Overview

The Citroen C4-X is a budget family car that’s so comfortable, it puts a lot of top-end models to shame. If you’re wondering what the X part in the name does, it turns the quirky C4 hatch into a jacked up yet more elegant saloon. A bigger boot capacity aside, the two models are pretty much the same, with similar driving characteristics and seemingly identical interiors.

Both the Citroen C4 and C4 X have been updated for 2025. They now feature revised front ends with artistic headlight signatures, while new colours are on offer to complement fresh alloy design choices. The amendments are only light but then the C4 X was already a pretty solid car, and especially at its £24,000 price point.

Where does the C4 X now sit on the automotive landscape? Starting from £24,735.00, it’s still an affordable option in the saloon car market. Based on shape alone, one could draw parallels with the outgoing Renault Arkana, another jacked up saloon from a French marque, but the Arkana has a starting price of £27,000. Alternatively, the Mazda CX-30 starts from £25,865 which puts it in a very similar ball park to the C4 X on price, but perhaps lacks some of the French car’s saloon-shape elan. It depends what you’re after.

What’s the C4X like to drive? Read on for the full review from Parkers, as we cover every facet of the C4 X, from the way it handles to the quality of the interior and more, before coming to a final verdict. If you’d like to know how we did it, head over to our how we test cars page for everything you need to know. 

What’s it like inside?

Citroen didn’t bother changing the C4 X’s interior during its facelift update process, and so the cabin still has that same cheap albeit modern feel as before. The materials around the dashboard are almost exclusively scratchy plastics, which can be a little harsh to the touch, and the monochrome black colour palette doesn’t exactly lift the ambiance. 

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The aesthetic reflects the price point of the car, but if you can get past the scratchy feel then it’s quite a pleasant interior. There’s ample head and shoulder room in the front, while leg room in the back is excellent. I’m six foot two inches, and I was able to get comfortable on the back row with ease. The only issue worth noting, though, is that the plastic lighting unit above the central rear seat is rather clumsily placed. 

For some unknown reason, Citroen positioned it directly above where your head naturally sits. As a taller passenger, I found that the plastic would brush against the top of my head as we drove along, which became quite annoying and surely could’ve been avoided. Shoulder room is okay in the rear, but the whole back bench seems set up like some implicit directive to leave the middle seat empty when at all possible. Worth noting that the C4X has a 510-litre boot, which is 130 litres more than you get in the C4, so opt for the X if you’ve got a lot of luggage to lug around.

Comfort

The seats are comfortable and supportive. Citroen likes to rave about the 15mm of foam used in their construction, along with the high bolstering and deep quilted look.

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Combined with the car’s excellent suspension system, they are conducive to a soft and comfortable experience, but whether the extra 15mm is discernible or not, we couldn’t really say. Dual-zone automatic air conditioning is available as standard on all cars, but electrically heated front seats are an option.

Safety

The C4 X comes with Citroen’s standard safety pack. It includes lane keep assist, driver attention alerts and a forward collision warning. A speed limiter function and cruise control are also standard on the C4 X, but hill start assist, keyless entry and active blind spot detections are exclusive to MAX trim. The pre-facelift C4 achieved a four-star Euro NCAP rating when tested back in 2021.

What’s it like to drive?

In true Citroen style, the C4 X rides very nicely on the road, soaking up road imperfections with a deftness that’s hard to find elsewhere. Rather than wallowing on its suspension, using excessive travel in the springs to iron out uneven tarmac, the C4 X rides steadily. Citroen calls this damping tech its hydraulic cushions, and they prevent bouncing by absorbing and releasing kinetic energy at the end of the damper stroke. Trust us, it really works.

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It’s not a dynamically capable car by any means, though. The C4x was designed to carry families and luggage in comfort, and that it can do well, but it won’t reward your for straying from its raison d’être. The C4X rolls through corners, and the lightness of the steering didn’t engage us through the mountainous section of our test route at all.

The C4 X’s brakes are a little spongy, and with just 136 hp to play with, it can’t really shift its weight very well. However, initial pull away is aided by a 48V electrical system. The car can get from zero to 62mph in eight seconds, which feels adequate on the road and with a little more urgency than the power output would suggest. 

What models and trims are there?

There’s just one Citroen C4 X model – an electric counterpart is also offered in the e-C4 X – and only one engine. Trim grades are split between PLUS, which starts from £24,735 and includes the 10-inch infotainment display as standard, and MAX trim. The latter will set you back £26,625 for heated front seats and more tech, among several other features.