Citroen C4 2023 review: Long-term | Part 2

Welcome back! I’m now two months into ‘owning’ the Citroen C4 Shine, and I’ve got it to admit I’ve grown quite fond of the very quirky French model.

As mentioned, a lot of the C4’s quirks can be attributed to its complicated exterior design. Measuring in at 4355mm long (with a 2670mm wheelbase), 1834mm wide and 1525mm tall, is it a hatchback? Or rather a fastback? Or does that sloping roofline instead lead this Citroen into being more of an SUV with a ‘coupe’ twist?

The answer is all of the above. But there’s no doubting the C4 is heavily leaning into the ‘crossover’ trend with its elevated ride height and prominent plastic cladding. Citroen being Citroen, though, the latter features the latest interpretation of the brand’s signature Airbumps, which have been reduced to one a side.

And that isn’t where Citroen’s signatures end, as the C4’s front end is dominated by an extrapolation of the brand’s double-chevron logo, with the badge’s chrome extending all the way out to the split LED DRLs and headlights on the corners. Teamed with the heavily creased bonnet, it’s a distinct look I quite like.

At the rear, the C4 is almost as divisive. We’ve seen partially black tailgates from other brands before (hello, Toyota Prius), so this one isn’t unprecedented, but it does give the Citroen an extra (arguably unnecessary) dose of style. Then there’s another double-chevron reference, this time from the tail-lights’ LED signature.

But my favourite styling element from the C4 is its black wing spoiler, which splits the rear glass in two – although not as dramatically as the Honda CR-Z coupe. It adds some sportiness to the formula and does a handy job of ensuring the lower section of the rear glass never gets rained on! Although rearward visibility does take a hit…

Inside, the C4 is not nearly as arresting, but it’s still got some nice flourishes that prevent it from being a sea of uninspiring black surfaces. Satin chrome accents abound, but it’s the patterned Zephyr Grey vinyl inserts in the door trims and seats that really work for me. The pews also get matching piping and stitching – it’s the little things.

Citroen’s also avoided the usual grained trope with its soft-touch plastics, which adorn the upper dashboard and front door shoulders. Even some of their hard counterparts go down this path. If you can’t tell, I’m a little sick of plastics pretending to be leather. Also not a fan of gloss-black surfaces, which abound on the centre console and upper dashboard surrounds.

The C4’s also different with its steering wheel, which has a flat bottom – and top. The gear selector doesn’t follow tradition, too. Unlike some other low-profile toggle-style items, this one shifts between Park, Drive and Reverse easily enough – sounds simple, but not every brand nails it.

When it comes to displays, the C4’s 5.0-inch digital instrument cluster is not only undersized, but also missing the breadth of functionality (full-time sat-nav and trip computer) others offer. At least there’s a head-up display above, even if it is projected onto a plastic screen and not the actual windshield. It’s a basic set-up, too.

The 10.0-inch touchscreen to the left is generously sized but swamped by unnecessarily thick bezels. The multimedia system powering it is also pared-back, and it annoyingly hides some key climate controls, including the dual-zone functionality. The physical knobs and buttons lower in the centre stack are great – but there should be more of them! Remember when you could just operate the air-con without thinking?

Practicality-wise, the C4 is surprisingly good in the first row. The door bins take a large bottle each, and the central storage bin is decently sized, if not squared off. Then there’s two cupholders ahead of it, and then a small open cubby flanks the aforementioned gear selector in between, with another small storage space hidden beneath.

Speaking of cubbies, there are two of them in the centre stack, with both open. The lower item is deep and wide and encompasses a 12V power outlet. Meanwhile, its higher counterpart isn’t as tall but features USB-C and USB-A ports, with only the former annoyingly capable of wired smartphone mirroring. But more than anything this particular area would be perfect for a wireless charger – a key feature the C4 is missing.

The glovebox is large but half taken up by the fuse box. (Image: Justin Hilliard)

That said, the C4 wins back some brownie points with its front-passenger amenities. Yes, the glovebox is large but half taken up by the fuse box (classic right-hand-drive Citroen), but you also get a shallow drawer above! It’s perfect for storing papers… or the case required to use the dashboard’s other surprise feature, a fold-out tablet holder. It’s the unexpected things in life! Can’t say I’ve used it at all, though.

In the second row, there are map pockets on the front seat backrests and door bins that can swallow a large bottle apiece – but no fold-out central armrest with cupholders. While a shame, air vents and a USB-A port are located at the rear of the centre console – two features that are rarer in this segment than they should be.

When it comes to wriggle room, behind my 182cm driving position, I have generous legroom, with up to a few inches available. Despite the aforementioned sloping roofline, headroom is also decent alongside toe-room. You’d be best to avoid regularly having three adults seated on the rear bench, as there isn’t a lot of shoulder room to go around. Plus, the transmission tunnel is large enough to encroach on precious footwell space.

That said, three top-tether and two ISOFIX anchorage points are on hand for fitting child seats, should they be required. If so, some Tetris skills may be required to initially navigate the C4’s smaller rear door openings.

Now, when it comes to the all-important boot, the C4 has a space-saver spare wheel underfloor and a respectable cargo capacity of 380L (VDA) with the 60/40 split-fold second row in use, or 1250L with it stowed. The latter can be actioned from the rear of the vehicle thanks to the easily accessible manual release latches.

Be warned, though, the C4 has a tall load lip to contend with as well as a large hump in the boot floor, should maximum storage space be required. I put both to the test when I did the obligatory IKEA shop and successfully transported two large chests of drawers, albeit in flatpack form. It was awkward but achievable. The two available bag hooks and four tie-down points can help with loose items, though.

Finally, as far as month two’s fuel consumption is concerned, I averaged 7.6L/100km over 649km of driving, which is 0.8L/100km better than what I achieved the first time around. This improvement can be attributed to more time spent on highways, as most of my assessment of the C4 is taking place within the urban jungle. Still a far cry from the C4’s 6.1L/100km combined-cycle claim, but again, that’s to be expected.

Now, in the upcoming third and final instalment of this long-term review, I’ll deep-dive how the C4 drives, in particular against our UrbanGuide criteria. Is it a capable city car? And what is my overall verdict on the new Citroen? Come back next month to find out. See you then!

Acquired: July 11, 2022

Distance travelled this month: 649km

Odometer: 5358km

Average fuel consumption this month: 7.6L/100km