The look promises lively driving. The Citroën ë-C4 X stands there with sporty legs apart like football star Cristiano Ronaldo before taking a penalty kick. The hatchback silhouette only complements the sporty appearance. The rear is the chocolate side of the French e-crossover. The front with the LED slits, the headlights below them and the large air inlets follow the design zeitgeist. You don't necessarily have to find such a rugged face attractive. But that's ultimately a matter of taste.
The interior offers French home cooking, which is anything but negative in this context. Instead of being artificial, the controls are clearly arranged and not everything is subordinate to the supposedly hip dominance of the ten-inch touchscreen. So the climate control has its own control panel and you don't have to click through menus to set it. However, the handling of the infotainment is not entirely intuitive. Pressing the home button does not allow all options, to pair the phone you have to swipe from top to bottom. Here the developers have probably thought of a smartphone that works in a similar way. Nevertheless, the home screen should provide immediate access to all functions.
The fact that the smartphone charges up in the inductive charging cradle and can be connected wirelessly via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is practical. For all traditionalists, the Citroën ë-C4 X still has USB-A and USB-C ports ready. The digital instrument cluster is 5.5 inches and is complemented by a head-up display. The fact that this has a hinged plexiglass pane is quite common in this vehicle segment. Finally, we are talking about a compact SUV that is 4.60 meters long and has a wheelbase of 2.67 meters. This is also noticeable in the interior. While there is enough space in the front, there is enough legroom in the back, but it gets tight around the head from a height of 1.85 meters. A tribute to the sweepingly sloping roof line. Even with the trunk you have to accept a few compromises. It starts with filling the luggage compartment. The sill is high and the hatch narrow. The nominal volume of 510 liters is absolutely fine, if you fold down the backrests of the rear seat, it increases to 1,360 liters and the loading floor rises slightly. Which wouldn't be so wild if there wasn't a clear step that made it difficult to fill the luggage compartment.
When driving, the home cooking continues. The Citroën ë-C4 X is also based on the e-CMP platform, which the trained eye can already see from the slide control driving dynamics switch in the center console. So the ë-C4 X has an electric motor with 100 kW / 136 hp and a maximum torque of 260 Newton meters at work. The energy comes from a 50 kilowatt hour battery (net 46 kWh). This should allow the E-Citroën to travel up to 360 kilometers. At the beginning of our test drive, the on-board computer showed a range of 288 kilometers and a charge level of 83 percent. The charging capacity of 100 kW is not great, but the batteries are filled from zero to 80 percent within around 30 minutes. It is also positive that the onboard charger now achieves 11 kW. Consumption leveled off at 16.8 kWh/100 km, which is 1.3 kWh/100 more than the French manufacturer states and is still acceptable.
Especially since we were also driving at the top speed of 150 km/h on the motorway. The 1,659 kilogram SUV Stromer is not a bundle of temperaments. The sprint time from zero to 100 km/h in 9.5 seconds is okay, but the Citroën lacks the punch beyond 80 km/h. This does little to detract from the suitability for everyday use of the electrified French, since relaxed swimming along in traffic is easily feasible. Just don't be in a hurry. The e-CMP architecture has been around for a few years now and more dynamics no longer mean a significant increase in consumption. Word has gotten as far as Poissy that the French will have to follow suit in the battle for e-drivers, and the powertrain will be given an efficiency boost in the second half of the year. The e-machine will then create 115 KW / 156 PS and the battery performance will also increase from 50 to 54 kW/h. The WLTP range should then increase from 360 km to 400 km.
That doesn't change the fact that the Citroën ë-C4 X is comfortable on the road thanks to the Advanced Comfort suspension. However, you are not completely decoupled from the road surface, but can definitely feel what is happening under the tires. The seats are comfortable, but not champions of lateral support. In short: If you are looking for a tighter athlete who reports every pebble to the passenger compartment, you are in the wrong car. That contradicts the DNA of the French carmaker. In Sport mode, the steering stiffens a bit, but when it comes to directness and the joy of communication, Citroën also plays the comfort card here. The Citroën ë-C4 X will be available from dealers from March and is available from 37,540 euros. The basic "Feel" equipment includes rear parking sensors, dual-zone air conditioning and traffic sign recognition. For comparison: The VW ID.4 with 150 kW / 204 hp costs at least 46,335 euros.
