Test drive Citroen C4 hatchback since 2010 Hatchback
Is it worth buying Citroen C4. Test Drive "For and Cons"
Emotional design, borrowed engine, the initiative of the Government of the Russian Federation and the generosity of the manufacturer of France near the Citroen C4 and the Russian motorist. Kolesa.ru portal met the five-year Kaluga assembly, picked up the optimal complete set for utilizing, but did not understand the French approach to the arrangement of automotive interiors. We have a 5-door hatchback on our test. I couldn't have anything else: the C4 coupe is no longer supplied to the market - now we will see three hours only when sales of the next generation of the car will begin in Russia, and this will be in the second half of 2011. But more practical five-door hatchbacks in Kaluga are still stamping, and we have gave out a chance to evaluate how efficiently.
Judging by the reviews on the Internet, the coupe - as in Citroen they called the 3-door version of C4 - enjoyed great success at the fans of the brand. Basically, thanks to the unusual solution of the rear with sharp chopped edges. And the smooth round of the feed of our test car looks much more prosaic, and even strongly reminds the design of the younger in the status of Citroen C3.
C4 began to gain popularity along with the gradual output of the automotive market from the crisis and the growth of sales. And here in Russia, the utilization program was very successfully. The French manufacturer rated her opportunities, and made his own, the optimal offer is a complete set of optimum.
C4 Optimum - really well equipped. Especially if you in the garage fell in the car, which you are not sorry to give under the press. Citroen adds 50,000 rubles to a similar amount that the state allocates for a recycled car, and the price of our test instance is not already 616, but 516,000 rubles! What is not the optimum?!
Equipment C4 Optimum automatic transmission
There is everything you need, especially for just what Adieu who has been said to his rhuchadi. ABS, airbags (front, side and curtains), on-board computer, cruise control, climate control, electric circular, power windows, heated seats, MP3 radio with buttons on the steering wheel, alloy wheels 16.
About Shums
The first thing we can estimate is the quality of the assembly. Before that, we have been traveling more than once on C4, collected outside the Russian Federation and can say: the Kaluga model is not worse. But not better. If outside the body, the door, the hood and the trunk lid are perfectly joined, then crickets are heard in the cabin. When we brought Citroen C4 from Moscow to Peter, under the left hand of the driver on a bad road all the time something clicked. In the city of Cricket in the driver's door heard not every day, but sometimes he is still reminded of himself.
But noise insulation is a good car; Up to 4,000 revolutions per minute, the engine sound almost does not penetrate the cabin, does not reach the driver's ears and most of the road noise - from the wheeled arches, glass, tires. We add to this and the fact that in the Citroen is a very decent audio system with a clean sound and a multitude of sound setup options. Outcome - Acoustic Comfort in the car is quite European.
About the steering wheel Now about the comfort of ergonomic. How comfortable C4 is useful? It is unequivocally talking yes, it is convenient not necessary.
I hope in the future Citroen will cease to make cars in which the rim of the steering wheel will rotate separately from the core. You can get used to it and not to such, but why? So that fiercely rotating the Branca can be able to change radio wave? Or calmly set up speed limiter, parking machine?
We look later. To make the work Klaxon is not easy even when you know where exactly you need to harm. To force the beep to vote, you need to press a narrow strip at the bottom of the steering wheel. The problem is that when you really need to go to someone, the time to search for this zone is extremely small. And the driver from all over Duri is taking a power center - and in response silence ...
About devices
Sometimes it is better to sacrifice the originality for convenience. The French, for the most part, adhere to other opinions. Otherwise, why place the scoreboard with turn signals and indicators of the activity of light instruments at the top of the steering wheel? If you constantly transfer a look from the road to this screen, you can skip a lot of interesting things. Pedestrian, God forbid ...
But to the fact that the speedometer and the tachometer is not driving, but are made on a wide screen over the central console, you can get used to it. And when you get used to, this idea even like it: the speedometer dominates the remaining indicators, and the speed is read better than on the analog devices. Nearby is a clear tachometer scale, the indicator of the selected transmission, the fuel level, and even one more odometer - in addition to the fact that it is located on the mid-display screen - what reflects the readings of climate control.
On space
The review in the hatchback is much better than in the coupe. However, to achieve the ideal interfere with too wide front racks - that's another reason not to notice a pedestrian ...
The C4 salon is not the most spacious in class - especially after the segment with a very roomy sedan Renault Fluence appeared. But Citroen is not closely neither in front, nor from behind. Only put back the third passenger prevents the longitudinal tunnel, separating the floor. It is easy to sit on the rear sofa, place your legs - much harder.
