C4 Series II

A facelifted C4 small-car range slipped into Australia in early 2009.

Headline news included the discontinuation of the three-door C4 ‘Coupe’ as well as a new nose (lights, grille, bumpers, mudguards), fresh alloy wheels, more paint options, revised interior and more equipment.

The updated cabin features ‘premium-grain’ door and dashboard panels, different velour and leather seat trims, and some changes to the instrument panel.

Under the bonnet, the previous C4’s 1.6i 16V and 2.0i 16V petrol engines have been replaced by a pair of all-new 1.6-litre units co-developed with BMW, both of which are claimed to offer more performance, better fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions.

Opening the simplified C4 range is the new C4 VTi (for Variable valve lift and Timing injection), powered by a 1.6-litre 16-valve DOHC four-cylinder petrol engine delivering 88kW at 6000rpm (up from 80kW) and 160Nm of torque from 4250rpm (up from 147Nm), and driving the front wheels via a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission.

Sadly, electronic stability control (ESC) is not available with the entry-level C4 1.6, but it does include ABS anti-lock brakes, twin front/side/curtain airbags, air-conditioning and cloth trim.

Meanwhile, the C4 Turbo Exclusive uses a 1.6-litre THP (Turbo High Pressure) version of the VTI model. It replaces the old 2.0L petrol, and produces 110kW/240Nm in five-speed manual guise and 103kW/240Nm as a four-speed auto.

On top of the 1.6 VTi and 1.6 ‘Turbo Exclusive’ petrol versions are three turbo-diesel variants in the C4 HDi 1.6 manual, the C4 HDi 1.6 EGS, and the C4 2.0 HDi Exclusive auto.

Each are powered by carry-over versions of PSA’s HDi diesel engines featuring second-generation common-rail induction, with the 1.6 HDi delivering 80kW at 4000rpm and 240Nm from 1750rpm (260Nm during overboost mode in the three highest gears), while the 2.0 HDi produces 100kW at 4000rpm and 320Nm at 2300rpm.

End.