Citroen e-C4 review: electric, with a side of comfort

Platform sharing can often throw up some interesting contrasts in how different manufacturers approach this whole car thing.

For example, everything Mitsubishi built (and, indeed, still builds) on the GS platform it shared with Daimler Chrysler was solid, if unspectacular. The Lancer, ASX, Eclipse Cross and 2nd/3rd gen Outlander were (and still are, in the case of the ASX and Eclipse Cross) perfectly good cars that people liked, and they sold well.

On the other hand, everything Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep built on the same underpinnings was utter garbage.

The Dodge Avenger, Caliber and Journey, the first-gen Jeep Compass and Patriot, and the Chrysler Sebring were nothing short of dismal in terms of build quality, design, performance and, unsurprisingly, sales.

It was a similar story in Europe too, with everything that Citroen built on the platforms it shared with Peugeot just tended to look worse and fall apart quicker.

So it is somewhat surprising that two of the best cars built on the Stellantis Common Modular Platform (CMP or e-CMP in electric form) come from Jeep and Citroen. Yes, really.

Everything car produced so far on the CMP underpinnings has been, generally speaking, a very good thing in either ICE or EV formats. The Peugeot 208 and Opel Corsa small hatches and their respective small SUV siblings, the 2008 and Mokka, are all attractive, well built and impressive efforts.

But the Jeep Avenger tops the likes of the Peugeot e2008 and Opel Mokka-e by being a more focussed and refined effort all around, and now the Citroen has a very apt secret weapon that elevates it above its platform mates - its suspension.

The term “magic carpet” is well overused when it comes to describing ride quality, but it is really the only appropriate way to describe the e-C4’s ride quality.

Yes, in a very Citroen-y move, the e-C4 (and, of course, the ICE versions of the C4) feature a proprietary suspension set up that recaptures that old Citroen magic of handling well and yet also being exceptionally comfortable and compliant at the same time.

While Citroen is known for its hydropneumatic suspension, that isn’t what is under the e-C4 (that technology was discontinued a while back). Instead the e-C4 uses Citroen’s proprietary ‘Progressive Hydraulic Cushions’, essentially another layer of shock absorption via a set of hydraulic progressive bump stops that isolates the car from road imperfections.

And, boy, do they work. The e-C4 has easily the best ride of any car on the CMP underpinnings, with possibly the best ride of any EV I have personally driven.

The term “magic carpet” is well overused when it comes to describing ride quality, but it is really the only appropriate way to describe the e-C4’s ride quality. It simply floats serenely over the road, totally unflustered by surface imperfections of any size.

This ride comfort is only enhanced by the fantastic seats that boast extra padding over the previous C4.

While the interior is relatively tame by the standards of other cars on the CMP platform, it is nicely laid out and, in a surprise twist for a Citroen, sensibly and logically laid out.

Don’t worry though, as there is still a good amount of weirdness scattered around, most notably the super-weird (and utterly pointless) tablet holder that is essentially a chunky rubber sleeve that lives in a drawer in the dash and slips over a very specific-sized iPad, and then clips into a holder in the dash on the passenger side.

Weirdly specific, utterly unnecessary and taking up way too much real estate in the dash that would be far better off allocated to storage, it is a mystifying addition and totally in keeping with some of the weird stuff Citroen has pulled over the years.

The e-C4 has easily the best ride of any car on the CMP underpinnings, with possibly the best ride of any EV I have personally driven.

While the comfort and ride quality is deeply impressive, handling isn’t overly compromised by it, though it bears remembering that the C4 is now more SUV-like, with a slightly jacked-up ride height and the inherent handling compromises that come with that.

The e-C4 also packs the extra weight of batteries, but this ultimately helps handling by keeping the weight down nice and low, and while the C4 is by no means a sports car, it can certainly hold its own through a set of corners.

This, combined with the satisfying EV torque and that superbly composed ride means that the e-C4 is at its absolute best when you get into a nice smooth flow and make the most of its attributes.

This would suggest that the e-C4 is perfect for long highway road trips, and indeed it is, but for one thing - the e-CMP platform is still very much for small urban cars, and the small 50kWh battery is proof of that.

Citroen claims a range of up to 363km on the WLTP test cycle, which generally translates to under 300 in real world driving - more open road running will drop this further.

Add to this a maximum DC fast charging rate of just 100kW (20 to 80% takes 30 minutes) and the e-C4 (and, to be completely fair, all of its e-CMP platform-mates) starts looking far more like an urban adventurer than an open road explorer.

That said, if you are after a comfortable and capable small urban EV, then you aren’t likely to find one more comfortable and capable than the e-C4. It’s also a bit of a bargain at the moment: the future of this $69,990 model is up in the air (which is a minus), but Citroen is currently offering “demonstrator” models at $58,990 (a big plus).

ENGINE: Single electric motor with 50kWh lithium-ion battery POWER: 100kW/260Nm GEARBOX: single-speed automatic CONSUMPTION: 14.5kWh/100km, Range 363km (WLTP) PRICE: $69,990

What are the key statistics for the Citroen e-C4?