Citroen e-C4X review: Electric non-SUV can handle Irish roads

I predicted some time back that manufacturers were beginning to shift away — slowly, for sure — from the uber successful SUV formula which has sustained so many of them for so long.

We are only beginning to see signs of this trend and much of the impetus is coming from France where we have seen cars such as the joined-at-the-hip pairing of Peugeot’s new 408 and Citroen’s C5X and the new Renault Austral in the vanguard of the shift away from the by now ubiquitous sports utility format.

The Spanish Cupra brand is also in on the act and we reviewed its non-SUV SUV, the Formentor only last week. And quite an impressive thing it was — much in the same way we lauded the Peugeot, Citroen, and Renault not alone for daring to be different, but for doing it rather well.

Whether this is a conscious move on the part of the manufacturers or a knee-jerk remains to be seen, but the shift towards more what might be termed “estatey” cars rather than full-blown SUVs or crossovers seems to be gathering momentum.

I’m not sure is this an environmental reaction in response to consumer fears that SUVs are more harmful to the globe than other types of cars, or whether the manufacturers are actually a step ahead of the posse here, but given that car companies are generally slow-moving monoliths, that’s probably giving them too much credit.

In any event, the phenomenon is clearly with us and this week we get to drive another one of these non-SUV SUVs and it is another Citroen — this time the new e-C4X from the occasionally radically chic French outfit.

You could say that this design is an offshoot of the coupe SUV line of thinking, what with the sloping roof, the hinged boot that you cannot see into and the four-door layout, but it is not really as the car is simply not tall enough to qualify in that realm.

No, this is more of a fastback than anything else and I was reminded as much when my wife enquired if the vehicle in which we would be travelling to West Cork in in the aftermath of storm Babet would be tall enough to cope with any flooding we encountered.

I responded that it would be perfectly suitable as it was an SUV. When my good lady saw the e-C4X in the flesh, she commented pithily: “That’s not an SUV, it’s a car.”

In any event it got us through to West Cork without issue, even coping with some moderate spot flooding along the way.

But you get the picture: This is not a car that can be conventionally labelled and to my way of thinking that appears to be a “thing” these days.

So what of it? Well, it’s a very comfortable (the French excelling in this department as usual), roomy, well equipped and it has an electric motor with a decent appetite for miles and a regeneration capacity which is among the best I’ve thus far encountered.

As to the look of the car, well, from the front it is indistinguishable from a regular C4 (which is a good thing because it is a smart looking car and easy on the eye) and it is only from aft of the rear doors that things get different.

The wheelbase of the two cars is the same, but the e-C4X is the longer of the two cars by 240mm, in order to fulfil the aim of giving the rear passengers more room and also making for more luggage space.

The fact is that the car looks like a five-door hatch, but it’s only when you go to open the boot you realise the hinging is at the bottom of the rear window rather than the top and thus a four door with a boot rather than a hatch.

Seating, as mentioned already, is extremely comfortable for front and rear passengers, but the rear-seat occupants will find that the rake of the rear seatbacks — which are angled to a curious degree — might be a bit strange.

From the driver’s point of view, the twin digital screen arrangement for the instrumentation and infotainment is very “with it” and on point, although the latter does take a little getting used to as there are only two buttons via which everything is navigated.

The physical climate controls are a bonus, as are the plentiful storage spaces. That said, the tablet holder for the front seat passenger which is sited above the glove box is a unique design quirk.

Mention must be made too of the heads-up display which emerges from the instrumentation binnacle in front of the driver when you start the car up — mainly because it is incredibly annoying and in anything other than bright driving conditions you find yourself straining to see out over the bloody thing. 

However, fancy-dan or added value the Citroen people might feel this to be, it is neither and should be ditched forthwith.

And because this is not a hatch, the boot only has a very narrow access and while the actual space on offer is good, you won’t be able to stand things up in there and if you’ve got a canine buddy who usually sits in the boot, then that won’t be possible here.

On the driving front, this is a relaxed car which is not as helter-skelter as some electrics, as evidenced by the 10.0 second 0-100 km/h time. 

As it is equipped with Citroen’s copyrighted “progressive hydraulic cushions” it is very relaxed on the road too and will soak up the worst the Irish road network has to offer without demur.

That means you settle into this car when you’re on the move rather than beating it into submission and while the 134 bhp on offer is nothing to shout about, the addition of a more sophisticated suspension give it a quality you don’t often find in this class as the ride and handling are evidently superior to most of the opposition.

The claimed driving range is said to be 420km and I didn’t find any serious holes in that assertion, but I did find that the regeneration capacity on offer was among the best I’ve yet found — meaning any range anxieties you might have been generally assuaged. 

The recharging is good too and you’ll get 80% in just 20 minutes.

So, while not a speedster by any stretch, the e-C4X is excellently comfortable and very practical and, for those who get excited about such things, it’s not an SUV either.

It is capable and likes Irish driving conditions and it is — yet another French car — with the sort of things people like without being mainstream. That alone stands it apart from the crowd.