Citroen C4 - Interior, design and technology
Citroen has designed a real head turner in the C4, although the infotainment system is a little awkward to use
The previous Citroen C4 was so forgettably bland that Citroen needed to come up with a striking design for the third-generation model. Has it succeeded? Well, first impressions are certainly good. The aggressive coupe lines catch the eye, and sharper angles across some of the bodywork give the C4 a tauter, more modern look.
At around 1,300kg, the C4 is quite a bit lighter than most of its rivals, which benefits ride quality and comfort – an area Citroen feels it can convince customers away from more dynamic rivals.
Interior quality is a bit of a mixture – not up to the standard of the very best in the class, but just about passing muster. You won’t find many soft-touch materials around the cabin, but Citroen has done a decent job of ensuring a reasonable level of perceived quality.
Standard equipment is generous, with entry-level You! trim including 18-inch alloy wheels, auto LED headlights, rear parking sensors and dual-zone climate control. Upgrading to the more luxurious Plus trim adds a reversing camera, sat-nav, and the benefit of an adjustable height boot floor. The most expensive Max trim in the C4 range adds heated front seats, a head-up display, and Alcantara seat trim.
With the electric e-C4, the top-of-the-range trim is e-Series, which builds on Max trim with adaptive cruise control, black exterior detailing, and wireless smartphone charging.
Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment
The C4 comes with a large 10-inch screen as standard, and best of all, there are physical buttons for the air-conditioning controls. Some Citroen models don’t have these, and fiddling with them on the touchscreen is annoying, so we’re glad that real buttons are making a comeback.
The touchscreen is large, looks smart, and has everything you need, including Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which work well on the big display. The smartphone connection is wireless, and you can add wireless phone charging as part of the Techno Pack on Max trim cars.
The screen could be more responsive to inputs, though, and the menus aren’t as easy to understand and navigate as we’d like, while the system is also slower to load than some rivals. The high-end Max and e-Series trim levels include a head-up display as standard.
