Price as tested: €27,595
+ Great looking, fabulous seats, relaxing, properly luxurious
– Hard ride, awful gearbox, poor space in the back, price
= Two out of three DS models are hits, this one’s a miss
It’s funny how car launches can so often follow the same trajectory of success-decline-consolidation as that of rock groups. The first album is always bristling with raw, new talent, expertly produced tunes and wonderfully untapped potential. That was the DS3; sparky, agile, properly fun to drive and in no way exactly what you’d expect either from Citroen or from a car with a DS badge. The DS5, which goes on sale in February, is the third album, settling nicely into a groove, playing with the ideas a little but doing nothing to upset the fans.
But it’s always the difficult second album, the sophomore effort, that creates problems. Stick too close to the original and you’d be pilloried for not having any new ideas. Go too far, and you’ll alienate the fans. And all to often, the result is an uncomfortable straddling of the middle ground, pleasing no-one but offending few.
Which brings us to the Citroen DS4 and a car that was always going to be a tricky one. To be honest, I was expecting way, way more than what the DS4 actually turned out to be. The DS3 is, some cabin bits apart, almost nothing like the more mundane C3 to look at or to drive. Likewise, the DS5 is utterly, utterly different to the C5 with which it shares a certain amount of space. But the DS4’s biggest problem is that it cleaves far to close to the existing C4. Now, the C4 isn’t exactly at the pinnacle of the current family hatch tree, but it’s a very pleasant car, looks more premium in its styling than many of its opposition and its spectacularly comfortable to sit in. It’s also well made and economical.
Which leaves the DS4 with what, exactly? It can either be stunningly more attractive than its more humble brother (as are the DS3 and DS5 compared to the C3 and, to a lesser extent, the C5) or be electrifyingly better to drive (DS3 > C3). The problem is, it’s neither.
The DS4 is, mechanically speaking, a C4 with a higher ride height and a slightly swoopier body on the top. There is no dramatic difference in the styling. It’s a good looking car, striking even, but hardly a quantum leap forward over the already attractive C4. In handling terms, it corners with more precision and much less understeer than the C4 but there is none of the DS3’s crisp steering or out and out agility. But with that quasi-SUV ride height, it must surely have the comfiest ride this side of a Rolls Phantom, no?
No. For some utterly unknown reason, Citroen decided that the DS4 should be both jacked-up and firm riding. The final chassis setting is, frankly, dreadful. yes, body roll has been kept well in check, and on smooth roads, it corners with reasonable aplomb, but on anything less than virgin, fresh-rolled tarmac, the ride is just awful, crashing and bumping when it should cosset and comfort. A regular, unadorned VW Golf has one of the best ride qualities you will find in any car, at any price, so why Citroen cannot achieve the same with the DS4 is just beyond me.
There is some compensation in the cabin. Yes, rear seat space is just slightly too tight and I cannot understand the decision to sacrifice winding rear windows to the rear door design. But the instruments are clear, attractive and distinctive, the stubby EGS gearbox selector is a joy to use and the seats, upgraded to leather on our test car, with that wonderful watch-strap embossed pattern, are nothing short of wonderful; supportive, but with just the right amount of squidge.
To the drivetrain. The DS4 is one of the first Citroens to get the new eHDI package which combines the already-frugal 1.6 HDI diesel engine, with 110bhp and 270Nm of torque, with a reversible alternator that can scavenge power for the electrical system from braking and a stop-start that cuts the engine at lights, and restarts it with remarkable alacrity.
The engine is familiar, and as good as ever; refined, torquey and very pleasant to drive, considering that it’s actually a pretty humble diesel four-banger.
But the EGS gearbox is a serious hinderance to smooth progress. Leave it in the auto setting (which surely, for a car that aspires to luxury, is the default setting) and you will be seen to be agreeing vigorously with the radio every time there’s an upchange. Lurch. Nod. Lurch. Nod. Lurch. Nod. Downchanges are fine, crisp and with an occasional burst of heel-and-toe revs, but the only way to get the damn thing to drive smoothly is to take manual control with the paddle shifters. And even then, you have to learn the technique of lifting off the throttle just enough to get the change right. And, as I said, in a luxurious car, auto should be the default. Citroen (and it’s not alone among car makers in this respect) should just swallow its pride and buy a job lot of DSG gearboxes from Volkswagen.
There doesn’t even seem to be a terrific benefit in terms of fuel consumption. Citroen claims 4.4-litres per 100km on the combined cycle. We got 6.5l/100km overall, a figure we’ve beaten with the likes of the much bigger, heavier Ford Mondeo, using the same engine. Perhaps it would have been better with the manual.
If it sounds like I’m down on the DS4, well, I am. Having sampled and loved (DS3) and liked (DS5) the DS range, and being a bit of a closet Citroenista, I really wanted the DS4 to be good. To be impressive. But by being too close in concept to the regular C4, by having such a poor ride quality (no French car should have a harsh ride) and by having that awful gearbox, it just failed to live up to even my mildest expectations. Do yourself a favour; if you crave a quirky French hatchback with a modicum of luxury and practicality, buy a regular C4 instead.
Facts & Figures
Citroen DS4 1.6 eHDI EGS Airdream
Price as tested: €27,595
Range price: €23,995 to €29,895
Capacity: 1,560cc
Power: 110bhp
Torque: 270Nm
Top speed: 189kmh
0-100kmh: 12.4sec
Economy: 4.4l-100km (64.2mpg)
CO2 emissions: 114g/km
VRT Band: A. €104 road tax
Euro NCAP rating: 5-star; 90% adult, 80% child, 43% pedestrian, 97% safety assist.
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