Coupe C4 offers real style

Dec 29 2008 Peter Hayward

THE Citroen C4 in five door form is a practical family car with a huge range of attributes but the three door coupe is very different and much harder to live with.

Getting into the back seats is never elegant or easy, even if you are a lot more supple than me, and tall passengers will have to keep their heads down.

That said, this is one of the most stylish and distinctive cars in the class, with remarkable refinement which manages to reduce road and most wind noise to zero.

I drove the latest turbocharged 1.6 THP, with an excellent 150bhp and enough urge for just about anything, even if all four seats have people in them.

The road holding is superb with fairly hard suspension but that means an occasionally uncomfortable ride - often the price which has to be paid for sporting models.

Good discounts always available so don't buy without haggling.

Interior

Inside, C4s are funky and eccentric, with digital instruments and an occasionally annoying steering wheel boss which does not turn with the wheel.

The longer than long doors of the three door can be very awkward, and mean that you hunt for wider car parking spaces to make entry and exit more easy. Equipment is excellent.

FAST FACTS

Citroen C4 Coupe 1.6 THP VTS

Price : £17,127

Mechanical : 150bhp, 1,598cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 5spd manual gearbox

Max speed : 131mph

0-62mph : 8.4 secs

Combined mpg : 40.9

Insurance group : 11

CO2 emissions : 164g/km

BiK rating : 19%

Warranty : 3yrs/ 60,000 miles, 3yrs paint, 12yrs anti-rust

Marks : 8/10

Main rival : Peugeot 308, Vauxhall Astra