Citroen C4 III

At first glance, it looks like Citroen created a coupe crossover that is too much to bear for today's roads but when you turn around, it probably says C4 in it and you said "it can't be" in a shocked face. As a matter of fact, it is. THIS IS THE CITROEN C4.

The third-generation Citroen C4 is now morphed into a coupe crossover for all the wrong barrels and although the design is anything but questionable, the new C4 puts its strong emphasis to its tech, economy, and safety that will put everyone behind the wheel on notice.

What's the word on the styling, you may ask? The new Citroen C4 carries the brand's new X-faced design first applied on the C3 minor change and for bystanders, that new face is worth upsetting because it has the expression of the kabuki ready to strike, or rather your favorite cartoon character got slapped with X-eyes, the cute and hilarious expression of death. Striking the menacing new face it maybe, the switch to coupe-crossover styling is a radical departure from the previous model and while it sounds questionable, it feels like it's in tune with the times.

On the inside, the new C4 features a rather futuristic dashboard that feels like you're in a French cyberpunk movie without the punk in it. Although it features a touch screen sat-nav in it as well as other show-off features such as the head-up display, there are buttons in it where you can adjust the volume and room temperature. Happy days for the hipster-type speedo boys behind the wheel.

Convenience aside, the new C4 comes with numerous places to store with and for the first time ever in the world of motoring, it features Smart Pad Support Citroen, a retractable system made for holding iPads or any tablet computers you had in your arsenal. That's pretty neat for a car like this and while it was built for drivers from all walks of life, it fits up to five people on board and has a boot volume of 380-litres, which is shockingly less than the previous model it replaces, probably due to the sloping roofline but it still carries almost everything for work or for play.

Driving behind the wheel of this 20,900 Euro high-riding fastback, you will experience its clever dynamics and comfort that has championed Citroen for ages since the original C4 of 1928. That's because the new model's signature suspension setup comes with the Progressive Hydraulic Cushion that gives this car the most comfortable driving experience that is uniquely Citroen in every way. Ask everyone who drove the new model and this is the end result.

Under the hood, the new C4 offers a wide range of petrol and diesel engines with the most powerful bearing a 131PS 1.2L petrol engine that can be mated to either a 6-speed manual or 8-speed Auto.

For the first time, the C4 is offered in electric which features a 100kw electric motor and 50kWh battery pack good for 352km in one full charge based on WLTP standards. It does 0-100kph in 9.7 seconds and top speed of 150kph, which is 20kph slower than a normal Japanese car. Plugged at a 100kW public charging station, it gets recharged to 80% in half an hour.

Of course, because tech is the main focus for most modern cars, the new C4 features a wide array of safety features such as Active Safety Brake, Blind Spot Monitoring System, Active Lane Departure Warning System, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go function, Highway Driver Assist, Coffee Break Alert, Driver Attention Alert, Extended traffic sign recognition, and intelligent beam headlights.

The new Citroen C4 may have became a coupe crossover that cuts space from the previous model but it's surprisingly as comfortable as most Citroens should be and it has lots of tech to toy around. Like it or not, this is the Citroen built for the new normal.

Photo: Citroen