Review - Citroen C4

In recent years, the compact SUV market has absolutely exploded, with buyers gravitating toward the best-of-both-worlds appeal of crossover SUVs. The end result is a huge number of options for buyers, to the extent that so many choices can make it difficult to separate the good from the great. 

With its funky styling, it’s seemingly impossible for buyers to forget the Citroen C4’s styling, but just how good is the rest of the package? Let’s find out. 

Starting Price: $37,990

OnlineAuto Savings: Enquire now

Citroen C4 (SHINE 1.2 THP 114) Specifications

For more details and other variants, check Citroen C4 car page.

How Much Does It Cost?

The Citroen C4 lineup is a simple, one-model affair that is priced from $37,990 before on-road costs and extras. 

How Much Can OnlineAuto Save You?

You could save money by getting an OnlineAuto car broker to assist you in finding the best car for you. 

What Features Does the Citroen Have?

The Citroen C4 comes riding on a set of 18-inch alloy wheels, and receives a generous equipment list that includes automatic LED headlights, adaptive cruise control, a reversing camera with front, rear, and side parking sensors, keyless entry & start, Siena leather upholstery, head-up display, heated and massaging front seats, dual-zone climate control, 5.5-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10-inch infotainment system with DAB+, sat-nav Apple CarPlay & Android Auto. 

These features are atop a significant amount of safety equipment that we’ll cover later in this review. 

Range Features:

• 18-inch alloys

• Automatic LED headlights 

• Adaptive cruise control 

• Reversing camera with front, side and rear parking sensors 

• Keyless entry & start 

• Siena leather upholstery 

• Heated, massaging front seats 

• Head-up display 

• 5.5-inch digital instrument cluster 

• 10-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay & Android Auto 

• DAB+ digital radio and satellite navigation

• Dual-zone climate control 

• Heated power-folding mirrors 

Citroen C4 Colours

The Citroen C4 range is available in a choice of seven colours, with Polar White included as a no-cost extra. Opting for colours like Iceland Blue, Obsidian Black, Platinum Grey, Steel Grey, Pulse Orange or Elixir Red comes as a $690 option. 

Is it Comfortable to Drive?

There’s one trait above all else that compact SUVs need to offer drivers in order to be a user-friendly option for drivers young and old: the ease and comfort of driving around town, with fun as an added bonus. 

In this regard, Citroen has knocked it out of the park, with the C4’s platform perfectly suited to comfortable and effortless driving around town, with a heaping of added French character on top. 

Power is supplied by a tiny little 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol that produces an impressive 114kW of power and 240Nm of torque, with power sent to the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. 

All up, this engine and transmission combination makes the C4 a surprisingly entertaining compact SUV around town, offering a heap of acceleration for its size and a lively front axle that makes the car a heap of fun to drive. 

The C4 receives a compact little steering wheel that is feather-weighted for easy town driving, while offering a decent amount of feedback as you pick up speed or dart around corners. This also makes low-speed turns and parking a simple, effortless task, which is a must-have for a compact SUV, although the turning circle is quite bulky. 

One of the best things about the C4, though, remains the ride comfort, which is something we’ve come to expect from French automakers. The C4 features a clever damping system that irons out the majority of small and medium-sized bumps on city streets and offers a sublime and well-refined ride quality that perhaps leads the affordable compact SUV segment in terms of ride quality.  

Is it Practical and Spacious?

While the C4’s exterior styling makes some bold statements, Citroen has created an interior design that is arguably just as unique. 

Stepping into the C4’s cockpit welcomes you into a set of unusual-looking but ever-comfortable seats, while the dashboard, steering wheel and digital cluster receive their own unique finish that you won’t see from any other manufacturer. 

In terms of comfort, there’s a heap of adjustment in the driving position and steering wheel, although headroom is a little cramped for extremely tall drivers; for the majority of people, though, this won’t prove an issue. 

Practical elements in the front of the cabin include two tiers of storage areas behind the gear lever, a massive glovebox, a sliding storage compartment in front of the passenger seat, a tablet holder, a pair of cup holders and storage areas in the door bins either side of the cabin. 

Move to the second row and you’ll find a comfortable bench seat fitted with ISOFIX anchors and top tether mounts for child seats. Seating comfort in the back of the C4 is limited for adults by its sloping roofline, although Citroen has cut out some head space from the roof liner itself to accommodate tall rear passengers. Thankfully, there’s no real issues in terms of legroom in the back of the C4, which is impressive for a compact SUV. 

Finally, the C4’s boot is rated at 380L which is pretty impressive for the compact SUV segment, which expands to a total of 1,250L with the rear seats folded. Boot space does, however, come at the cost of a full-sized spare tyre which has been replaced with a 16-inch space-saver. 

Is it Safe?

The Citroen C4 has been awarded a four-star ANCAP safety rating, scoring 76% for adult occupant protection, 81% for child protection, 57% for pedestrian protection, and 62% for its safety assist features. 

As standard, the C4 comes packaged with a heap of safety features, including autonomous emergency braking with night-time pedestrian and cyclist detection up to 80km/h, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, a reversing camera with front, rear and side parking sensors, traffic sign recognition and curtain airbags around the cabin.  

Is it Fuel Efficient?

The Citroen C4’s 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine is rated at 6.1L per 100km on a combined cycle, making for a relatively fuel-efficient offering within the compact SUV segment. 

Our Verdict: Is the Citroen C4 Worth it?

As a complete package, the C4 is both simple and fun to drive, and undeniably comfortable which is something that is often difficult to obtain in a compact SUV. 

Combine this with its stylish and well-equipped interior, generous safety features list and charismatic styling and you’ve got one of the most unique entrants to the compact SUV segment that offers substance as well as style for Australian buyers. 

As a result, we can’t help but recommend you add the C4 to your shortlist if you’re in the market for a compact SUV. On that note, if you’re in the market for a new car, you can get a free quote and see how much OnlineAuto can save you on your next car, or call us on 1300 719 925.

Five Specs You Need to Know

1. Five-year, unlimited KM warranty 

2. 12-month/15,000km service intervals

3. Four-star ANCAP safety rating 

4. 6.1L/100km fuel economy 

5. 380L boot 

Pros 

• Sublime ride quality for the segment 

• Zippy and fun handling around town 

• Surprisingly entertaining engine and transmission combination 

• Impressive fuel economy 

Cons

• Wide turning circle 

• Limited second-row headroom 

• Sloping roofline eats up rearward visibility 

OnlineAuto Rating: 9/10

Citroen C4 Competition