2022 Citroen C4 Shine 1.2T 8AT Review

Back when hatchbacks still ruled the passenger market, the Citroen C4 found quite a calling in Australia as a quirky, left-of-field small hatch offering. While sales didn’t touch the Toyota Corolla or Mazda3, the C4 was a big hit for Citroen in Australia and since then, its sales haven’t held a candle – the C4’s 847 sales in 2005 were almost six times Citroen’s total sales in 2021. But with a big gap in time, the C4 is back – but this time, it’s a small SUV. What’s the 2022 Citroen C4 Shine like? Let’s find out. 

Coupe SUVs have started to pop up in the small SUV segment recently, largely thanks to the French – look at the Renault Arkana, for example. But the Toyota C-HR came out in 2017 as the first coupe-like small SUV entrant, and it continues to sell quite well. Other competition to the C4 includes the Ford Puma, Kia Seltos, Volkswagen T-Cross, the C4’s under-the-skin-twin Peugeot 2008 and our segment favourite, the Skoda Kamiq.

Price & Equipment: 8/10

Priced from $37,990 plus on-road costs (around $42,000-43,000 drive away), the C4 is available in a single spec in Australia that’s called the Shine. This pricing aligns it with the top end of the small SUV segment, but it is quite well equipped for the money.

Standard equipment includes 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic LED lighting, auto wipers, ‘Siena’ leather upholstery with heated and massaging front seats, a four-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat, a 10-inch touchscreen with satellite navigation, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, digital radio, a six-speaker sound system, heated and auto-folding mirrors, keyless entry and start with automatic walk away locking, rear privacy glass, dual-zone climate control, rear air vents, a tablet holder in the dashboard and a 5.5-inch digital driver’s display. 

Safety kit includes six airbags, auto emergency braking (AEB) with day and night pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind-spot monitoring, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality, driver attention monitoring, traffic sign recognition, a heads-up display, auto high beam, a reversing camera that creates a 360-degree image and front and rear parking sensors.

Just two options are available: a $1,490 panoramic roof that was fitted to our test car and $690 premium paint, which includes ‘Iceland Blue’, ‘Pulse Orange’, ‘Elixir Red’, ‘Steel Grey’, ‘Platinum Grey’ and ‘Obsidian Black’. ‘Polar White’ is the only no-cost colour option.

Key competitors to the Citroen C4 include the Renault Arkana Intens (from around $42,000 drive away), the Toyota C-HR Koba (from around $40,000 drive away) and the Skoda Kamiq Signature ($41,990 drive away). All cars offer a high standard of kit, including LED lighting, leather upholstery, large infotainment screens with satellite navigation, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, keyless entry and start with auto-folding mirrors, adaptive cruise control, auto emergency braking with pedestrian detection and blind-spot monitoring. 

The Citroen uniquely features a heads-up display – though not rear cross-traffic alert, while the Renault features a portrait-style infotainment screen and a heated steering wheel with ventilated front seats – though not auto rear braking, the Toyota features a full 360-degree parking camera – though not an electrically adjustable driver’s seat – and the Skoda features an electric tailgate, heated rear seats and wireless phone charging – though not auto high beam.

Performance & Economy: 8/10

Under the bonnet of the 2022 Citroen C4 Shine is PSA Group’s venerable 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine, in this tune making 114kW of power and 240Nm of torque. Power is sent to the front wheels via an Aisin eight-speed automatic transmission. If these numbers sound familiar, it’s because this drivetrain also features in the Peugeot 2008. The numbers are healthy in the segment, with the Arkana producing 115kW/262Nm, the Kamiq 110kW/250Nm and the C-HR a lacklustre 85kW/185Nm. 

With a claimed 0-100km/h sprint claim of 8.5 seconds, the C4 is no rocketship, but nor is it slow either – especially compared with the much slower Toyota. There’s a great surge of torque just 1,750rpm, and thanks to the transmission’s short ratios, it’s quite drivable around town. But at highway speeds, the engine settles nicely and has more than enough grunt to overtake. Like other three-cylinder engines, it has a lovely growly engine note that’s more characterful than rivals.

Citroen claims that the C4 will use 6.1L/100km on a combined cycle – Renault claims 6.0L/100km, Toyota claims 6.6L/100km and Skoda claims 5.6L/100km – but like in the 2008, our testing resulted in a higher average of 8.2L/100km. Like European competitors, the C4 uses a minimum of 95RON premium unleaded and has a 50-litre fuel tank.

Ride & Handling: 9/10

Using the same ‘CMP’ platform (Common Modular Platform) as the 2008, the C4 might look somewhat sporty, but like the C5 Aircross that we recently tested, the C4 is much more comfort-orientated than its competitors – and it’s all the better for it, in our opinion. Despite the large 18-inch wheels and torsion beam rear suspension setup, the C4’s ride quality is excellent with a well damped and floaty feeling thanks to the company’s ‘hydraulic cushion’ system. It’s refreshing in a segment with traditionally hard-riding offerings. 

