Citroën DS4. A little more than a design exercise.

The stylish Citroën DS4 has been launched around 2 years ago and we recently took one out for an assessment to find out why they are not as popular as a Nissan Juke. We drove the 1.6 HDi in mid spec DStyle trim.

EXTERIOR: The DS4 is obviously meant to be a design exercise. The front is rather similar to the C4 although the L-shaped led lights embellish the angry looks of its sibling. The profile hints to a sporty-coupe although the raised body denies any resemblance to a fast car. The rear doors have a bizzarre shape which limits the access to the back bench and the pointy door handle corner can be accident prone. The rear is more modern than the C4 with some lovely led lights and a stylish chrome bumper insert. The DStyle trim is fitted with fancy 18 inches bi-colour alloys.

INTERIOR: The dashboard is a button feast. We counted over 60 buttons, 17 of which are on the steering wheel alone. Some of the controls are not intuitive and some of them are perhaps unnecessary. There is also a button on the steering wheel to switch the interior reading lights on, another one blacks-out the dashboard in a Saab style, a now-defunt brand. The radio controls are rather fiddly although the dual-zone climate control is easy to operate in a clean Volvo-like design. The central display is rather complicated with too many information some of which were repeated in the instruments in front of the driver and, funnily enough, they disagreed with each other. In fact at some point the fuel gauge instrument shown more range than the central display! The speedometer is clear and it has a digital and an analogue reading . The DS4 has supportive seats with an electric lumbar support and massaging function as standard. The black headlining looks very smart.

DRIVING: The 1.6 HDi is very willing with an impressive in-gear response. The brakes have an irregular progress with an over intrusive abs system. The handling is poor despite the wide section and low profile tyres. As a result, the ride is harsh and jittery on poor surfaces although the DS4 is a fine cruiser on a smooth road and the 6th gear keeps it quiet.

PRICES: The DS4 in mid spec DStyle is a well kitted crossover and although the list price is just over 20 grand, Citroën has some fantastic dealer incentives. We got quoted £274/month on a 3 year PCP with £1500 deposit and £5000(!) dealer contribution based on 10000mls/year.

VERDICT: The DS4 is a car for people who want something a bit more stylish than a C4 and Citroën's incentives are very tempting. However don't forget that a family car is meant to carry kids and those fixed rear door windows are a big oversight especially if your child feels sick due the DS4's unsettled ride. Therefore if we need a stylish and modern crossover, our money would go on a Nissan Juke. MG