scrapes.
But, for a company that once pioneered all sorts of creative and ingenious engineering, its latter-day offerings have been but pale shadows of the creative and original cars it once made. Citroën tried to hide this lack of initiative behind a curtain which promised great comfort levels and state-of-the-art technology.
Such claims were met with derisory catcalls of “so what” from the media – and more importantly the buying public.
Much as Citroën has tried to reinvent itself – on several occasions, it has to be said – too often the cars it made were unusual in design terms, but frighteningly normal in every other respect.
Of course, the creation of the new DS sub-brand, also somewhat stymied Citroën’s historic innovation-led raison d’etre.
The C4, over time, encapsulated the dichotomy between Citroën old and new and reflected the panic which stalked the company as its core identity slid away. But, guess what, they are having another go at reinventing themselves and this is very much reflected in this week's tester, the new third-generation C4.
Apart from being described by its maker as a hatchback, the design of the new car is essentially that of a crossover and essentially an effort to kill two markets segments with a single stone. That they will continue to offer petrol and diesel options on top of an electric version is somewhat refreshing in a world gone green mad.
This car is invigoratingly French and characteristically Citroën, which is very welcome, but the fact it has been saddled with the same running gear as its corporate compadres at Peugeot and Opel (soon to be joined by Fiat, Alfa and a plethora of others under the new Stellantis banner) is not necessarily the paean it might seem.
Certainly, the petrol and diesel options are very worthy, but we found there are heavy question marks over the version we tested – the electric ë-C4, which is supposed to have a range of 350 km.
Now we found that the car is an excellent companion around town and particularly in circumstances where the battery system is not overloaded by heavy demand.
Like the Opel Mokka-e we tested recently – which has the same 134 bhp electric motor and 50 kWh battery – when subjected to sustained motorway driving, its range dips alarmingly.
To illustrate this, I took the car on an intended 105 km trip up the M8 from Cork, pretty certain that the advertised range of 350 km would support the venture without raising sweat. I was wrong.
Being glued to the range gauge – as one tends to be in electric cars – I was startled to find that by the time I reached the first Mitchelstown exit which is a distance of some 50.7 km, the ë-C4 had chewed up 160km of juice. That being the case, it was time to turn around or risk ending up sans volts and stranding myself on the motorway.
Returning to where I had set off in Cork city, there were just shy of 60 kms left in the tank and I was a bit rattled, to be honest.
Like the Mokka, the car performed impressively and with distinction in the urban environment and on shorter trips where sustained, constant speed-driving were not a requirement.
Show it a motorway and a cruise-controlled uniformly legal speed of 120 km/h for any sustained period and the range capability plummeted faster than Boris Johnson’s approval ratings.
This, truly, was a sad moment for me and mirrored exactly what I had experienced with the similarly equipped Mokka.
The lesson, therefore, is that if you want something that will not necessitate painful and time-consuming recharging in motorway service areas, look elsewhere.
The pity of all this was that, otherwise, the ë-C4 was a wonderful driving companion and possibly one of the most comfortable cars I have driven in some time.
The French, as we know, place rather a lot of emphasis on the comfort levels in their cars and the seats in particular.
The ones on offer here are generously sized, terrifically well-padded and truly supportive. They actually have a deliciously squidgy feel to them.
When you add Citroën’s ‘progressive hydraulic cushion’ suspension system you’ve got a car that rides beautifully – even on the roughest surfaces Ireland’s roads have to offer – damps bad bumps into insignificance and those high frequency jolters which Irish B-roads specialise in, do not shatter the calm of the cabin or the poise of the passengers.
Throw in a digital dash and an infotainment system which has been adapted from that seen in the excellent C5 Aircross and you have something that is genuinely impressive to use and live with.
You will have to use the touchscreen to access most of the car’s functions, but the addition of actual dash-mounted switches to allow more focussed control of the climate functions is very welcome.
Despite the heavily sloped roofline, headroom in the rear is good and leggy passengers will not find themselves greatly incapacitated by the sloping roofline. The fact too there is a decent-sized split-level boot is welcome also.
Décor-wise this Citroën is a step ahead of many previous C4 versions which relied heavily on scratchy and unkind plastics.
The materials here have much more of a premium feel and on the ‘Flair’ specification we drove, the black ‘Siena’ leather upholstery (with Zephyr grey stitching, no less) was terribly classy and upmarket.
So too the heated leather steering wheel – a modern design which does not overpower you with all the switchgear on it, like so many do – the ambient lighting and all the other fripperies deemed necessary these days.
In performance terms, the ë-C4 is a bit tardy by comparison with other EVs – the 0-100 km/h time coming up in 9.7 seconds and top speed arriving at just 150 km/h, but power delivery is nicely linear and will certainly not jolt you or your passengers around like some.
This is a very well-rounded car and one which will appeal greatly to those for whom comfort, practicality and convenience are more of a priority than performance.
Were it not for concerns about the car’s range, it would be treading towards a five-star rating here, but unfortunately, that’s not the case.
I have no doubt that when we get to try the petrol and diesel variants, we will find a lot more to shout about and a lot less that irks us greatly.
