Test drive of the updated Citroen C4
Test Drive

Test drive of the updated Citroen C4

The designers clearly focused on the Chinese, who liked the unrestrained design of the front end of the body.

Kazan is hung with many control cameras. They drive here so carefully, as if in every car a traffic police inspector sits next to the driver and writes down the slightest deviations from the rules. Here I am, being reinsured, every minute I glance at the speedometer. Do not exceed inadvertently. But the speed scale is not easy to read, and its digital understudy helps only partly - the readings are displayed with delays. But the instruments are literally painted by a fraction of the corporate creativity - in the top trim levels, you can change the colors of the scales and numbers with buttons: white, shades of blue. Right, in this fragment the whole flavor of Citroen. Always something special, original. The updated C4 sedan is no exception.

Citroen C4 Sedan for our market began to be produced in Kaluga using the full-cycle CKD assembly technology since 2013. The bestseller did not work out. Affected by a noticeable delay in the niche of C-class sedans, and the French were also greedy with the price. To date, about 20 thousand of these machines have been sold in Russia. The most successful was the year before last - 8908 copies. Last year, interest fell sharply: only 2632 units were sold. And in the current sales are modest: by September, only XNUMX were sold out. But with all this, imagine that the circulation of the sedan is half of all Citroen products sold in our company. Oh-la-la! The more significant are the pros and cons of the updated car: there is only one step from interest in it to the question of the fate of the entire brand in the country.

Test drive of the updated Citroen C4


The exterior design - and this, of course, is very Citroenian - is interpreted as perhaps the main argument in favor of the novelty. “Customers should appreciate the most beautiful sedan in the class,” Citroen people shamelessly comment. Beautiful? I look at the C4 Sedan, but I see the C4L - that's the name of the car in China. Obviously, among the markets where the model is sold (and in addition to China and Russia it is offered in Argentina), the huge Chinese market is the main one for the company. In general, sil wu ple (or how “please” in Chinese - bukhetsi?) - the designers clearly focused on the Chinese, who, I think, liked the unrestrained design of the front of the body. Catchy, recognizable - this can not be taken away. Be that as it may, here are the obvious “external” advantages: the top versions have LED headlights and very effective 3D LED lights, LED fog lights and a cornering light function. And beautiful new 17-inch alloy wheels.

Let's write down the Russian adaptation in unequivocal pluses - it is good. Clearance of 176 mm, metal crankcase, preparation for a “cold” start of the engine, electrically heated windshield, heated nozzles and an extended washer reservoir, enlarged air ducts for the rear seat area. Representatives of the Russian office of Citroen tell how they persuaded and persuaded the French to abolish the lock on the Russian fuel tank cap. Special thanks for this.

Test drive of the updated Citroen C4

And thanks to the French for the fact that with a relatively modest sedan length of 4644 mm, the base is an impressive 2708 mm. Passengers of the soft rear seat are spacious and comfortable, they can only complain about the lack of a central armrest. The composers managed to organize a luggage compartment with a volume of 440 liters (a share of the space was taken away by large lid hinges covered with upholstery), in the underground of which there is a full-size spare wheel. The only pity is that when the parts of the back of the second row are folded, a significant step is formed. And the main disadvantage is that only the top version has an unlocking button on the trunk lid. For others, the lid can be unlocked only with a key or a button in the cabin. And to activate the button, you still have to hold it for a couple of seconds.

The bundles have been renamed - now they are Live, Feel, Feel Edition, Shine and Shine Ultimate. Basic equipment includes LED daytime running lights, 16-inch steel wheels, driver and passenger airbags, ESP, power windows and heated side mirrors, air conditioning, and for an additional fee - an audio system with CD, Bluetooth and USB. The only really interesting C4 Sedan is Shine and Shine Ultimate. The Shine equipment has a new thing - a rear-view camera (with fixed, alas, trajectory tips), and for a surcharge there are two more innovations that are standard for Shine Ultimate: a blind spot monitoring system and a front parking sensor. Citroens are also asking you to pay attention to the touch-screen media system, which they began to install this year - it supports Apple CarPlay and MirrorLink, and in Shine Ultimate it is supplemented with navigation.

 

Test drive of the updated Citroen C4


The driver's seat is almost unaffected by the novelty. In general - positive: you quickly find a comfortable fit behind the wheel, which has an adjustment for reach, in the atmosphere there are no incomprehensibility, pleases the quality of the interior assembly - not a single "cricket", I like the finishing of the top versions of Shine and Shine Ultimate with leather and fabric seats in Russia are not provided). Large mirrors provide good visibility. The ERA-GLONASS button has already been prepared on the ceiling. But you sit down, take a closer look and notice the shortcomings. The backs of the front seats are "push-out", and their tilt adjustment knobs are inconvenient. The steering wheel is oversized and the buttons click cheap. The rings on the control rounds of the air conditioner are undignified. Finally, the small switches for the three-position heated front seats are poorly located: they are hidden in a small niche under the center console, and any little thing that you put there obstructs them. And you don't immediately get used to the fact that the engine start button - one of the Shine Ultimate's differences - is located to the left of the steering wheel.

