Citroën ë-C4 review: Electric Frenchman for the city

With the Citroën ë-C4, an interesting compact crossover is coming onto the market. Is he good in the everyday test? Does he promise too much? We have clarified these questions, among other things, in our test.

With the ë-C4 Citroën launches the electric version of the well-known C4. Is it worth it in the price range from 36.000 euros? To anticipate something: it's actually worth it if you can do without a few things. But let's get to the design first.

Design - Classic Citroën, right?

You can see the classic, modern Citroën design in the ë-C4. It's certainly not to everyone's taste, but it's a unique selling point. The daytime running lights are kept very flat. Below you will find the main headlights, which also include the high beam. This ensures good illumination at night.

The ë-C4 was made available to us in light blue, which I personally think is the most beautiful livery currently on offer. The lower headlights also have a blue frame. These accents, which can also be found in the interior, indicate the electric version of the C4.

Interior - variety of materials & tablet holder

In the interior of the ë-C4, in addition to the steering wheel, we can also find many different materials, all of which are of good quality. Nothing creaks or squeaks. At least that's what you would expect for the price. The 10-inch infotainment system is the same as in the group models: Opel Mokka-e, Peugeot e-2008 and DS3 Crossback E-Tense.

The climate control still has real buttons. However, some shots have migrated to digital. Nevertheless, it is relatively easy to use and easy to understand.

By the way, on the passenger side there is a holder for an included tablet case. The passenger can then keep himself busy during the charging break or while driving.

Infotainment - No e-route planning & app less good

Unfortunately, the ë-C4 still comes with the old Stellantis infotainment system. Although this works rock solid, it does not offer any e-route planning and the app is not really usable (even with the new infotainment generation). During our test period, the app unfortunately crashed every morning with "Unknown Server Error". After several restarts, it then worked to a limited extent. The Stellantis group urgently needs to improve this. Of course, as with every manufacturer, DAB radio is standard equipment.

All that can be said about the rest of the infotainment is: yes, it works and does what it should. But nothing more. There is the new generation that we are already in DS 4 E Tense were allowed to test clear better!

Unfortunately, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay still only work with a cable in the old infotainment generation. By the way, the new Citroën ë-C4X already offers the new software generation. Unfortunately, this will probably be rolled out less on the old models. The old systems are not yet capable of OTA updates (over-the-air). Maybe we will soon see a facelift from the ë-C4 where the new software will be introduced.

Audio - Solid audio system with no name behind it

Citroën builds speakers into the ë-C4 that don't come with a major audio manufacturer. However, we had the hi-fi audio package including a subwoofer in our test car. The sound can be seen quietly. You shouldn't turn it up all the way though, it'll boom quite well. But nothing rattles, even if you like it a little louder. We would rate the sound as good for the price.

Driving impression – Good for the city and medium distances

The ë-C4 is a perfect electric car for the city. It offers enough space for a family of 4 or even 5 people. It is also sufficient for everyday strolls or medium-distance routes. Despite its 354 km specified according to the WLTP, in reality it manages around 300 km on normal trips in summer. In winter around 190 km to 230 km. On the Autobahn you should then plan a stop after a good 200 km. For long-distance trips with children, where you often take breaks anyway, this shouldn't be a major obstacle. On the other hand, a slightly larger battery would have been necessary to counter the fear of range.

But the ë-C4 is very easy to drive. The chassis is tuned very gently and offers good comfort. The seats are comfortable and even offer a massage option on our trim level. However, the heated seats could get a little hotter. The steering wheel heating is almost too hot. The roof window can be opened electrically so that some fresh air can come in from above.

The speed in combination with 136 hp in the front-wheel drive is more than enough to keep up with the traffic. In any case, it is not underpowered. It doesn't always have to be over 200 hp in terms of performance.

Loading - Could be a bit faster

The charging speed is specified as 101 kW via DC. 11kW via AC are also possible. With the current very wintry temperatures, however, we have never been able to see anything over 80 kW. Quite passable, but a little more charging power would have been desirable. On the other hand, I can well imagine that the ë-C4 will be charged more often at home than at the quick charging stations.

Picture: TechnikNews

The battery in the ë-C50 comes with a good 4 kWh. This should be enough for small cars like the Peugeot e-208 or the Opel e-Corsa. For the larger ë-C4, however, one could have opted for a 60 kWh battery or even a larger one. That would also be good for the range.

Conclusion - Solid family car with enough comfort

With all its features, the Citroën ë-C4 really offers a lot for the price. Incidentally, assistance systems of the kind you would imagine are also on board. However, an active steering assistant is missing. There is a head-up display in the retractableen Plexiglas version also at extra charge. These are all nice comfort features that we really liked.

We only had one on a cold, wintry night Proproblem with the automatic dimming of the high beam. But after a little driving it worked fine again. Seemed a bit like the sensor was frozen over. But that was only once in our 2 weeks. Otherwise we didn't have any Proproblems with the technology of the ë-C4.

The only major drawback, which we really didn't like: You can safely ignore the range display. It really fluctuates extremely and is not exact. You better pay attention to them Procenters that are displayed to you. There is an urgent need to catch up on the range assessment here. Other manufacturers do it a world better.

Thanks to Citroën Germany for providing a test car as part of this test report!

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