Ignore all the talk of SUV inspired fastbacks, the Citroen e-C4 X is essentially a saloon version of the e-C4 hatchback. It’s on the cheaper end of the electric car market and offers a big boot with reasonable rear space, too.

It’s been upgraded a couple of times over its lifespan, the latest bringing Citroen’s new corporate styling and a few tech tweaks. Two battery sizes are offered like in the e-C4, although the e-C4 X misses out on entry-level YOU! trim.

The e-C4 X differences all from the front of the rear doors backwards – everything up front is shared with the conventional e-C4 in terms of both looks and dimensions. Despite sitting on the same wheelbase, it is 240mm longer, with this extra space shared between the rear passengers and the boot. The latter is a hefty 130 litres bigger than the hatch, offering 510-litres of space.

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We’ve driven the latest version in the UK to see if the changes – and a decent price cut – make the e-C4 X easier to recommend. If you want to know how we test, check out our explainer page.

What’s it like inside?

The front part of the e-C4 X is largely as you would find in the hatch version, complete with Citroen’s padded and comfortable seats, now with even more cushioning. They are a fine pair of seats, being squishy yet still sufficiently supportive and therefore perfectly pleasant to spend a long stretch of time in. Good news for those taking their first steps into life as an electric taxi/minicab driver.

Those who are entering the private hire business might be swayed by the e-C4 X’s promise of greater space in the rear. Certainly, there is a very good level of legroom, two six footers will sit happily one behind the other, with the rearmost enjoying a generous gap between their knees and the seat in front.

Headroom is less impressive, though. Said six-footer will be ok, but anyone much taller than that will struggle, as the roofline makes things a touch tight up top. The middle seat has it even worse, too, with about an inch less headroom, thanks to a marginally firmer seat and a light cluster that sits right where your head should go. If it had been moved even six inches further forward it wouldn’t encroach on headroom and it might stand a better chance of being out of the reach of small passengers.

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All this is with a set of rear seats that are reclined 27 degrees further than in the standard e-C4. This is barely noticeable, though, and you don’t feel like you are lying backwards at all.

The boot is a large and practical space. At 510 litres it is 130 litres bigger than the hatch’s 380 litre boot. There are not really any clever touches in there, though there is a small underfloor storage space for the charging cable. The seats fold on a 60/40 split but only from the side doors and there is a small step in the resultant space. The boot is so big, in fact, that shorter people might struggle to reach that stray can of beans that has rolled out of a shopping bag and ended up resting against the seats.

There is also a load-through hatch on MAX trim, which enables you to get long, thin items in without dropping the seats. Make sure you put the headrest up, though, as the arms block it from opening when it is in its lowest position.

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The final thing of note about the boot is the opening. Due to its shape it isn’t as practical as a hatch in various ways, despite being larger overall. This isn’t unique to the e-C4 X by any means, but it does limit its uses. Conversely it also provides an extra layer of security that will appeal to some buyers.

What power options are there?

The motor and battery combos are familiar to the Stellantis range (Peugeot e-208, e-2008, Vauxhall Corsa Electric) these days, and identical to the ones offered in the standard e-C4. This translates to an entry-level model with an official range of 201-232 miles courtesy of a 50kWh battery that is attached to a 136hp motor.

Like the rest of the e-C4 X it is geared up for comfort rather than pace, with 0-62mph coming in a leisurely 10.0 seconds. Although there are three driving modes, it doesn’t really offer that instantaneous burst of pace that you get with many EVs. It’s better to take things calmly.

Move up to MAX trim and you get a slightly larger 54kWh battery with a 156hp motor. This ups range to between 227-271 miles on a mix of roads and also improves performance. A 9.3 second 0-62mph time is by no means fast, but it’s perfectly adequate almost all the time.

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What it’s like to drive?

The Citroen e-C4 X shouts sensible first and foremost, with a comfortable and refined drive that isn’t wildly fun but is fairly relaxing. As such noise levels are low, and it’s impressively silent at motorway speeds, keeping road and wind noise to a gentle hush. Bear in mind we’ve only experienced top spec MAX models that get additional insulation, though.

Those drive modes – Eco, Normal and Sport – are fairly evident in what they set out to achive. In Eco mode, the throttle pedal is robbed of its responsiveness in order to minimise your temptation to engage in range-sapping heavy-footed driving. For city driving, it works very well, encouraging relaxed driving. Sport mode gives it snappy responses, with Normal being somewhere in the middle.

Corner quickly and the e-C4 X grips well enough with a fair bit of body lean. It’s not alarming, though, and the car always feels safe, secure and not in the slightest bit fun or interested in going fast.

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Comfort

The seats are excellent. They manage to be both soft and supportive, and as such they’re incredibly comfortable things to sit in, and they make long journeys much easier than many competitor cars.

As you’d expect with a Citroen, the suspension does a good job of negating the impact of potholes while the bodyroll is kept reasonably in check around corners, as long as you’re gentle with the light steering.

Range and charging

Charging can be quick, as it will work with any CCS rapid charger up to a rate of 100kW. This means that it will get you from 20-80% in less than 30 minutes regardless of battery size. A 7.4kW home wallbox charge will take around seven and a half hours.

We’ve tested the 50kWh e-C4 X in a variety of conditions, and in our unscientific experience so far, the range looks to be fairly accurate in favourable weather conditions and only using the remaining mileage indicator. However, in cooler weather, it’s not so positive, with range typically dropping more quickly, and the reported 222-mile range on dashbaord proving to be largely academic.

Our experience with the 50kWh, as well as the the standard e-C4 over a long-term test, suggests that around 170-180 miles is more realistic for a real-world figure, particularly if you spend time on the motorway. We’ll report back with our findings on the 54kWh model once we’ve racked up a few more miles.

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What models and trims are available?

Citroen only offers the top two trims on the e-C4 X, PLUS and MAX. The entry-level PLUS has most things you’d want, with a 10.0-inch touchscreen with Apple Carplay and Android Auto, dual zone automatic air conditioning, cruise control, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

MAX switches the 50kWh battery for the 52kWh one and punchier motor, improves the safety kit, gives you adaptive cruise control. LED front fog lamps, tinted rear windows, front parking sensors, auto main beam for the headlights, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, a heated steering wheel and heated front seats with electric driver adjustment.

One very welcome bit of news for those agonising over this or the standard hatch – there is barely any difference in the price of the two, with the X attracting a small premium across the two trims offered.

To find out if we recommend the Citroen e-C4 X, especially over its hatchback counterpart, read on for our verdict.