2005 Citroen C4 VTR+ Coupe from UK and Ireland - Comments

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.

You put my C3 review to shame.lol.

Lee (CE05 LDB)

Well now done over 4000 miles in the car and the engine has started to feel much better and returning better consumption.

All my little niggles with the car have been totally resolved and its just happy motoring now.

All in all very happy with the car now.

I totally agree with your review. I've got a 1.6 VTR+ in metallic black. It is the best car I have ever owned. The build quality is fantastic and looks like nothing else on the road. Hope you continue to enjoy your car.

I disagree. We bought a C4 and in 12 months the drivers and rear passenger door has flown open whilst driving 4 times. Very upset and nervous driving it after 3 attempts of it being fixed. However, the dealer will not help in anyway other than keep attempting to fix it. Unfortunately, we feel that there is an accident waiting to happen.

I'm the original writer of the review and I can say I have not heard of that problem before and theres quite a bunch of us owners now on a citroen forum.

I would suggest though to maybe keep things and chances lower of it happening to engage the autolocking feature of the car by pressing and holding the door lock button on the dash then onceit gets to around 6 mph it will lock the car doors.

But never heard of any problems with them flying open.

Newest problem we have got is the rear brake squeal, but I have new calipers disks on order to fix that replaced by citroen under warranty. So if you have squeaky brakes that can now be fixed.

Any other owners feel like coming over to the forums though can be found here.

http://citroenpicasso.org.uk/citroen/

I have owned my VTR+ coupe since May 05 and overall I'm pleased with the car, its handling, fuel economy etc. I've had a few niggly problems though.

1.The sound stopped working on my radio/cd and reversing sensors! Had to have my radio unit sent back for examination and repair under warranty. All is well now.

2.Drivers door had to be re-aligned under warranty.

3.Had to have a new drivers interior door panel (complete) as the armrest portion started to wear and look threadbare! I had to write to Citroen UK before I could have the work done under warranty! Apparently Citroen are aware of this problem. So if you are having the same problem then its worth a letter to them.

Even with those problems I still think the car is great and am thinking of upgrading to the VTS soon (should have bought one initially).

As for the looks I think it's a great look, I still get people looking and saying "I like your car". The fixed hub steering wheel has not been a problem for me, apart from the horn button!

I have also noticed a blind spot on the 'A' posts.

All in all I think I have a great car that gives me the style and performance I want and with great fuel economy!

Have had Citroens for 25 years, and the C4 VTR is very good.

Do miss the hydro ride though: last car was an Activa; a unique ride, nothing could touch it.

Wipers are very expensive: Citroen want £60: look on eBay, half the price.

Tyres are also very expensive.

Have been trying for three months to obtain replacement heater knob: separate part not listed, Citroen want complete heater unit at £220.

Air con seems to be playing up, not so effective, and the fan is noisy.

Original writer again. Now 21,000 miles on.

Problems so far.

Clutch replaced at 8000 miles due to manufacturing defect which affected a few of the earlier cars. And Gearbox had to be rebuilt at 19,000 miles. However the dealer has been brilliant can't fault them. All work done covered under warranty. All of the major issues have been transmission related. However I know of another car which has had a similar fate to mine. Both of our cars are fairly early builds.

Since the clutch change and rebuild the car has been brilliant. Gearchange no longer feels horrible and the car is a pleasure to drive.

Only other issues have been minor. Weld on the seat subframe broke fixed in 2 days. Seatbelt was not recoiling properly which was also replaced. And the recalls. Everything else has been perfect.

And knowing that the problems I have faced have not affected newer builds is not stopping me buying another C4. A VTS this time though. Just waiting for the new Engine to join the lineup since the 2.0 is no longer available or soon to be discontinued and due to be replaced by the 1.6 Turbo Petrol unit with 175hp. Remap should see that jump quite a bit.