The Citroen DS4 is a French-made semi-luxury hatchback designed to bridge the gap between economy-level and true luxury car brands by taking a Citroen and making it better in every single way. The DS brand is known for its striking design choices, higher quality materials, a more polished experience, and a slightly bigger price tag. So, is Citroen DS4 a good car?
The Citroen DS4 is indeed a good car for what it is, but it may not be the most reliable car Citroen ever made. Later models are much better and that is why they hold their value significantly better as opposed to earlier cars. The DS4 gets a fairly modest engine palette which means that you can go for the model that suits your preferences.
The DS4 design is much better than anything Citroen offered at the time when this car came out because the DS4 looks sportier and more purposeful. The interior of the DS4 is of higher quality and it gets everything you’d expect from a car of this era. The driving experience is on the sporty side, but the DS4 is no performance car.
The values of these seem to be fairly affordable these days which makes them interesting used car choices. Practicality is also really good because the car has enough space for up to four fully grown adults, lots of trunk space, good visibility, and lots of family-friendly features and interior storage spaces.
Citroen DS4 – The powerplant
The Citroen DS4 engine palette starts with the 1.2L inline 3-cylinder engine that offers 131hp. If you want a more powerful gasoline engine, you will have to upgrade to the 1.6L inline 4-cylinder engine with 120hp-200hp for the most powerful DS4 Sport model. All of these are FWD cars, but you can choose between a manual or an automatic gearbox.
The DS4 also comes with loads of diesel engines as well. The smallest 1.6L 4-cylinder diesel offers between 111hp and 117hp while the larger 2.0L 4-cylinder diesel offers between 163hp and 182hp. These two diesel engines are the most efficient because they can return almost 50MPG without any issues.
All in all, the DS4 engine palette is good as it offers you the choice between two diesel and two gasoline options. There are no hybrids with the Citroen DS4 as the first DS4 hybrid was introduced after DS left Citroen.
Citroen DS4 – Design and chassis
When it comes to design, the DS4 is really good as the car looks futuristic and packed with many interesting design choices which do separate it from the rest of the pack. The interior of the DS4 is also really cool-looking, but some design choices are a bit more questionable as they do hamper ergonomics a bit.
The suspension and chassis tuning of the DS4 is completely tailored towards comfort and ease of use which makes the DS4 feel fairly comfortable. It does not roll too much in the corners which makes it somewhat of a dynamic car, but nothing compared to true hot hatchbacks.
Citroen DS4 – Reliability and common issues
When it comes to reliability, the DS4 is certainly questionable as the car seems to be experienced a bunch of issues left, right, and center. Earlier DS4 models are worse than newer ones because they were also recalled a bunch of times for issues that really don’t suit a car made in this era. Either way, the most common issues with the DS4 are with the starter motor and the car’s equipment.
Other issues include problems with the sudden loss of engine power which can be contributed to a bunch of different causes. We also have to mention issues with oil and even potential fuel leaks which can be really dangerous. Finally, seat belt issues of all sorts can be experienced with the DS4 as well.
Citroen DS4 – Value and practicality
You can now pick up a used Citroen DS4 for not all that much money which makes the DS4 a really popular car on the 2nd hand market. Practicality-wise, the DS4 is really good because it offers enough seating space for four adults, but not enough for five fully grown adults. The trunk space is also really large.
Visibility is good as well, even though the car’s C-pillars are on the thicker side. The car is packed with a bunch of family-friendly features which make the car good for family transporting duties.
FAQ Section
Is the Citroen DS brand dead?
The Citroen DS brand is far from dead, but it no longer exists under the Citroen umbrella as DS separated from Citroen completely in 2015. The reason why they did this is to let DS grow its own legacy and because being a luxury brand underneath an economy brand umbrella is not really something that oozes luxury.
As such, the DS brand is now fully independent and making cars that share little to no resemblance with Citroen. The DS4 is the successor of the Citroen DS4 and it seems to be a really cool car.
How long can a Citroen DS4 last?
The Citroen DS4 should be able to last at least 100,000 to 200,000 miles if you take proper care of it. It is really difficult to predict how long any car can last as many factors go into that. Proper maintenance is the essential aspect of making sure your car can last as much as it should, and so is not being overly aggressive with it.
If you do everything that needs to be done asap, there is no reason why your DS4 shouldn’t last 200,000 miles without needing any major overhauls.
Which cars compete with the Citroen DS4?
The DS4 was originally set out to compete with the likes of the Audi A3, the BMW 1-Series, and the Mercedes Benz A-Class. The DS4 never had it to truly rival these German luxury brands so it is more of a VW Golf rival than it is a premium luxury car. However, DS is adamant that the new DS4 will rival the A3, the A-Class, and the 1-Series.
