Citroen C4 HDi 2006 Review

Most people will recognise the Citroen C4 hatch as the one from the TV ad with the dancing robot.

The C4 comes in hatchback and sports coupe versions and although our test car was the hatch it is a little different because it features a 1.6-litre diesel engine.

It seems just about everything we've driven lately has been a diesel which is not necessarily a bad thing considering the rising cost of petrol.

The C4 HDi is good for a miserly 4.7 litres per 100km and that translate into a long way between fill ups with the aid of a large 60-litre fuel tank.

The heart of the matter is Citroen's newest diesel engine that uses common rail direct injection and piezo electric injectors, aided by a variable displacement turbocharger with overboost to provide extra torque under acceleration.

The 1.6-litre power plant generates 80kW of power at 4000rpm and 240-260Nm of torque from a low 1750rpm.

It is mated to a five-speed manual transmission, with an auto expected to be available in future.

The HDi is no sports car out of the gates, but delivers strong mid to high-range performance where the majority of people want it.

For a diesel, it is extremely quiet and particularly smooth, one of the smoothest we have driven in fact and in its element cruising in top gear on the motorway.

You get a car that is well equipped, with six airbags and a five-star safety rating.

Standard equipment includes ABS brakes, electronic stability control and cruise control with a speed limiter that stops the car from exceeding a set limit, say 60km/h in a built up area. It also comes with fogs, alloys and a full-size spare.

Enthusiasts won't find the car disappointing. It might be a diesel but it gets mobile with stability control to keep things from getting too out of hand. Hills are no problem with plenty of torque even in fifth gear. We averaged 6.1L/100km during in variety of conditions easily giving the C4 a range of 1000km. The interior is quiet and the sound system is a half decent one too.

We wouldn't mind putting the HDi to a longer test with Citroen's co-operation. The Citroen C4 HDi is priced from $29,990.