2022 Citroen C4 price and specs

The Citroen C4 is back, with the high-riding fastback serving as Citroen’s entry into both the small hatchback and small SUV segments. It’s on sale now.

The C4 is classified in VFACTS as a small SUV, and therefore fills the gap left by the departed C3 Aircross. But Citroen says it isn’t defining what the C4 is or who its exact competitors are.

The company is bringing just one highly-specified model to the Australian market: the C4 Shine, which it says is competitively priced at $37,990 before on-roads.

That puts it up against the Peugeot 2008 GT ($38,990 before on-roads) and slightly larger Renault Arkana Intens ($37,490 before on-roads), both of which offer a similar level of equipment and performance.

However, the company has left the door open for an expanded C4 range, which could also include the electric e-C4.

“That’s not to say that we won’t explore other variants, such as the e-C4, which we will look into and we hope to share more news with you later on next year,” said product planning manager Daniel Khan.

For now, the single Shine variant is powered by a turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine with 114kW of power at 5500rpm and 240Nm of torque at 1750rpm.

It’s mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission sourced from Japanese firm Aisin.

Citroen says the C4 is aimed at both previous Citroen owners and new customers to the brand, and with its comfort focus and more hatchback-like silhouette it has a different buyer to the more conventionally SUV-like Peugeot 2008.

The company has focused on comfort for its latest C4, promising a “soothing interior atmosphere with light and soft materials” and “solutions in suspension, seating and acoustic comfort so that the driving experience feels like being in a cocoon”.

To that end, the new C4 offers Citroen’s latest suspension set-up with Progressive Hydraulic Cushions which, while not as avant garde as the company’s old hydropneumatic system, promises a “magic carpet ride”.

The suspension employs two hydraulic stops: one for rebound and one for compression.

Inside, the armchair-like Advanced Comfort Seats front and rear include high-density material and 15mm thick foam.

There’s a 10.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay plus a digital instrument cluster, as well as handy features like a sliding drawer on the passenger side of the dashboard and an integrated tablet holder.

Citroen says it’s focused on comfort and ease of use for the interior, which extends to the retention of physical knobs for the climate control system, unlike some Peugeot models.

Though it’s 107mm longer and 19mm wider than a Peugeot 308, it doesn’t use that car’s EMP2 platform.

Instead, it’s based on the smaller Peugeot 208 and 2008’s EMP1 platform, much like how the Volkswagen Golf-sized Skoda Scala is based on the Polo‘s MQB A0 architecture.

The C4 has a look that’s both hatchback and SUV with a bit of coupe thrown in for good measure.

The first-generation C4 three-door hatchback coupe was one inspiration, but the new C4 features plastic wheel arch extensions and a higher ride height to give it a more rugged look than both past C4s and rival small hatches.

While Citroen’s Airbumps are far less prominent on the new C4 than on the old C4 Cactus, they’re still there, albeit integrated more conventionally with the body and no longer full of air. So, just bumps then.

Pricing

2022 Citroen C4 Shine: $37,990

Price excludes on-road costs.

Engine

The 2022 Citroen C4 is powered by a turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine producing 114kW of power and 240Nm of torque. It’s mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Citroen claims a 0-100km/h time of 8.5 seconds.

Fuel Economy

The 2022 Citroen C4 uses 6.1L/100km on the combined cycle. It has a 50L fuel tank.

Dimensions

The 2022 Citroen C4 measures 4355mm long, 1525mm tall and 1834mm wide (2032mm including the mirrors). It rides a 2670mm wheelbase.

Tare weight is 1237kg.

Boot space is 380L measured up to the parcel shelf. This expands to 1250L with the rear seats folded. There’s a 16-inch space-saver spare under the boot floor.

Servicing and Warranty

The 2022 Citroen C4 is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

The C4 requires servicing every 12 months or 15,000km.

The first five services are capped at $429, $585, $429, $598 and $443, or a total of $2485 over five years.

Safety

The Citroen C4 has yet to receive a rating from ANCAP, though it received a four-star rating from Euro NCAP. We’ll have to wait and see if this carries over to the Australian-spec model.

The standard autonomous emergency braking system detects both pedestrians and cyclists, day and night, and works at speeds of 30-80km/h.

Other standard safety equipment includes:

Blind-spot monitoring
Lane-keep assist
Adaptive cruise control with stop/go
Driver attention alert
Traffic sign recognition
Reversing camera with front, rear and side parking sensors
Front, front-side and curtain airbags

Standard Equipment

Standard kit includes:

10-inch touchscreen infotainment system
Satellite navigation
Wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
DAB digital radio
Six-speaker sound system
5.5-inch digital instrument cluster
Head-up display
Leather-wrapped steering wheel
Siena leather upholstery
Heated front seats
Four-way power driver’s seat with massaging
LED headlights, daytime running lights and fog lights
Static cornering lights
Automatic headlights
Automatic high-beam
Rain-sensing wipers
Rear privacy glass
18-inch alloy wheels
Heated, power-folding exterior mirrors
Electrochromatic rear-view mirror
Electric parking brake
Dual-zone climate control
Rear centre console air vents
Keyless entry and start
Paddle shifters

There’s also an integrated tablet cradle for the front-seat passenger that’s compatible with the seventh-generation iPad and the Samsung Galaxy A6. A larger holder for the iPad Air 2 and Samsung Galaxy Tablet A 10.5’’ is an optional accessory.

A panoramic sunroof at $1490.