The Citroen C4 five-door hatch gets a mid-life facelift, introducing a brilliant Puretech three-cylinder petrol turbo engine and six-speed automatic transmission.

WHAT IS IT? A slightly up-spec European alternative to more mainstream small hatchbacks. A front-drive five-door, it enjoys a devoted following among Francophiles for its ride quality and cruising comfort.

WHY WE’RE TESTING IT It’s been fitted with a turbocharged version of PSA’s acclaimed 1.2-litre, three-cylinder PureTech engine, mated to a six-speed Aisin transmission. Citroen is so happy with the donk, it’s become the sole powertrain, superseding four-cylinder petrol and diesel. Besides that, there are minor interior and exterior changes.

MAIN RIVALS Peugeot 308, Ford Focus, Mazda 3, Volswagen Golf, Toyota Corolla, Hyundai i30

THE WHEELS VERDICT We’ve dubbed the Citroen C4 plain vanilla before and it’s still true, although the new powertrain, reduced weight and nicer interior all help bring a little more flavour (and frugality) to the fare. Practicality and long-distance comfort will resonate with converted Citroenisti, but most others will simply wonder: pour quoi?

PLUS: Ride, great engine and transmission, quiet cabin, front seating, visibility, huge boot MINUS: Bland inside and out, flat rear bench, compromised rear headroom

THE WHEELS REVIEW IT IS NO LONGER all that obvious to me why people buy French cars. I guess they are cheaper than German cars, while still having some (western) European cachet. But it’s been a long time since we assumed French quality to be much superior to that of mainstream makes, and French cars have had too many sales suicides to continue striving for quirkiness and character.

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The 1.2-litre petrol Puretech three-cylinder engine produces 96kW and 230Nm and, Citroen says, is a staggering 105kg lighter than the four-cylinder petrol it replaces (and 125kg lighter than the diesel). No less significant is the six-speed auto tranny, standard fit across the range, which gives the C4 more gears than ever before.

In hand with engine stop-start, and with kerb weights now trimmed by up to 125kg, the new turbo triple slashes average fuel consumption to a diesel-duelling 4.8 L/100km.

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Turbo PureTech

PSA Group’s Turbo PureTech three-cylinder engine has just been named the 2015 International Engine of the Year. Compared with the atmo PureTech of 2012, the turbo features a steel crankshaft, high-performance steel conrods, heat-treated block, reinforced cylinder head, sodium-filled valves and a 240,000rpm turbo. Max torque of 230Nm is electronically flattened from 1400-4400rpm.

SPECS

Model: Citroen C4 Exclusive Engine: 1199cc 3cyl, dohc, 12v, turbo petrol Max power: 96kW @ 5500rpm Max torque: 230Nm @ 1750rpm Transmission: 6-speed automatic Weight: 1240kg 0-100km/h: 11.4sec (claimed) Fuel economy: 4.9 L/100km Price: $33,990 On sale: Now