The driver's seat has very soft sides, but when you sit comfortably - do not have discomfort, and in the abrasions, the chair holds surprisingly reliably. Drivers of different complexes from our edition, everything as one claims that they were sitting comfortably in Citroen.
For the transport of things C4 far from the most perfect car - in his trunk, simply little space, only 320 liters. For a hatchback, this is a good result, but considering that Citroen's sedan in this class is simply not, those for whom the amount of baggage is important apparently choose something else (for example, a sedan). Although the rear seats, of course, add up, freeing more than 1,000 liters of volume.
About dynamics Most employees of the editorial board Kolesa.ru, who were driving Citroen C4, critically expressed the organization of the internal space in the car. Approximately the same reviews, but already positive, got a car for running quality. And in the case.
The hatchback quickly and accurately responds to a turn of an unusual handling of the steering wheel, however, the driver and passengers pay for it with a tough suspension, unpleasantly reacting to each little, noticeable road irregularities. On the track, the shock absorbers are perfectly coping with surprises from road services.
Citroen C4 has acquired a 120-power engine - equally powerful, quiet and economical - thanks to the participation of BMW engineers. We have repeatedly reported on trips on cars with this engine (Peugeot 308, Peugeot 207), and even before landing in Red Hatch knew about his merits. But automatic transmission in Peugeot and Citroen used to actually acted separately from the motor, therefore, the largest surprise for us in C4 was in the engine friendship and gearbox.
Acceleration up to 100 km / h with motors 1.6 automatic transmission, with
Citroen C4 11.9.
Ford Focus 13.6.
Volkswagen Golf 11.3.
RENAULT MEGANE 13.9.
The transmissions change each other smoothly and in a timely manner, but only if you warmly warmed the transmission (at least in winter) cold C4 switches the jerks during the first 7-10 minutes of the trip.
About Russian Winter
In short, then without spikes in the wheels and the stabilization system in the conditions of the attacked by the snow, the driver C4 has to be not easy. Helps winter automatic transmission mode when you need to go out of a snowdrift or effectively move in the snowy caress. To our surprise, in the list of C4 packages on the manufacturer's website there was no stabilization system.
5 things that liked in C4
- Good noise insulation
- Excellent - especially for 1.6-liter motor with automatic - dynamics
- Gearbox with winter and sports modes
- Price - especially a double discount when recycling an old car
- indifference to small pits on the track.
5 things that did not like in C4
Features of ergonomics: many elements are not on the usual places
Hard suspension for riding on the roads of the Russian Federation
Tunnel in the back row
Abundance of information displays
Lack of body options: Return the three-door version!
TOTAL
Three years ago, Citroen was frankly surprised, while remaining the only mass brand, managed to reduce sales on the ear-growing market. The activation of the manufacturer coincided with the beginning of the crisis, but the double chevron prepared to get out of it.
Citroen C4 - a car unusual with all its standard in general merits. Inexpensive golf class hatchback, unique with its trifles. For someone, surprises of his ergonomics - an extra reason to possess over the faders of French producers, for someone a beneficial difference from more standard Japanese, Germans and Koreans.
What is indisputable - Citroen has its own charisma, his own style, his own chip. It is also manifested in external design, and especially in the interior ... But at the same time C4 is quite dynamic, bright and - as far as possible - inexpensive. And then sold.
Prices
The most accessible C4 costs 447,000 rubles, provided you buy it under the recycling program. Otherwise, you do not assume a discount of 100,000, and the price increases to 547,000 rubles. The minimum price of the hatchback with a machine gun is 584,000 rubles - excluding a possible discount.
Over the color of metallic or pearl, it is necessary to pay 11,000 rubles.
Service and T.
The cost of Normochas at the station of the official Citroen dealer is 1,500 rubles, and you need to contact every 20,000 km. The exact cost of the first five then the dealer service station does not exist. But the basic package consisting of works on the replacement of oil and filters costs about 8,000 rubles (with materials). In addition, every 30,000 km manufacturer recommends changing the candles (for 2,000 rubles), and every 80,000 is a set of timber (10,000 rubles). The cost of spare parts is not included.
Citroen C4 competitors in the Russian market
PEUGEOT 308.
Volkswagen Golf.
The car is provided to the test by the Russian representative office of Citroen.
Posted by: Alexander Korchenko
Photo: Roman Zubko
A source: Magazine "Wheel" [January 2011]
