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The Citroen C4 B7 is no longer a bomb of a car (neither was the previous generation, to be honest), but now it has truly abandoned madness and resorted to being a run-of-the-mill compact. But does that make it more attractive for your budget?

Anyway, the original C4 was one of the few cars affordable for literally everyone, but around 2005 we weren’t really into French cars or any other type of car that wasn’t built in Germany or at least had a German badge. And yet the recipe worked, the first C4 riding the wave of new but affordable cars, cars bought by those who wanted a new car and not a used wreck from Germany, but who still didn’t quite want a Astra, which, by the way, had just been launched.

So we have a much more commercial car. The Citroen C4 B7 abandons the speedometer placed halfway through the dashboard, the climate control buttons are no longer in the glove compartment, the steering wheel is no longer attached to the hood, it no longer has cornering headlights that catch your eye much like how Emily Kristopher and her curves do. 

But at least we got standard equipment that makes your life easier but not necessarily more exciting. If you also choose the factory white paint, you can easily sell it in Currys, Electronic World, Gizmo and similar stores. But before I throw the Citroen C4 B7 completely under the train, I’ll tell you that it comes with standard ABS and ESP, disc brakes on the front and rear are also standard, semi-independent suspension, and lots of gizmos at the front, and a torsion beam at the rear. We no longer have the coupe version because they renamed it the Citroen DS3.

Citroen C4 B7 Engines

Petrol

• 1.4 VTi Puretech of 95 horsepower – Perfect for the 208 and a bit of a stretch for the Citroen C4 B7, but at least it’s the most reliable petrol available, and the 95 horsepower are sufficient for the city and occasional out of town trips.


• 1.6 VTi Prince of 120 horsepower – If you want to get 25 extra horsepower in exchange for an increased appetite for coil packs, then the 1.6 VTi could be the only engine you need on the Citroen C4. And more frequent timing chain failures.


• 1.6 Turbo Prince 156 horsepower – Essentially the same 1.6 VTi but now it also has a turbocharger attached to it and it still hasn’t managed to get rid of the timing chain issues. 

Diesel

• 1.6 HDi DV6TED of 90 and 110 horsepower – This garbage of an 1.6 HDi has been intubated and mostly repaired. It’s no longer the natural disaster of the past, but still has occasional issues with injectors. Anyway, like any other 1.6 diesel on the market, it has no business in the city because you’ll clog the particle filter in no time. Oh, there’s also the e-HDi version which is actually just a normal 1.6 HDi but with Start/Stop.


• 2.0 HDi DW10B 150 horsepower – The village bicycle of PSA and the answer of baguette eaters to the classic Golf VI 2.0 TDI. Just as good as the Golf 2.0 TDI but it was already too expensive for the typical budget of a Citroen C4 buyer so it’s rarer than the moments when Jake Paul doesn’t threaten anyone with a MMA fight.

Citroen C4 B7 Reliability Issues 

• It’s a Citroen so you automatically have to expect many issues on the electrical side. Unfortunately, the Citroen C4 B7 is a Citroen only in name and no longer has typical French technologies so you’ll mainly have issues with the air conditioning and infotainment.


• The EGS robotized gearbox is still trash and should be avoided, especially because of the increased appetite for clutches.


• For the second generation Citroen C4 the French decided to go into the comfort zone and sacrifice sportiness. And they went so far as to put special tire sizes for fuel economy. If you want something fast, this car is not for you. It’s for you if you want low running costs but that’s about it.

Citroen C4 B7 Verdict 

It’s no longer that Citroen madness, but you could say that in a way the Citroen C4 B7 is an equally extreme car. From spectacular but unreliable cars, the Citroen C4 is a very simple, bland but reliable car. Just add white paint to it, and it’s truly an appliance on wheels. And look, I managed to write 800 words about one of the dullest cars on the market. Dull, but reliable and cheap to buy and run.

What engines do I recommend? For petrol, the 1.4 VTi with 95 horsepower is clearly enough and it’s also the cheapest C4 B7. And for diesel, the classifieds are full of 1.6 HDi with 90 horsepower, and you don’t need more power really. Because this is a sporty car as far as I don’t have maintenance debts.