Citroen continues to redefine what a compact family saloon can look like with this C4 X. Jonathan Crouch looks at the improved version.

Ten Second Review

The C4 X is 'the best of a hatchback, with the modernity of an SUV and the timelessness of a saloon', according to Citroen. Or you could simply see it as a sedan version of the brand's quirky C4 hatch. Either way, it's an ambitiously styled EV or combustion-powered four-door family saloon that's compact yet spacious, with a simply enormous boot. And here, it's been usefully improved.

Background

X seems to mean different things to different brands. Citroen doesn't see the letter as designating an SUV. Instead, for them, it references what the brand calls 'the crossroads of different universes', a melding together of different genres, the sort of thing we've already seen in the company's large C5 X. With the C4 X, the styling brief was rather less ambitious, but it still hoped to blend hatchback, crossover and sedan genres together into one appealing compact shape that a first glance, could fall into any of those three categories. By the time of this car's original 2022 launch, we'd already seen something similar (but rather more dramatic) with cousin Stellantis Group Gallic brand Peugeot's 408, but the C4 X was a more straightforward design that sat on a different, simpler, CMP platform and was offered with a wider variety of powertrains, including a full-electric model. As you might expect, everything is based on the C4 hatch, but from the B-pillar back, things are a great deal more spacious and interesting. Citroen revealed a wide-ranging update to this car in Autumn 2024. Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experience

The C4 X does of course drive just like the C4 hatch and, as with that car, the brand hopes that the way this car rides is what will sell it to you. It features a clever Progressive Hydraulic suspension set-up. Here, the car's springs and shock absorbers work in concert with hydraulic compression and rebound stops, which are supposed to slow body movement over bumps and tarmac tears. You'll want to know about the engines. As part of this update, Citroen has dispensed with most of the pre-facelift model's un-electrified PureTech engines, so now if you want an affordable combustion-powered C4, your main choice is to opt for the brand's 48V mild hybrid tech. This was available before in Hybrid 136hp form, a variant now also joined by a more affordable Hybrid 100hp model. In both cases, the brand's familiar 1.2-litre three cylinder petrol unit is supported by a 28hp 48-volt electric motor energised by a tiny 0.4kWh battery pack. If you really don't want the hybrid-ised petrol unit, the brand will still sell you the old PureTech 130 engine mated to EAT8 auto transmission. The full-EV e-C4 options haven't changed, so as before you choose between 50kWh/136hp base version (with a 223 mile range) or a 54kWh/154hp model (with 264 miles). To boost this capability, the car can recover energy when decelerating or braking. And there are three drive modes - 'Eco', 'Normal' and 'Sport' - that can vary the level of engine power and the energy draw from the air conditioning to boost driving range.

Design and Build

True to its name, the C4 X is what Citroen describes as a 'cross design' - an integration of a Fastback saloon body onto the raised hatchback-cum-crossover design of the C4 hatch. Everything at the front is the same as that hatch showroom stablemate. As with the updated C4 hatch, the front look of this revised C4X draws upon the brand's Oli concept car from 2022, with squared-off lighting signatures and the brand's latest logo. But from the B-pillar back, a different roof line takes over and there's an extra 240mm of length. This accommodates a large 510-litre boot (much bigger than the 380-litres you get in the C4 hatch). And a small duck tail-like spoiler with distinctive LED lights. There are quite a few changes with this updated model inside, where there's a bigger 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster (1.5-inches larger than before). The 10.0-inch central screen's the same size as previously, but has been updated with a new connected 3D navigation system and a better 'Hello Citroen'-activated voice control set-up. A major selling point of the pre-facelift car was its cossetting 'Advanced Comfort' seats; well they've been improved with an extra 15mm of foam and a new denser section of padding in the centre of the squab. For the EV version, there's also now a 'V2L' 'Vehicle-to-Load' system, which enables you to plug external devices (like laptop, lights, coffee makers, drones and so on) into the vehicle battery. And rear seat space? You might hope for an improvement over the hatch there given the body length increase of this sedan body shape, but that ignores the fact that this C4 X model's wheelbase length of 2,670mm is unchanged over the hatch. So things are much the same in the back, apart from the fact that headroom is slightly compromised by the sloping rear roof line. In compensation, Citroen claims best-in-class second-row knee room (198mm) and a more reclined (27-degree) rear seatback. Plus the exterior width of 1,800mm means that three people can comfortably sit side-by-side across the rear bench, with a total of 1,380mm of width at the shoulders and 1,440mm at the elbows. The C4 X saloon's boot is a big 510-litres in size (130-litres bigger than the hatch).

