Citroën C4 1.6 HDi VTR Plus review - verdict

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Citroën C4 1.6 HDi 110 VTR+ Road Test

Test Date 07 December 2004 Price When New £17,015

Verdict

If brisk, affordable performance, decent comfort, some novel convenience features and appealingly fresh styling are your priorities, the C4 makes a strong case for itself — but not in VTR Plus guise. It may only be the tyres, but those 17-inch wheels do significant damage to the C4’s ride comfort. Which is why we can only give the VTR Plus three-and-a-half stars. In another format, we could see this Citroën scoring four.
The C4 is a car that places the emphasis on easily understood sophistications rather than the dynamic benefits of the Focus and Golf, which are less easy for the bulk of buyers to appreciate. Keen drivers will see that the C4 lacks the polished road manners that the Ford and VW provide.
Ironically, it’s dynamic ability that used to mark Citroëns out as much as their quirky styling and ergonomics. But if the C4 family doesn’t go the whole way, its bolder styling, imaginative interior and superb array of equipment are a welcome improvement — you only have to remember the ordinariness of the outgoing Xsara to see that. And just as welcome are Citroën’s substantial strides on the quality front. We suspect that the appeal of this car will last long after that new-car allure has worn off — something it’s harder to say of some of its stablemates.