Hi-tech C4 has Flex appeal

French giant Citroen is aiming to join the cream of the crop with the latest version of its C4 hatchback.

The new BioFlex model is based on the 1.6-litre petrol five-door car, and is capable of running on E85 bioethanol – eco-friendly fuel dev­eloped from plants – conventional unleaded petrol or a mix of the two.

Bosses claim CO2 emissions are cut by five per cent when the C4 is run on the renewable source, and while fuel economy is slightly worse than on the standard car, the lower price of E85 will slash running costs dramatically. What’s more, power is up from 110bhp to 113bhp – so acceleration should be improved – and the C4 BioFlex will cost exactly the same as the petrol model. Ser­vice intervals are identical, too. The only problem is, although the model goes on sale in Europe in the next few weeks, it could take up to a year to arrive here because of the limited bioethanol infrastructure in the UK.