2005 Citroen C4 VTR+ Coupe review from UK and Ireland

Rattle from passenger side door.

Rattle from drivers side seat belt.

Car was recalled for ABS issue.

Had to fight the wheel to stay straight when braking or at motorway speeds.

Headlight dangling due to plastic snapping. Because part was not replaced properly.

All problems sorted out under warranty within 2 months of having the car.

Generally I love this car. All the problems can be forgiven because its just a great place to be behind the wheel.

Looks absolutely lovely and gets a lot of comments and a lot of looks. With it being wicked red and the coupe model helps. So do the 17" alloys that come as standard. The car is especially good looking in VTS guise though as the rear spoiler really does make this car.

Rather different from the majority of hatchbacks out there and deffinately one of the prettiest. Theres a reason top gear gave it hatchback of the year and said this is what Ford could have done with the focus.

Very comfortable car to drive and even though is only a 1.6 is quite quick as well. Didn't feel that quick at first, but after around 2000 miles the engine has started to loosen up. And seems to pull a lot better now.

Handles very well too. If you push it too much you get a nice run of understeer. But you can also induce oversteer.

The steering wheel is interesting and gets a lot of comments with its fixed centre hub. And the rev counter backlight changes to bright red to let you know when you hit the limiter. Or are getting close to it.

Ride is also very nice its firm yet quite soft like most french cars tend to be. So passengers are very comfortable. And it easily despatches speed bumps with relative comfort as long as you don't go flying over them at stupid speeds.

The interior is rather nice with all the displays theres 4 in total which display everything the car is doing. the top display which changes levels depending on the light so its always perfectly viewable has information such as.

Current speed.

Speed limiter and cruise control speed which share the same section depending on the mode you select (both of these features are standard on all the models of the car)

Trip mileage total mileage, miles to next server, number of miles left currently in the tank. And engine temperature.

The 2nd screen below is either the colour sat nav screen. Or it is the standard screen of which there are 2 versions depending on model of the car again.

This shows you what track you listening to etc on the cd or what radio station your on and will dislay information about the radio station such as who is currently presenting the email or text numbers ot get in touch etc etc. Also has MPG system on there which allows you to get an instant consumption figure average speed and number of miles left in the tank. Theres 3 sections for this so you can compare what different fuels and driving styles have on the effects of the mpg. (i noticed an improvment using optimax 98ron of 4mpg and a much smoother ride)

Other screen is the rev counter which is fixed on the steering wheel. And on the VTR+ and VTS versions the dual zone climate control.

Nearly every funciton on this car can be controlled from the steering wheel hub so the only time you have to move your hands off the wheel is to change gear. Improving safety again. WHich is why the fixed hub exsists in the first place. It is there to allow the airbag to be made to be the best shape incase of an impact and since its staionary can be a different shape to protect the driver more.

The whole car is built to be safe to both passengers and pedestrians though. with 6 airbags as standard including curtain airbags. The car has an Ncap rating of 5 stars for passengers. and 4 stars for pedestrians. Making it one of the safest cars to be in and one of the safest if your hit by it.

In fact the actual shape of the bonnet etc is designed to put a pedestrian onto the bonnet and collapse it in the event of an impact to take the force out of it. The window wipers also bend easily and are mainly made from rubber to avoid injury. The wings are made from plastic bonnet is aluminium. This all saves weight on the car as well as making it safer if you were hit by one. And cheaper to fix repair.

The actual feel of the interior and build quality is a massive leap ahead for citroen though. I recently got into a MK4 golf and I can honestly say the citroen is better built inside the plastics and materials feel nicer. And the golf owner even agreed with that.

I would honestly recommend the car to anyone.

Infact my next car is gonna end up being a toss between a C4 VTS or a Renault Sports Clio when the new model comes out.