Citroën C4

The shape this time (although the front is recognizable as Citroën) is calmer than avant-garde, the same could be written for the rear. The C4 is closer to the C5 in terms of front end design, but overall this is more or less due to the fact that Citroën's new models obviously have interesting shapes.

C4 is a newbie, but technically an old acquaintance (at least mostly). It shares a platform as well as powertrain technology with the Peugeot 308, which means three diesel and three petrol engines are available. All three have been slightly redesigned to make the C4 as environmentally friendly as possible, while at the same time (some) also have a bit more "horseness". Unfortunately, gearboxes don't follow engines. Weaker engines have to make do with a five-speed manual (meaning they're loud on the highway but not too bouncy), while a six-speed manual is at an acceptable level but unfortunately only available on both more powerful diesels.

The most powerful gasoline engine that would otherwise be a great choice for this car (Citroën Slovenija says that of the roughly 700 C4s they plan to sell a year, 60 percent will have a gasoline engine) will only be available in combination with a robotic mechanical transmission. Not with two clutches, but with that slow, squeaky thing that turned out to be a car dead end, and most of the manufacturers who had it in the program remember it with a blush on their cheeks. Well, they insist on Citroën and are not shy about it. Have their engineers ever driven a car with a dual-clutch transmission?

The same gearbox (again, unfortunately) was installed in the e-HDi version. This is a 110-horsepower diesel engine that has been refined (also with the addition of tires and gear ratios) to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, and a start-stop system has been added. The end result is lower consumption and emissions of just 109 grams of CO2 per kilometer. They are announcing an even cleaner version, in which the result will be below 100.

If there's one thing Citroën can't blame, it's comfort, and the new C4 doesn't disappoint here either. It's quiet, and the suspension is soft enough to handle even bad roads, but it's just a little embarrassing that the front seats are too short for taller drivers. The C4 is not the largest in its class, but according to Citroën, with its 408 liters of base luggage space, it is the winner in terms of luggage space.

Internal forms, as already mentioned, are not revolutionary, rather the opposite. The gauges, apart from being able to adjust the color of graphics and numbers, are completely classic, the same goes for the center console. A huge number of controls have been transferred to the steering wheel (which, nevertheless, are transparent and very practical), but now the entire steering wheel rotates - in the previous one, the middle part with the buttons was stationary, only the ring rotated.

There is no doubt about safety, because the C4 received very high marks from NCAP, but not in price advantage. Our starting price (coming to the market next January) will be around 14 12 and a half, but Citroën does not hide that it is preparing an even better promotional offer. There is talk of an initial price of XNUMX thousand rubles. ...

Dusan Lukic, photo: Tovarna