Test Car Specifications
Model: 2024 Citroen e-C4 X
Price: e-C4 X from £36,295, e-C4 X 54kWh from £37,195
Motor: 115kW front-mounted electric motor
Battery: 54kWh lithium-ion, 51kWh usable
Transmission: single-speed reduction-gear automatic, front-wheel drive
Power: 156hp (Sport mode)
Torque: 260Nm
Emissions: 0g/km
Economy: 5.1 miles/kWh (quoted)
Range: 260 miles
0-62mph: 10.0 seconds
Top speed: 93mph
Boot space: 510-1,360 litres
Styling
The Citroen e-C4 X hasn't been on sale that long, in all truth. In fact, order books only opened for it at the end of 2022, and while the saloon was originally only going to be sold as an EV while the hatchback came as both internal-combustion-powered C4 and electric e-C4, now the manufacturer has confirmed it'll sell petrol and diesel C4 X models here in the UK too.
Anyway, this is a slightly lengthy way of saying that because the e-C4 X is less than a year old, nothing visually has changed with the addition of the new powertrain technology, save that the surrounds for the front foglights and the highlights on the leading bit of the door-sill protectors used to be blue on the e-C4 hatchback... but they no longer are, so that applies to the e-C4 X too. Which means the only way you can tell this is the electric version and not a petrol or diesel is to note the small blue 'e' logos on the front doors, just under the mirror mounts, or ahead of the 'C4 X' bit of the boot badge. That said, there is then no way of clearly determining whether the e-C4 X you're looking at is a 50- or a 54kWh model.
The kerb appeal, then, of this car lies in the bit that's behind the B-pillars. While visually identical to the e-C4 hatch up to that point, aft of there the e-C4 X's roofline slops down into a longer rear overhang, due to the fitment of a separate boot compartment. That also means completely different light clusters at the back, none of that 'spoiler bisecting the tailgate's screen' stuff, and a perhaps plainer rear that... well, won't meet universal approval. The C4/e-C4 itself is what we'd call distinctive, rather than beautiful, so what you make of the e-C4 X's unusual proportions will depend much on in how high esteem you hold three-box saloons.
Interior
It's another aesthetically interesting exterior from Citroen, paired to an incredibly plain interior. Materially, the e-C4 X's cabin is nicely made and it's well appointed with kit too, while the driving position is excellent and the general ambience is suitably classy. But it's a very sombre mix of dark-grey plastics everywhere you look when you get in, with the only break in all the gloominess being two slender diagonal strips of fabric on the door cards. Citroen also persists with a head-up display (HUD) presented on one of those little panes of glass that folds itself out of the top of the dash, which is never as neat a solution to a HUD as simply beaming the information directly onto the windscreen, and then there's a rather small 5.5-inch digital cluster to deal with too. If you don't mind things being so charcoal and you ignore the fact the human-machine interface is starting to look dated in here, it's a perfectly pleasant cabin in the e-C4 X in which to spend some time, but rival manufacturers - and, indeed, related ones, like Peugeot - do interiors and fascias with much more interesting light-and-shade textural work than this Citroen.
Practicality
Despite that swooshy roofline, there's no significant impact on the comfort afforded to rear-seat passengers in the Citroen e-C4 X. The car maker claims the saloon has more kneeroom than the hatch and it certainly feels that way in the back, where you shouldn't find yourself hemmed-in unless you're upwards of six foot five. There are loads of storage solutions in the e-C4 X too, such as a drawer in the passenger-side dashboard, and enough cubbies and compartments to total up 39 litres of in-car storage capacity.
Talking of which, believe it or not the e-C4 X has a bigger boot - on paper - than the e-C4. Where the hatch is quoted as having 380 litres with the rear seats up and 1,250 litres with them folded down, the saloon betters those numbers by 130 and 110 litres respectively, with a claimed 510 and 1,360 litres on offer. However, as Mark Twain once said, there are 'lies, damned lies, and statistics', and simply looking at these printed data doesn't tell you that the boot aperture for the e-C4 X is obviously a lot lower and less accommodating than the full-height hatch on the e-C4. So while the figures say the saloon has the bigger, more useful boot, it never really feels that way when you're comparing the cars directly back-to-back.
