What they said when the Citroen C4 was new… (Nov 17 2004)
"THIS is probably the best car Citroen has ever produced." That's what one of the French car company's PR men said about the new C4 which went on sale this week.
And, do you know something - he was probably spot on. The C4 is a little masterpiece with sensational styling, oodles of safety and security devices, a great line-up of engines and competitive prices.
It's miles better than the Citroen Xsara it replaces and shows the way Citroen is thinking.
A couple of decades ago Citroen was renowned for some of its off-the-wall designs but in recent years it calmed down and produced some unremarkable looking models.
Not that the new C4 is over the top in styling. It's adventurous rather than extravagant.
There is a three-door coupe and five-door to choose from, plus a range of eight petrol and diesel engines - in all, 22 variants with four specification levels - LX, SX, VTR Plus and Exclusive - and prices ranging from £11,095 to £17,995.
So there's no shortage of choice.
I first got behind the wheel of the sleek Coupe which has the most dramatic profile. Its long, swooping roofline arcs back from the windscreen pillar to the angled rear which drops almost vertically, the rear screen forming both part of the roof line and the tailgate.
Its shape is aerodynamically efficient, in fact it has the same drag coefficient as the Porsche 911 Carrera.
The hatchback is also a sleek machine with the front - as on the Coupe - displaying a boomerang headlamp design with a distinctive chrome chevron which is Citroen's new corporate look.
The interior is well laid out and light years ahead of the old Xsara.
I particularly liked the unique design of the steering wheel, which features a fixed central hub around which are located key controls. It leaves the dash uncluttered and the controls are now nearer the driver.
The C4 has a digital display screen for speed and the rev counter glows bright red when maximum is achieved.
Seats are supportive and space inside is excellent. Even six-footers have plenty of head and legroom in the back. The only problem I spotted was the fact that the rear headrest didn't extend far enough to be in a safe position for someone my height.
Boot space is good. It can swallow up 320 litres of luggage and it has a handy fold-out partition system for keeping different items apart.
The C4 must be one of the safest cars on the road. Six airbags are standard, as well as anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution, emergency brake assist and many models have electronic stability programme and traction control.
Thieves will have a hard time breaking in if the model you choose has laminated glass side windows, which also keep road noise to a minimum.
As expected, the C4 is excellent on the road. It has minimum roll in bends, the suspension irons out anything thrown at it and road and engine noise are well suppressed.
The two engines I tried were both excellent. The two-litre 138bhp HDi diesel punches out a stream of usable power and is quiet with it. Citroen claims you will be able to get around 52mpg on a mixed run.
The two-litre petrol was equally impressive with a 0-62mph time of 9.2 seconds and 35mpg on a run.
Citroen is confident the C4 will be a huge hit. It will be up against some fierce competition in the sector, including the likes of the latest Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra, VW Golf and Renault Megane.
But in my book, the C4 will be a winner.
Words: Stewart Smith
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