Citroen C4 2.0 HDi Exclusive

The sky is overcast and gray over panoramic roof of the new Citroen C4, just as my mood. Two exhausting days at the Paris Motor Show drained the last remnants of my energy and will to “tourism” in the Scandinavian countries, where I was invited to the promotion of the new Citroen’s hope.

Too bad, because 11 km long bridge, which connects Copenhagen (Denmark) and Malmo in Sweden is quite impressive and deserves to be given more attention. In addition, there is a “mosquito”, unbearably irritating me, which is nothing else but a hackneyed turn signal in the “techno” version.

Maybe the reason is that young Citroen engineers (they number is growing) spend too much time at the elite French discos? I do not know how, but I find the command switch to descreetly “tick-tock”, testing other three different melodies as well.

In fact, drivers can choose between four different themes: Classic (tick-tock), Crystal Symphony (pleasant udulating sound of the alarm parking brake (but “crazy” indicator), Urban Rythmik (that’s the correct spelling, and avoid it by the way) and Jungle Fantasy (nightmare). Personalization can go further, so you can choose the color of the instrument panel illumination from white to “screaming” blue. It is obvious that the technology of mobile telephony moves into the automotive industry.

In expecting to get off the highway, I continue to explore the impressively done interior of the new Chevron, recognizing that this is not the only originality. Instruments are also unique, embossed, whose color, if desired, varies from milky white to dark blue. It’s nice, but my happiness is overwhelming when I discover that I can directly plug in the cell phone charger (230 V, max 120W). It is me who is constanly leaving the home with an empty battery. OK, I admit, all this is reserved for the most expensive Exclusive, but it should be noted that Citroen has not been skimp regarding standard and additional equipment.

I find the evidence at the top of the left mirror, where my orange LED signals that a Volvo (what else could you expect in Sweden) is in the blind spot (it’s on the right side as well). A little bit later, another system helped me to assess whether there is sufficient parking space.

If we add to all the above the SOS button, ready to call support directly in case of trouble, we have a Citroen C4 better equipped than the C6!

What to say about the car massage seat, which I unconsciously activated in order to adjust the seat? The truth is that I would prefer a nice Swedish girl at the reception to do the work, but let’s not exaggerate, perhaps madame Rajković read this article…

Taking everything into account in the end, it turns out that with the price of 26,900 euros “my” C4 is not too expensive compared with competitors such as the Peugeot 308 2.0 Feline HDi/140, Megane 2.0 dCi/160 GT and Golf 2.0 TDI/140 Carat.

Germanization of the Frencman
Partly because of the reputation of the local police (apparently they do not forgive even the slightest offense), and partly because of accumulated fatigue, I enjoy the easy ride on empty and winding coastal road in southern Sweden, carefully sightseeing the interior.

The design is conventional more or less, but the ergonomics is much better compared to its predecessor. The truth is that there are still too many buttons on the steering wheel (by the way, the central part is no longer fixed, as was the case with former and current C4, C5), but once I master them, I “surf” like a real boss.

The used materials act rich and of good quality, while the color has been chosen with good taste, as befits a French school. What impresses me above all is the seriousness and quality of the finish. It is obvious that German manufacturers served as an example. I don’t have the impression that available space has evolved significantly. The novice took the predecessor’s platform what is normal, getting 5 cm longer (4.33 total). Actually, this applies only to the cabin space, because the trunk has a capacity of more than 400 dm³ (previously only 320 dm³), and much more with no spare wheel respectively. Do you wonder about driving dynamics?

Without any desire to check out the tolerance of the local police, I am satisfied with more dynamic driving only in curves, where comes to the forefront, so to say, the soft trim. Tuned to comfort, I believe that the C4 is trimmed just the way the supporters of this brand like it. In other words, we have a safe and quiet family car here that voluntarily left the role of an athlete and “renegade” to another model called DS4.

We had the opportunity to get to know it better at the Motor Show from the beginning of the story, finding that its appearance explains much. As a matter of fact, they must not be rivals, and that forced designers to calm down forms of C4.

It seems that “syndrome of Golf” establishes itself even in the French companies, who are increasingly looking for the seriousness of their creations. With the hips raised high, relatively small glass areas, and short overhangs, the C4 looks really compact and muscular. This choice is confirmed with more powerful engines as well, which means that now we find the new 2.0 HDi 150 hp, as well as the famous 1.6 THP/155, known from the DS3 and other PSA models. Logically, both exercise more than convincing performance, and for those with modest budgets, we offer two weaker gasoline models (1.4 VTi/95 and 1.6 VTi/120), and the same number of diesels (1.6 HDi 90 and 110 hp).

Let us leave further details for the next time, and finish this short Scandinavian “post-card” with the announced price, which, at least on the French market, should be somewhere between 16,900 and 26,900 euros.