Market and Model

Right, let's get to prices, which as before start from around £24,000 (the same as the hatch version). The full-electric e-C4 X model starts from around £32,000. To take on key compact similarly-sized EV rivals in the same price bracket, all versions of this C4 X need to be well equipped. They are. Nice touches the include LED ambient lighting on the new 7-inch digital instrument panel. Front passengers benefit from access to Citroën's Smart Pad Support, a retractable tablet holder built directly into the dashboard, which enables the front passenger to make the most of time spent on the move. Below this is a Dashboard Tray, a large sliding drawer with a cushioned action. A popular option will be the large electric opening panoramic sunroof. A 10-inch central infotainment screen comes with all C4 Xs, as does wireless 'phone charging and 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto' smartphone-mirroring connectivity. A superb sound system can be specified too, with Arkamys digital sound processing and 8 speakers. A nice optional touch you might well want to consider is a full-HD camera built into the rear view mirror which can take photos or video stored on a 16GB memory card. Safety-wise, there's no fewer than 20 different driver assistance features, including Highway Driving Assist and a 'level 2' semi-autonomous drive system incorporating Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keeping Assist.

Cost of Ownership

So, petrol or electric? Of course, to make a proper judgement, you're going to need to peruse the combustion model efficiency figures - which are very class-competitive. The Hybrid 136 DCS6 petrol/electric version manages up to 62.1mpg (similar to the old 1.5 diesel) and up to 107g/km (much better than that old diesel). Citroen reckon that in urban driving, you'd be battery-powered around 50% of the time. And the full-electric variant? Well, the Department of Transport tells us that the average motorist in the UK covers 7,400 miles a year, which is the kind of mileage that would cost an e-C4 X owner somewhere between £200 and £300 in added electricity charges, powering up from a typical 7.4kW garage wallbox on off peak rates, the variance depending on driving style and different electricity prices (we've assumed 11p per kWh). The e-C4 X charges at up to 100kW with the 50kWh battery - or at up to 115kW with the 54kWh battery. But charging times are much the same either way. The e-C4 is fitted with a 7.4kW on-board charger, which can rapid charge to 80% in around half an hour using a 100kW public fast charger. At home, the car will charge from empty in around 7.5 hours using a 7kW garage wallbox. That could fall to just 5 hours if you have a 3-phase home electricity supply and have the car fitted with an optional 11kW on-board charger. As usual with an electric car, to take advantage of lower cost off-peak electricity tariffs, you can manage charging times by using the touchscreen tablet in the passenger compartment or by using the provided 'MyCitroen' app. The charging port features a coloured indicator so the user can monitor the charging process - which can also be followed on the 'MyCitroen' app. Whatever your choice of C4 X, you'll properly want to keep garage costs in check by opting for the affordable 3 year servicing plan that is available at point of purchase. Finally, there's the usual Citroen three year / 60,000 mile warranty. And the e-C4 X has its own battery warranty - 8 years or 100,000 miles for 70% of charge capacity.

Summary

Citroen really wants this C4 X to be seen as a Coupe-SUV - like Renault's Arkana - which might be a bit of a stretch because it's not clean sheet design like that car; merely an C4 hatch with a rather stylish boot. Still, because that C4 hatch model has a rather crossovery vibe, the C4 X confection kind of works, especially in this updated form. And the way the stretched rear has been configured means that you get more luggage space than any other compact saloon of this size we can think of. Fashion and practicality are attributes the C4 X will need because mainstream brand sedans rarely sell well in our market. This one may not break that trend, but the right kind of customer might well like it very much indeed. It delivers the saloon body style Citroen needs in its line-up for Middle Eastern, African and Southern European markets. But there's much wider appeal here. Enough maybe, to make you want to try this car.