On the flip side, the C4 is definitely not as dynamic as some competitors like the Ford Puma. But is that an issue? We don’t think so – how many small SUV owners are taking their cars around the Nurburgring? Exactly. The C4’s handling is more than capable with a solid feeling from behind the wheel. Its steering offers little feel, while the rear visibility isn’t great either. But otherwise, from behind the wheel, the C4 is more than comparable to rivals – the C-HR is more dynamic but not as comfortable, but the Kamiq isn’t as comfortable but similarly dynamic to the C4.

Interior & Practicality: 9/10

Despite a lot of shared switchgear, the 2022 Citroen C4’s interior is quite different to the Peugeot 2008 – and it’s all the better for it, in our opinion. Why is that? Well, the C4 is the most ergonomic Peugeot Citroen product in years – its AC controls are separate to the main screen, the cupholders are a good size, the steering wheel and dials are in a straightforward layout and even the dual-level glovebox offers much more storage than the typical French equivalent. Finally too, the automatic wipers have a dedicated ‘auto’ position and their sensitivity can be adjusted.

The C4’s quality is pretty good as well. The materials aren’t as plush as the 2008, but are definitely superior to something like the Hyundai Kona with soft touch materials on the doors and dashboard, stitched leather upholstery and the brand’s ‘Advanced Comfort’ design with 15mm-thick foam padding. The driver’s seat is electrically adjustable as well – though oddly not for reach and rake, nor for under thigh angle adjustment. Both front seats have lumbar massaging functionally though. 

Centre of the 2022 Citroen C4’s cabin is a 10.0-inch touchscreen with inbuilt satellite navigation, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and digital radio. The recent Peugeot Citroen screen quality has been greatly improved with a quicker response time and improved graphics but the screen could use a better layout. The digital dials are quite simple but perhaps a bit too small for our liking, while the heads-up display is excellent. 

It’s a practical cabin too, with large cup holders, plenty of storage space, dual-level gloveboxes, big door bins, a tablet holder in the dashboard and a small under-armrest storage area. Connectivity is good as well with two USB-A ports in the rear seat, as well as a USB-A and USB-C (which the smartphone mirroring runs off) charging port in the front seat. 

The rear seat of the C4 – despite the sloping roofline – is relatively roomy, though hardly a Skoda Kamiq for headroom. Reasonable door bins, seat pockets, air vents and a charging port make up the amenities in the rear – though no centre armrest is annoying, and only the Arkana features one in this company.

The bootspace of the 2022 Citroen C4 Shine is healthy for the small SUV segment with 380-litres on offer with the seats erect, which opens up to 1,250L with the rear seats folded. By comparison, the Arkana offers 485L, the Kamiq 400L and the C-HR 318L and like the C4, they all feature space saver spare wheels. 

Service & Warranty: 7/10

Like other Citroen products in Australia, the 2022 Citroen C4 Shine is covered by a five-year/unlimited km warranty with five years of roadside assistance. Five years/75,000km of servicing costs an expensive $2,485 ($497 per service). Competitors Toyota, Renault and Skoda all offer five year warranties too – Renault and Skoda offer roadside assistance for 12 months that’s topped up a further 12 months at each scheduled dealer service while Toyota offers none. 

Like the C4, the Kamiq and C-HR need to be serviced once yearly or every 15,000km – the Renault Arkana’s intervals are the same year but double rivals at 30,000km, so those doing lots of distance would be better suited to the Renault’s longer intervals. Five years/150,000km of servicing the Arkana costs $2,385 ($477 per service), while the same time interval but a lesser 75,000km of servicing the C-HR costs $1,100 ($220 per service) and Kamiq costs $2,319 ($463 per service), but buyers can pre-purchase a service pack for the same duration for $1,500 ($300 per service) that includes roadside assistance for the same period.

The 2022 Citroen C4 Shine DiscoverAuto Rating: 8.2/10

The 2022 Citroen C4 Shine is a curious car that we think will bring back the heyday of Citroen sales. Why so? Aside from its talents, the C4 is priced relatively well – unlike its C3 and C5 Aircross siblings – and while it’s not cheap, it is good value for money with a long standard equipment list. It’s also an SUV, which is massively in vogue, and unlike almost all other small SUVs, it’s also handsomely styled to look like a coupe.

As we said, that’s on top of its talents, which include a great ride and handling balance, a surprisingly roomy and good quality cabin, a willing and characterful – but pretty thirsty – engine and much more practicality and ergonomic comfort than the usual Citroen effort. Sure, it’s not perfect, but the 2022 Citroen C4 Shine represents a step forward for Citroen in Australia that makes us quite excited for the future of the brand.