Performance
It should be made clear that the 100kW (136hp) permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) Citroen e-C4 X with the 50kWh gross, 46kWh usable battery pack will continue on sale alongside this newer, powered-up model - and that applies to the e-C4 hatchback line as well, meaning there will be no fewer than four EV choices for Citroen customers in this particular market sector for the foreseeable future. It is likely that the 100kW car will be restricted to the lower specifications of both the e-C4 and e-C4 X line-ups, while this version will be sold exclusively in the higher trim grades.
The details changes are impressive. That 100kW PMSM has been replaced with a 115kW (156hp) hybrid synchronous motor (HSM), which is not only more powerful but claims greater electrical efficiency too. In order to maximise these gains, Citroen has also marginally enlarged the battery pack to 54kWh overall, with 51kWh of that usable - achieved, in part, by a greater content of nickel here (80 per cent instead of 60 per cent in the 50kWh unit).
Torque remains the same, at 260Nm, on this e-C4 X as it does on the 100kW model, which presumably - along with the slightly heavier battery pack - accounts for the fact that on paper, this new car is half-a-second slower to 62mph than the current version. But other gains are notable: the one-shot driving range is up 17 per cent, to a claimed 260 miles overall, while the additional 20hp is accessed by having the car in Sport mode. While it doesn't improve step-off acceleration, it does help to make the Citroen feel more urgent from 50mph and upwards, the speed not tailing off as significantly as it does in the 136hp car. So if you need your electric C4 for plenty of motorway and dual carriageway work, then the 115kW/54kWh combination is definitely for you.
Oh, and in terms of charging, it's as you were. The e-C4 X, fitted with either battery pack, charges at 100kW DC maximum, with a 7.4kW AC onboard charger (OBC) as standard and the option to upgrade to an 11kW AC system provided too. That means it's still less than 30 minutes to charge the car from 20-80 per cent battery on its maximum DC connection, while a 0-100 per cent juice-up with an 11kW OBC would be around five hours for the 54kWh model.
Ride & Handling
This car absolutely excels at ride comfort and refinement. The C4, even fitted with a petrol or diesel engine, has always had wonderfully supple suspension, which carries over to the electric versions no matter their increased weight (you're looking at about 1.6 tonnes for this e-C4 X 54kWh). And when you know that electric motors make much less noise and vibration than internal combustion ones, which only adds to the levels of in-car serenity when travelling at speed, then you realise just how peaceful it is to be in the Citroen EV at 60mph.
Honestly, it's superb. You hear very little of the outside noise contributors, while the suspension and cosseting seats do a great job between them of dissipating large imperfections in the road surface into complete nothingness by the time they reach the cabin. So that's the e-C4 X's real forte, which rather pays off for handling that is basically so-so. While there's nothing to particularly lament about any of the steering, the brakes and the body control, chucking the Citroen into corners at higher speeds isn't really doing either the car or yourself any favours. It won't roll appreciably, but the e-C4 X somehow conveys the impression that it wants no part of such silly proceedings. When you're on a twisting country road, you're much better off knocking your speed back several pegs and letting the Citroen flow along at an unhurried pace. You'll get to enjoy the silence (thanks, Depeche Mode) inside that much more if you do.
Value
There are a few odd pricing quirks here that make the 54kWh Citroen e-C4 X look particularly good value. For starters, it is no more or less expensive than the e-C4 hatchback, model for model, so that's a bonus. And it is a mere £900 price walk to go from the 50kWh, 223-mile, 136hp e-C4 X to this 54kWh, 260-mile, 156hp e-C4 X, which looks like a bit of a no-brainer from where we're standing.
At the moment, Citroen is reorganising all of its product lines into a three-spec format, with You, Plus and Max trim grades for its cars. Every e-C4 X will come with at least 10-inch touchscreen infotainment enhanced with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as 18-inch alloys, LED headlights, rear parking sensors and a raft of advanced driver assist safety technology, so the equipment levels are good across the board.
Verdict
Whether you choose this booted Citroen e-C4 X saloon or its more commonplace hatchback e-C4 relation, one thing's for certain - in this class and size of electric vehicle (EV), you'll rarely encounter such a comfortable ride and such a quiet cabin. Those two facets alone ought to be worth making the e-C4 X a high priority on your shopping list if you're after a comparable EV, but the added sweetener on the deal is that this 54kWh model now promises even greater one-shot driving range, for not a lot of extra cash.
