We already told you several times: we love the cars with the double chevron. My love affair started already with the first DS 19.

I was smitten then, as a young boy, tucked away in the rear seats with my aunt at the wheel, driving her French goddess. Then only 75 horsepower pulled her Déesse to cruising speeds above 135 km/h, so you can imagine what we think that now 130 HP will do. Don’t  forget, this equals the punch of the DS Pallas 21 injection électronique. We enjoyed one with a five speed manual, which my father and me used for a very fast trip on the French autoroutes from Brussels to the Paris Motor Show, driving it close to 190 km/h almost all the way…

Indeed, when it comes to sheer top speed, the present day C4 even slightly surpasses this iconic DS, reaching exactly the 200 km/h mark.

The C4 we tested continues the tradition in a very impressive fashion: the power is now streaming to the front wheels through a velvety 8 speed automatic, and the suspension is also as smooth as ever, offering the typical Citroën “floating carpet”ride.

It is all packed in a body which is styled following the trend of the times, with a distinct SUV flair, but then without the ride height and the go anywhere capability.

All for the better, as fuel efficiency is now most important.

Besides the smooth automatic, this Citroën also steers feather light and precise, putting a broad smile on your face… so are we smitten again? We would think so… just read further.

Well styled, both inside and out…

Indeed, the C4 is trendy, but it does not exactly turn heads. It is well proportioned and both the front and rear end bear a distinct family resemblance with the other Citroën’s. The overall finish is of a quite high level with excellent fitting of the bodywork panels.

We like the clean styling of the dashboard, the rather high central position of the 10 inch touchscreen, the clutter free instrumentation and the very readable head up display. The designers always had everyday practicality in mind when they decided to make the selection of the driving modes and the adjustment of heating and ventilation manual. Practical is also the round volume knob sitting on the touchscreen, ideal for intuitive sound volume control. There is also an extra tray for a tablet at the glove box compartment, very clever indeed!

Further talking about the interior, we have to mention here the excellent “advanced comfort” seats, providing indeed superb comfort, whilst being pleasantly wide too. You can even opt for four way back support and a massage function as an extra. There is enough legroom in the back, with only the middle seat being too uncomfortable for longer distances.

The C4 has a two zone airco, and also separate air outlets for the rear passengers.

Driving this C4 gives you the unique Citroën feel…

The 3 cylinder engine starts quietly, and remains almost inaudible at low revs. The soft engine mounting transmits some rocking movements, but this remains very well balanced and is never obtrusive. The automatic gearbox is very well tuned to the torque characteristics of this 1199 cc unit. Even under spirited driving conditions, it will keep the engine in the mid rev ranges, and also at high cruising speeds on the Autoroutes it will keep revs down. In the 8th gear, cruising at 130 km/h, the engine runs at 2100 rpm, and is then barely heard. The excellent aerodynamic qualities also come into play, and wind noise remains absent up to very high speeds.

All this makes the C4 is an excellent “routière”. But there is more. The suspension and handling add to the sheer magic of Citroën driving.

The Citroën engineers succeeded in giving a mechanical suspension all the qualities of an adjustable setup. This is done with their so-called “Advanced Comfort” suspension. Integrated in the shock absorbers are two springs which dampen heavy suspension movements smoothly, and indeed, this provides the legendary“floating carpet” ride.

All this doesn’t come at the cost of handling. Road irregularities will never ever throw this Citroën out of its course, and a sudden lifting of the throttle or even braking when entering corners at high speeds will never let it lose its balance.

All this results in this Citroën being a comfortable and also a fast Gran Turismo. We already mentioned the top speed, with acceleration to match. This 130 HP C4 will sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in some 9,9 seconds, and this is indeed more than enough for all the sporty Gran Turismo driving you (and certainly your passengers) will ever want.

Thanks to the good pulling power (maximum torque of 230 Nm at 1750 rpm) the C4 picks up nicely at intermediate speeds.

When it comes to consumption, a lot depends on your driving style – as always – but you can expect decent figures all the way. The manufacturer quotes a 5,4 l average according to WLTP norm, and the consumption we reached during our test was around the 6,3 litre mark for 100 km. Co2 emissions are 122 g/km, also according to WLTP norm. Brakes are progressive and perfect throughour, the turning circle with slightly more than 11 meters is a bit wide.

Practical

French cars are built first of all to live with them daily, so practicality abounds. We already mentioned the extra tray for the Ipad or tablet. You can for instance use it then as a sound centre, or display the route details or highlights or hotel/restaurant addresses you dowloaded before your trip, or descriptions of cities or monuments you encounter on your voyage. So your co-driver is suitably entertained and is also usefully entertaining for you!

There are lots of storage possibilities inside, and the boot volume is with a good 330 l adequate indeed. If you remove the rear cover and fill the boot to window height, you have 420 liters at your disposal, and if you fill it to the roof you can pack 710 liters. There is no electric opening of the boot lid available, but it is easy to open anyway.

There is no mini spare wheel, and only a flat tyre repair kit will do, and indeed one can live with that. The C4 is quite handy to drive in town with its reasonable external dimensions, and its rather narrow with of 2,04 meters comes in vary handy in ancient city streets and mountain roads.

Conclusion

A true Citroën indeed, a “grande routière” with compact dimensions which makes it delightful to use everyday also in urban life.

It has the unique panache of the brand, with its comfort, its unerring stability, its speed. You should definitely experience it, and we bet that you will be totally convinced, and ask yourself why you did not drive a Citroën earlier in your motoring life…

The automatic version with its smooth 8 speed EAT box also won us over, and we would strongly advise you to take it into your choice when you consider to make this formidable C4 your own.

More Citroën test news soon. At the end of august we will take the C5X through its paces, for an extended test including a drive to Paris. So stay tuned!

Hans Knol ten Bensel

Photographers’ notes:

The photos were taken with the Fujifilm X100F, recently added to our stable, under harsh summer light conditions, but the sensor managed the high contrast situations very well. We used an f8 aperture for the shooting, delivering more depth of field.