Citroen C4 1.6hdi

Hi all,

I am strongly thinking of buying one of these in the next few weeks and I will possible go 2006 or brand new. Anyone have any comments/reviews on these. I read up on honest John and it seems okay barr a few minor issues that would not put me off. I currently have a 2000 Honda Accord 1.8ils Vtec so I wanted to get a diesel for economy reasons as we are moving house another 19 miles from where we are now plus I feel like a change. Important things in this car to will be space, have 2 kids but we are a tall family so leg room is very important in our motors. Also, when a child seat is in and a booster seat is in the car, what is the space like in the back?.
What should I expect MPG and is there decent poke in it??.
Thanks.

Engine is good. I ran 2 bigger cars with the same unit. 110bhp is plenty.

They put the same unit into bigger cars such as C5 and Pug. 407.

Economy will be strong too. I regularly achieved 55-60 mpg cruising along.

I have no idea about the C4 - French cars and build quality/reliability would worry me tbh.

Maybe have a look at the Mazda range - prices reduced and that same engine is available too.

I rented one for 2 weeks in France last year. It was 1.4 petrol and quite sluggish for it! A nice car to drive otherwise, but the rear visibility was not great, esp for reverse parking! If taking a test drive, look into this carefully and see if its OK for you.

Is the Accord not a bigger car than the C4?. Cant imagine there is much room in the back. Check out autotrader on line for reviews.

The new Corolla Saloon D4D, its a 1.4L turbo diesel and will do 60mpg with ease. It is a bigger car than the C4 so would suit kids, also has the Toyota reliability to back it up. In basic Terra trim it comes in at just under €24k with metallic.

john m said:

The new Corolla Saloon D4D, its a 1.4L turbo diesel and will do 60mpg with ease. It is a bigger car than the C4 so would suit kids, also has the Toyota reliability to back it up. In basic Terra trim it comes in at just under €24k with metallic.

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It looks and drives like a fridge freezer though

Been on carzone again and checked out the Mazda 3 diesal, hard to come by and it's over €20k for a 2005 and I don't like it enough to pay that for it. Had a look at 1.9tdi Octavias 05/06 and price is okay and I know they are great cars I am not mad about the design though and think the dash looks a bit boring but they are trouble free, safe motoring.
I know the Toyota's are great mechanically but can be a big ugly. Will check out that new Corolla D4D anyway.
I would dearly love another Accord but I would have to buy a 2003 money wise when I want to go up to 2004 at least when I change my car in the next few weeks.
Hubbie has 2.2tdi Seat Altea (2005) and it's a beauty. I was half thinking of looking at the tdi Golfs 04/05 but they are mad money aren't they?!.
Meant to say any 2004 Accord I can afford is a private sale on carzone (there is one beauty!!) and that would mean I have to sell mine privatley and I dread it!. What if it takes ages to sell!!

Did you look at the superb? There's a 2005 1.9 TDI on car zone for 19500,one owner.I'd love it myself but won't have my present car paid for until sept.You could play tennis in the back there's so much room

Thanks Caff..they are gorgeus cars so off I go for a look....the kids would have a ball in the back of that!.

I have heard complaints about citroens breaking down. But most important the quality of service from citroen dealers is poor in my opinion from talking to citroen owners. Before you buy ask people who have the same model you are interested in, say 1 or 2 years old. At that stage they should know reliable they are! Toyota you can't go far wrong, but are boaring. Skoda's and seat's are just rebadged volkswagens. Interior different but good choice of engines. A 1.9 tdi seat or skoda will give good economy. I get from a 02 1.9 tdi 130bhp passat, on a 40 mile trip between 55-60 mpg, depends how you drive what mpg you get. If i drive it hard 1 get between 45-50mpg. I wouldn't go less than 110 bhp in any car because it's a pain trying to overtake and changing gear all the time. I would if I were you look at a 1.9 passat, 1.9 130bhp TDI. big enough. But check the boot, it's massive but a saloon, so check that access is ok. Also look at estate cars. And remember whatever car you choose make it's got a full service history from the main dealer, If not WALK AWAY! High mileage on german cars is not a problem a passat will go for 300k no problem if it's serviced properly. Ask any taxi driver! DOn't be fooled thinkinga car with 60+k miles is near the end of it's life I would rather buy a 3-4 year old car with higher mileage in the spec i want and a bigger car, rather than a new one and have to get a basic model.Remember to check how much tax you have to pay on the car.For a 1.9 it's about €550 per year. Also note if you do lots of small runs around town you will use alot of diesel. Disels are purely for 20miles +. A secondhand prius for town runs you can't go far wrong nice bit of poke cheap tax and Insurance+ it's a toyota and I have heard of no problems yet, but I don't know if that's because there isn't much of them around! good luck hunting, don't rush into buying a car look around, and take it for a good test drive, buy from a garage so you have a warrenty!

I have 2 children, one in a booster seat and the other in a child seat. I have a Superb and I can thouraghly recommend it. The space available to the children in the back is great. I never get complaints about being squashed on our regular 6 hour jaunts to the North.

If you are tall I would worry about space in the rear. My wife has an old model Octavia and it is not possible for me to drive it with either of our children sat behind me. I'm only 5'10. My wife loves it though. Easy to drive, park and manoeuvre. Huge boot and all.

The 05 on version of the Octavia has much improved room in the back seat. It has an even bigger boot than the old one too. We've tried out the car seats and the kids have space, not as much as in the Superb, but enough to keep them happy.

So all in all if space is an issue make sure you test drive with the kids in the back in their seats to make sure everybody has room. Oh, and I recommend the Superb.

Lads look like I'm going for a golf or a superb, going to do some test drives this weekend and make a descision. My Dad has warned me if I buy a French car he will have me committed, he though he rared me better with car knowledge!!. LOL!
That's one of our probs, my hubbie used to have Leon and it was wrong to put anyone behind him when he was driving, he is the same in my accord. He is 6ft 4 and I am 5ft 9. I keep my seat fairly upright and if I am too far back it hurts my back and at the moment I am carrying a back injury so I have to be careful how I sit!.

Good luck with a Golf then.

Given your heights you really should be looking at Mondeo, Avensis, Accord, Passat, Superb sized cars rather than the traditional hatchback segment.

A superb any day!! A truly class motor.A golf with space&style

It all comes down to affordability for us so that's why I am looking at a Golf and Superb. I can't afford the Accord I want!!!

If you are tall with 2 kids maybe look at a compact MPV diesel?

The 1.6 HDI/TDCI engine is available in one or two of them.

I owned 2 Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 TDCI's and the were faultless, roomy, and sipped fuel. The engine performance was very good also. This model is due for a change soon, so look for a heavy discount.

Make sure you check out the seat in the VW Golf when you test drive it. Like yourself I have a back problem and I found the driver's seat in the Golf very uncomfortabe. Mine was a 2000 model so maybe they have changed the seats in the newer models.

I drive a 1.4 petrol C4 and absolutely love it. There have been 3 recalls to date on the car which is a bit of a nuisance. Not a problem with it since I purchased it, touch wood. Previous to that I was a Honda owner but I would be happy to stay with Citroen. Looks good too.