Along with its five-door relation, the e-C4, the Citroen e-C4 X is the recipient of a useful drivetrain update, which sees it gain more power, a bigger battery and, perhaps most welcome of all, more driving range on a charge.
In the metal
To accompany the new electric powertrain in the e-C4 X, there are no visual changes to this most unusual of cars, a vehicle which takes the e-C4 as a basis. Citroen then grafts a separate, closed-off boot onto the back of the passenger compartment. That places it alone in a class of one, as far as we're aware, when it comes to electric four-door compact saloons with a smattering of off-road styling mixed in.
Whether you prefer this e-C4 X or the marginally more conventional e-C4 hatchback is going to come down to aesthetic appreciation. And no, we've not forgotten the boot space issue. On paper, the X has 130 more litres of room to play with when the rear seats are up than the hatchback (510 versus 380 litres), while if you fold the second row of seating away on both cars then there's still 110 litres in it in favour of the e-C4 X - 1,360 litres vs. 1,250. But, as ever, bare numbers don't really tell the full story, as the boot aperture on the e-C4 X is far lower and narrower than it is on the e-C4. Therefore, while the black-and-white metrics suggest the X has the more practical boot, it never feels that way when you're using it.
At least the rear passenger head- and legroom feels identical to that in the e-C4, which means your friends and family won't mind you choosing the idiosyncratic e-C4 X over and above its hatchback relation. Even if they like to wear hats while travelling in cars.
Driving it
As in the updated Citroen e-C4, the 100kW (136hp), 50kWh e-C4 X which has already been launched, and which comes with a 360km range, is expected to continue, while this newcomer will sit alongside it in showrooms - offering customers even greater electric vehicle (EV) choice as a result. That means this new version has the larger 54kWh gross (51kWh usable) battery pack, the latest hybrid synchronous motor rated at 115kW (156hp) and a quoted driving range of 420km to a single charge.
On the road, we couldn't feel any variation between these two electric Citroens at all. But that's obviously good news if you're a fan of zero-emissions saloons, because it means the e-C4 X is just as comfortable and just as quiet and just as relaxing to travel in as the e-C4, because the damping and body control are traded off to nigh-on perfection. What we mean is that it's all well and good fitting super-soft suspension to a car to try to give it the best ride you can, but if the resultant body motions of the vehicle feel like it is driving across a massive waterbed when it's travelling at higher speed, then you're just as likely to upset the constitution of your passengers as you would in something with rock-hard springs and a set of 22-inch wheels on rubber-band tyres driving over corrugated tin.
The e-C4 X never falls into that trap, though, so its Progressive Hydraulic Cushions (PHC)-equipped suspension set-up can only be called an unqualified success. Obviously, even with a rear bulkhead behind the back seats, which must bless this Citroen with a tiny bit more torsional rigidity in its shell than that enjoyed by the hatchback model, there's no extra edge to the handling - so don't go expecting this to corner with any great vivacity either.
Do, however, enjoy the extra 20hp brought about by the new electric motor. As we said in the e-C4 review, the on-paper 0-100km/h time is slower than the 100kW models are claimed to do, which is presumably a by-product of the bigger, heavier battery and no increase in the 260Nm of peak torque. But it's not step-off acceleration where the overall 156hp makes itself felt - instead, it's roll-on, as the extra power ensures the Citroen feels more muscular and insistent at speeds in excess of 80km/h. That should come in useful on motorways and faster dual carriageways.
What you get for your money
We're still waiting for Irish prices and specs on the updated Citroen e-C4 X, but we'd expect the more powerful 115kW/54kWh combination to be associated with higher trims, while the ongoing 100kW/50kWh set-up will be available on the more affordable grades. Presently, the 100kW version starts at €41,455 and rises to €45,160, so that should give you a steer on where the 115kW e-C4 X will come in. We'll keep you posted.
Summary
Bringing the total number of electric C-segment offerings in the Citroen product portfolio to four, the new e-C4 X 115kW 54kWh is a likeable zero-emissions four-door with a 420km one-shot driving range and refinement which is second-to-none in this class. About your only dilemma will be deciding whether you pick this or the more practical, sans-'X' hatchback alternative, but whichever one you choose, you're getting a capable and comfortable EV for your money.
