Model update for the Citroën C4 with electric and hybrid drive

The Citroën C4, which was launched at the end of 2020, is getting its first facelift. The hatchback model will remain available as an electric or hybrid model. Citroën will present the revised models at the Paris Motor Show from October 15 to 20, 2024 and promises that their silhouettes have become more flowing and balanced. As usual, the cost-effective design possibilities of the front and rear sections made of plastic were used for this purpose. In other words, the sheet metal parts of the body in between remain untouched.

Hybrid drive as in the Opel Corsa

The engines for the hybrid version with 100 or 74 kW have been available since the beginning of the year; we have driven them in other models from the Stellantis Group, such as the Opel Corsa Hybrid (test). In this model, it has already impressed us in a test as a pleasant and economical engine. What is interesting about this drive is the use of two electric motors, namely one with 21 kW and 55 Nm of torque between the combustion engine and the six-speed dual-clutch gearbox, as well as a belt start unit. The same drive is also available for the Jeep Avenger (test), but then with an electricity storage unit that is more than twice as large.

With a capacity of 432 Wh, the storage unit only offers the load point shifting required in the hybrid, but no external charging option and a purely electric range. The Group uses a turbocharger with variable geometry on the now tried-and-tested three-cylinder engine, which is excellent in terms of performance and economy. However, the solution from the diesel engine sector is reluctantly used on petrol engines because it is simply expensive to design the filigree mechanics for the higher exhaust temperatures. With the torque support made possible by the electric motor, the combustion engine can run in the thermodynamically more efficient Miller cycle, in which the intake valves close during the intake stroke.

Familiar electric drives and V2L

The other motorizations are the electric versions that have been known for some time, on the one hand with a 54 kWh battery and a 115 kW motor, which achieves a range of up to 415 km in the cycle for the ë-C4 (460 for the ë-C4 X), or on the other hand one with a maximum range of 355 km for the ë-C4 (360 for the e-C4 X) from a 50 kWh battery and an output of 100 kW. With a maximum DC output of 100 kW, Citroën promises to be able to restore 80 percent of the charge in less than 30 minutes.

For electric cars, the Citroën ë-Routes route management system aims to "change the way drivers interact with their electric vehicles". The assistant displays vehicle data, traffic conditions and the status of charging stations and can suggest alternative routes if necessary. From 2025, Citroën plans to integrate this function directly into the vehicle's infotainment system. Also new "from the first half of 2025" for the electric C4 models, V2L (Vehicle-to-Load) will be offered as an option to supply external devices with power.

(fpi)