The range of 1,6-liter engines now looks like this: a petrol 116-horsepower naturally aspirated VTi EC5 in combination with a 5-speed manual gearbox or a new 6-speed automatic transmission Aisin EAT6, a petrol 150-horsepower supercharged THP EP6 FDTM with the same new automatic gearbox and 114-horsepower HDi DV6C turbodiesel with 6-speed manual gearbox. Farewell to the 120-horsepower engine with the depressing old 4-speed automatic, we will not get bored. The most curious, of course, is the appearance of the diesel in the lineup. Let's start with him.

 

Test drive of the updated Citroen C4



High-torque turbodiesel just right to applaud. Pulls-pulls, can pull "out of nowhere". For example, in the mode of Kazan street sluggishness you go for a long time in fourth gear, as with an “automatic”. And in general - you don't bother switching on this version: if you wish, you can painlessly move up from third gear directly to sixth. And on the sixth, the car is capable of quite confidently accelerating. The box is very easy to handle: short lever strokes, light and precise engagements. Another plus: there are no annoying noises and vibrations from the diesel engine in the cabin. The fuel consumption for the onboard computer was 6,3 liters per 100 kilometers. But Citroens are still cautious about this modification, only 8% of total sales.

The most popular (47%) is expected to be the VTi version with automatic transmission. After a diesel engine, this power unit seems insipid. The motor is ordinary, without a spark, the recoil is "sufficient", the box is in a hurry to switch to the fifth or sixth gear, and it switches down reluctantly, thinking (however, it works with constant smoothness). The gas pedal is tighter than on a diesel car, so it seems that the energy from the sedan has to be literally squeezed out. Yes, you can use the sports or manual modes of the machine, but in principle they do not change anything, and in “sports” the car becomes more nervous than more responsive. Well, not a bad mediocre combination for drivers without any special "driver" ambitions. The on-board computer reports 7,5 l / 100 km, which is also not bad.

Test drive of the updated Citroen C4



The return of the turbocharged THP is, as expected, more interesting than that of the VTi, and the "automatic" cooperates with the engine better. The gas pedal is also a bit tight, but it doesn't seem like a minus anymore. And here the sport mode of the box already makes sense: you enjoy the "asset". Plus, the motor has the most "authoritative" and pleasant sound. Fuel consumption is also expected to be the highest - according to the onboard computer, 8 liters per 100 km.

Directional stability on flat roads is the weak point of all tested cars. Sedans "float", you have to steer constantly, complaining about the indistinct "zero" of the steering wheel. Citroens fend off: the paramount was the ability of the suspension to comfortably overcome areas of poor coverage. Indeed, on the broken asphalt C4 allows you not to throw yourself off again (perhaps even: "more speed - less holes"), teeth do not clack, stomach does not jump up to the throat. And the buildup is moderate - there is nothing to criticize for. But concussions are more abundant in the cabin. The diesel version on uncontested 16-inch wheels sometimes frankly roughly fulfills large irregularities. VTi on 17-inches is more loyal to serious road flaws, but more sensitive to small ones. And the heaviest one with a gasoline turbo engine and 17-inch wheels is the toughest. By the way, two years ago, shock absorbers were changed on the C4 Sedan: instead of PSA parts, they began to install Kayaba products. "And this should not have affected the smoothness of the course," - assure Citroen. Oh, is it?

Test drive of the updated Citroen C4


What other touches to add to the sedan's portrait? The petrol versions are heavier at low speeds. The brakes are good and clear on all test cars. The wheel arches are noisy, and the air whistles too loudly in the area of ​​the side mirrors. Typical French wiper blades creak. And yes, this characteristic Citroen sound when turning on the direction indicators: "Knock-tok, knock-tok!" It's like the car is trying to reach you: “I'm special. Special!"

The full price list is promised in mid-October. In the meantime, only the starting amount is known - from $ 11. This, by the way, means that the Citroen C790 Sedan has fallen in price by $ 4. And it turned out to be cheaper than such competitors as, for example: Ford Focus Sedan, Hyundai Elantra, Nissan Sentra and Peugeot 721. "Knock-tok!" A spacious interior, well-equipped equipment, an excellent diesel engine, a new 408-speed automatic, a worthy Russian adaptation. Let's wish the unorthodox car “Bon a chance” - that is, good luck.

 

 

 

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