Citroen? mais oui

Ken Llewelyn tests the Citroen C4 and enjoys the style of the Gallic get about.

World beater: The Citroen C4 won the world rally championships last year.

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FAST FACTS

Citroen C4:

Base model – 1.6 litre manual, cloth seats: $25,990

VTS Coupe – 2.0 litre manual, cloth seats: $36,990

Premium leather pack/heated driver’s seat: $3000

Sun roof option: $1500

1.6 litre petrol 0-100 km/h

2.0 litre VTS 0-100kmh8.3 sec

ONCE again the innovative French manufacturer Citroen has produced another attractive and innovative package with its C4. The styling on the five-door hatch is very catchy and the three-door coupe is a real head turner.

As a matter of interest, Citroen demands that its cars are instantly recognisable from a distance of 200m. Citroen has easily succeeded with the C4.

Inside, innovation is very much the order of the day with a fixed-hub steering wheel, a dash mounted translucent instrument cluster with a very large, easily read, digital speedo, positioned on the dash for minimal head movement.

With typical French flair, a perfume dispenser is fitted to the ventilation system and can spread a choice of nine perfumes.

Easy riding
On a 400km-plus test I found the ride to be very comfortable for a mid-range sedan. The suspension is tuned to give excellent road holding and I also found the steering to be both accurate and well weighted. Standard equipment includes air conditioning and cruise control. For an extra $1500, a full-length glass roof is available with appropriate blinds to keep out the heat.

Distance to servo
The 1.6 litre diesel will delight owners with an expected fuel burn of 4.7 litres/100km, while the performance VTS coupe should still see economy under 9 litres/100km.

Under the bonnet
In the C4 you have the choice of four engines, an 80kW 1.6-litre four, a 2.0-litre four for the five-door hatch, which delivers 103kW, or the 2.0-litre four that powers the upmarket VTS two-door, which pumps out 130kW. Later this year a 1.6 litre turbo-diesel will be added to the range. There is a choice of a five-speed manual or a four-speed auto. I found the manual rather notchy, with a fairly long throw between changes. The auto was smooth and precise and very much my preference.

Safety first
The C4 has a maximum NCAP five star rating, with six airbags providing the protection for passengers. The car has also been especially designed to minimise injury to pedestrians in an accident.

Plastic front guards, an aluminium bonnet with deformable sections and windscreen wipers that withdraw below the bonnet line are just some of the innovations. Also the C4 is equipped with the centre hub of the steering wheel located in a fixed position.

This has a number of advantages – its airbag can be designed to maximise protection for the driver and the steering controls are in the same location at all times. The four-wheel disc brakes are equipped with ABS and provided first-class braking at all times. Also, thankfully, a full-size spare is fitted.

Before you buy
The C4 is being sold in a very crowded market of excellent mid-range four cylinder cars. For those buyers looking for something different and innovative, the C4 is well worth a look. I personally favoured the five-door hatch with auto..