At this point we will refrain from listing which brands all belong to the Stellantis Group, otherwise the lines would already be full. The peculiarity of such a collection is the use of many common parts, synergy effect sounds more economical, but in any case it brings known advantages as well as known disadvantages.
A brand like Citroën, which always carried the French avant-garde in its breath-taking clothes and innovative, if not always entirely reliable, technology, should be given special love. The team, trimmed to yield, is striving, but a heartbreaker à la DS is not in sight. Maybe things will work out.
Cross-over appearance fits the times
In the meantime, serious cars with a dash of courage build bridges, and the new E-C4 with the X suffix follows this path. Its cross-over appearance fits the times, its electric drive fits the mood, and the fact that the power-supplied mass-produced brothers and sisters are at work underground need not be a disadvantage.
The electric motor, with 136 hp and 260 Nm, does its job smoothly and without excitement; it fits into a car throttled down to 150 km/h, with which you don’t want to pull up any trees. The battery, with a capacity of 50 kWh, is also an old acquaintance and should be sufficient for a standard range of 360 kilometres. In everyday use, this will be about 280 kilometres, and the battery can be charged at up to 100 kW.
The E-C4 X is 4.60 metres long. From the B-pillar onwards, there is a fresh gain in space compared to the C4, which benefits the rear passengers. The luggage compartment is closed by a flap like on a saloon, the rear window remains fixed, underneath there is a good amount of stowage space, which is a little difficult to fill. The equipment is rich, the ride comfort seemed to us on a first test drive, as expected from Citroën, comfortable and smooth. It will be on sale in March, starting at 37,500 euros, i.e. the same as the E-C4 and with the usual hefty E surcharge on the petrol engine.