THE CITROEN e-C4 X immediately creates intrigue due to its unusual looks.
The body profile is part crossover SUV, part hatchback and part saloon, making for a unique visual blend.
The appearance of this family EV may not be to everyone’s taste, but it’s certainly distinctive and I, for one, rather like its elegant sweeping roofline.
Going from the regular e-C4 to the X, there’s a step up in practicality and comfort - with bags of legroom and headroom, plus a boot that’s 510 litres as opposed to 380 litres.
If you need an even bigger space, the split rear seats can be folded down.
The car’s performance won’t set the pulse racing, but the e-C4 X’s acceleration is plenty swiftly enough for most everyday situations.
Power comes courtesy of a 50kWh battery pack matched with a front axle-mounted electric motor, putting out 134bp and 260Nm of torque.
The sprint from 0-62mph can be achieved in 10.0 seconds, while top speed is reached at 93mph.
In terms of range, you can do 221 miles on a full charge according to the official statistics.
Charging can be carried out at a speed of up to 100kW on DC, going from 0-80 per cent charge in 30 minutes. From a 7.4kW Wallbox, charging takes 7½ hours with a single-phase supply or as little as five hours with a three-phase electricity supply and the optional 11kW onboard charger.
Regenerative braking enables the driver to partially re-charge the battery pack to boost range while on the move.
There are three driving modes – Eco, Normal or Sport – activated by a mode selector on the centre console.
As you’d expect, Eco mode offers the highest levels of efficiency, Sport mode offers sharper performance, while Normal mode provides a balance between the two.
Ride quality is comfortable, with the suspension absorbing road imperfections with ease.
Once inside, the interior is a pleasant place to be, with high levels of comfort, ambient lighting enhancing the feeling of luxury, and excellent legroom, with headroom not affected by the stylish roofline.
The e-C4 X benefits from Citroen’s new-generation infotainment interface, first seen on the C5 X.
It’s a smart piece of kit, with crisp graphics and is intuitive to use. MyCitroen Drive Plus offers a new interface using a 10-inch HD screen that can be fully personalised.
The new interface also features natural speech recognition – with a digital assistant prompted by the command “Hello Citroen” – to answer questions and carry out vocal instructions.
Advanced Profile Management means the system can store up to eight profiles, with each profile paired with up to two smartphones. The system will wirelessly identify smartphone profiles when they enter the car. The system also features Over-The-Air Map Updates via TomTom, which ensures navigation maps are automatically updated monthly to provide the latest information to drivers. This service is provided free of charge for three years.
In terms of looks, the car benefits from Citroen’s signature angular daytime running lights on the face.
From the side, you come to appreciate the sweeping roofline which runs into the saloon-like boot.
There’s plenty of black cladding in evidence, to lend the car a more rugged dynamic.
As a family EV costing in the region of £35,000 for this version, the e-C4 X offers plenty of plus points for the money.
Citroën ë-C4 X Shine Plus
PRICE: £35,495 on the road
ENGINE: 100kW with 50kWh battery
WARRANTY: 3 years or 60,000 miles
POWER: 134bhp /100kW
TORQUE: 260Nm @ 3674rpm
PERFORMANCE: 93mph max speed, 0-62mph in 10 seconds
COMBINED RANGE: 221 miles (WLTP)
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