Citroen C4 Hatchback test drive since 2010 hatchback

Double debut C4

Citroen novelty had to withstand a harsh test on the first day of stay in Russia
The story of the new Citroen C4, which just the other day appeared in Moscow and the editorial office of auto -investigation, this time I will combine with a report on the presentation of a car held on the territory of one of the capital's exhibition complexes. The fact is that there was a unique case to check in practice not only the running qualities of the machine, but also its safety. I will say right away - everyone survived, including the car
Respect physics!
We must pay tribute to the Citroen representative office in Russia, which organized an interesting and extraordinary event. In addition to standard speeches and a short test drive along the paths of the exhibition complex, journalists were offered to try out Citroen C4 in extreme conditions. It was necessary to accelerate, drive the left front wheel along a special bar, from which huge spikes stuck out, and then on the exploding wheel during the braking process to go around two obstacles, and, finally, stop in the corridor marked with cones. And so that the drivers did not seem little, the races were arranged for a while. It was detected from the moment of start to a complete stop, and a penalty seconds were added for each condensed cone.
The first race is demonstration. At the wheel is a professional athlete who knocks down only one cone on a puncture wheel, and even then almost stopping. After that, the representative of the company about the highest level of active security Citroen C4 followed. I tried it myself - really, they don’t deceive. ABS is perfectly configured, and ESP helps the driver just as much as her intervention is necessary in a similar situation. I would not mention this out of modesty, but the editor -in -chief insisted: I managed to win this competition, and I honestly earned a huge bottle of excellent champagne.
But the most interesting thing awaited all of us ahead, when representatives of near -automatic publications were behind the wheel. Judging by their results, at school they skipped all physics lessons. Otherwise, it is difficult to explain why these people accelerated, as if on the last journey, did not take into account weather conditions and type of tires at all (instead of asphalt - ice, on the discs - mediocre Michelin Pilot Alpin without spikes), and then they tried to catch the car for a long time and stopped far beyond the borders marked corridor. What they will write in the end is unimportant and uninteresting. But such experiments are simply dangerous, and the cars are sorry!
The horse of unpreparedness and driver's stupidity was the act of a representative of some glossy magazine. Having gained about 70 km/h and breaking through the wheel, he forgot to start braking, tried to go around the cones, and when he realized that he could not, he hit the brake pedal, and at the same time turned the steering wheel into an extreme position, since his car rushed in a side sliding. On a lamppost. Naturally, such panic actions caused a completely opposite reaction - the new C4 continued to fly in full accordance with the laws of physics - to where its inertia, that is, to the obstacle. He would release the brake, but no gas and steering wheel. As a result, the car first flew into the curb, and then effectively hugged a flashlight with a hood
In general, a practical demonstration of citroen passive safety funds was obtained, which, from the point of view of the automaker, ended with excellent results. Sitting in the car did not receive scratches, the driver’s and passenger doors continued to open. Even smart airbags did not work - due to the not too high speed with which the colleague approached this difficult test. As for the energy of the blow, it was absorbed by the bumper and its amplifier, as well as, most likely, the front sips. At the same time, the engine started, and the car could somehow move on its own. Well, Citroen C4 once again confirmed that it was not without reason that during the crash tests according to EURONCAP, the highest score - five stars.
Real Frenchman
However, pretty about sad. I'll tell you better about the car itself. Moreover, he deserves it. The heading this material implies not only a double check that C4 went to the presentation, but also the double debut of the same model. The French introduced a car in two bodies at once - a five -door hatchback and a coupe (for some reason, this is how they prefer to call a three -door hatchback). Cars, for nothing that are exactly the same in internal and external dimensions, are designed for different customers. In theory, the owner of the compartment must profess sports values, and the owner of the five -door should be family. The external design of models was also decided accordingly. The three -door body looks dynamic due to the slightly narrower side glasses and the roof line chopped behind. I repeat that at the same time he takes up places on the road and provides free space for all passengers exactly as much as family modification.
The only drawback is that it loses to it by visibility due to the original decision of the trunk door. Its upper, horizontal part is a continuation of the roof and made of glass. Just for this reason, the standard, vertical window turned out to be narrow, and in the rear view mirror I saw only a piece of asphalt length 70 behind the car. At the same time, there can be no complaints about visibility in the lateral mirrors at all - they are quite large and are located in convenient doors.
