The New Citroen C4 Is Here And Ready To Waft

Follow on from an odd partial reveal a couple of weeks ago, Citroen has divulged all about its all-new C4. Unlike the last one, it is - as you can see - a crossover. That’s because the new C4 effectively replaces two cars with one - the old hatchback it shares a name with, and the C4 Cactus.

The latter car sadly became a lot more conventional after losing its distinctive ‘Air Bumps’ at the time of the mid-life facelift, but the new C4 brings plenty of French flair back into the equation. There are giant front light clusters, some unapologetically beefy plastic trim, and an abundance of lines. Maybe too many lines. But, you certainly can’t accuse it of being boring.

At 4360mm long the C4 is - ignoring the extra height - similarly sized to the C-segment hatchbacks it’s pitched against. Boot space comes in at an acceptable 380 litres, and what you can’t fit in there can be stuffed in 16 cabin storage compartments that provide an additional 39 litres of space it total.

The engine line-up isn’t much of a surprise, as it’s carried over from the Peugeot 2008, which sits on the same PSA Common Modular Platform (CMP). There’s 1.2-litre inline-three petrol available with either 99, 128 or 153bhp, while the sole diesel - displacing 1.5 litre - is good for 101bhp.

Perhaps more interesting is the fully electric powerplant in the ‘e-C4’. It features a 50kWh battery pack and a front axle-mounted motor producing the equivalent of 135bhp, making for a 0-62mph time of 9.7 seconds. It’ll cover up to 217 miles on a full charge, and once empty, the battery can be juiced to 80 per cent in just 30 minutes using a 100kW charger. If you can find one. More relevant is how long it takes to get to that point using a 7kW domestic charger - plugged into one of those, it takes seven hours.

While some manufacturers like to spend an awfully long time going on about stiffer bodyshells and improved dynamics, Citroen’s target market is a little different. As such, the C4 focuses more on comfort, with hydraulic compression and rebound stops for the dampers hopefully making this the waftiest small crossover around.

Inside - along with that impressive array of cubbyholes - you get a small digital instrument cluster, flanked by a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Pleasingly, unlike some other PSA products, you do still get physical climate controls underneath.

Sales won’t be starting until next year. The cheapest versions are expected to sneak under the £20,000 mark, while the e-C4 will be more like £30k.