A family five -door visited our test. You can talk about it in three words - a funny and beautiful car, or you can delve into the details. There are a lot of them, but I will dwell on the main ones. So, the salon. As always, Citroen engineers went their own way and decided to do something wrong. They succeeded in full. The front panel has lost its combination of devices. Instead, in the middle, almost under the windshield, there is a long liquid crystal display. The most interesting thing is that its thickness does not exceed 2 mm, and the screen itself passes the light. Nevertheless, Citroen experts managed to defeat the problem of glare and contrast - all the testimonies are visible on the instrument panel even with the bright sun and the driver and any passenger.
The central display, let’s say, is the most general information - speed (huge numbers in the middle), fuel supply, engine temperature, the path traveled. All service information is available only to the driver. A second screen is strengthened on the steering column, which depicts the tachometer scale. In normal mode, it is illuminated by orange, and when the revolutions approach the maximum 6,000, the display blushes markedly. Finally, a narrow strip with indicators of turns, manual brakes and other data important for the driver was placed on the hub of the steering wheel. Although this, if we talk about the hub of the steering wheel, is not the most interesting. Imagine that it exists separately from the rim! That is, you twist the steering wheel, and its central part remains motionless. It may seem that this is inconvenient, but even by rotating the steering wheel in a sports style with quick interceptions, I had no problems. In addition, a motionless hub became the home of a special anatomical shape pillow (which one, I won’t say - God was dear to see), which, in the event of an accident, will shoot exactly in the driver’s body, regardless of the degree of rotation of the steering wheel. But I will return to the cabin - it has another display that is already responsible for indicating the operating modes of a standard radio or a luxurious musical complex based on JBL equipment supplied as an option. On the same display, official inscriptions about the work of wipers who supplied the rain sensor and a very confusing algorithm of work periodically pop up. Maybe using them is a matter of habit, but in a few hours I never got used to them. From time to time they scared me with sudden swings.
What else is worth telling about C4? Passengers inside this car will be warm and comfortable, and the spaces in the back will be sufficient for people up to 190 cm. If you are higher, it is better to book the place in front and stretch your legs there - this allows the dimensions of the niche. In the trunk, as an option, you can install the luggage system, which consists of folding plastic partitions and elastic nets.
The cost determines the possibilities
Vice opinion says that the car is going just as much as it is dear. Which in 90% of cases is confirmed by practice. Therefore, in the story of the running characteristics of Citroen I will start with the price. The most affordable C4 will cost the owner $ 18,200. In price competitors, this car is PEUGEOT 307, Toyota Corolla, Nissan Almera, etc. I can say for sure that the Frenchman is controlled perfectly, not inferior in this sense to a compatriot and surpassing, for example, Corolla.
As for the impressions of trips to C4, I can say that this is a nice quiet car. In terms of noise during movement, he can easily argue with the leader in this class - Renault Megane II. It was possible to overcome the sounds with the help of special linings on the bottom, which made it almost flat, and thanks to painstaking work on the body aerodynamics. The factor coefficient is, by the way, only 0.28, which is also one of the best results in the classroom. By the way, the pads on the bottom play another important role - they distribute the flows of running air so that the body at high speed is additionally pressed to the road and the machine clearly follows the given path.
I apologize, dear reader, but I can’t tell in detail about the behavior of C4 in real, not specially organized extreme conditions. Because on the day of the test for Moscow, a snowdrift in the size of a city fell, and therefore public roads turned into a skating rink. On it, Citroen feels quite confident, gently helping the driver on occasion of the anti -wings system, as well as ESP and ABS.
Finally about the motor, but again with a reservation for snowfall. The traction capabilities of the base 1.6-liter engine are more than enough for confident starting in ice from the second gear. It works almost silently, and not consumes fuel - on average only 7.1 l/100 km. In more detail about the capabilities of the engine, and at the same time I can tell the new C4 chassis very soon - in one of the closest numbers of auto -media, a test coupe will be published, which technically repeats the hatchback. Therefore, I do not put the point at the end of the material
Text: Sergey Ilyinsky
 

A source: Newspaper "Automobile Izvestia" [No. 3 (71), 2005]