CITROEN has ushered in a series of minor upgrades to its C4 family car, writes William Scholes.
The electric version - the e-C4 - gets the same cosmetic changes as its petrol and diesel siblings but also the promise of greater 'real world' range - although the official range, as certified using the industry standard WLTP test regime, remains at 217 miles.
This rather emphasises the limitations and quirks of the test, and is a reminder that it is wrong to focus on a claimed maximum range - which may be unattainable in the real world - rather than how a vehicle performs in everyday driving conditions.
Citroen doesn't say specifically how it has improved the e-C4's performance, talking vaguely about "a series of technical enhancements".
It is less coy about other changes to the car. These appear to consist of the usual upgrades, with new alloy wheel designs and paint colours.
Entry level 'Sense' trim now comes with 'Citroen Smart Pad Support' - essentially a bracket on the dashboard in front of the passenger to hold a tablet computer such as an iPad - meaning that all models now have it.
Citroen says the passenger airbag has been designed "to deploy over the top of the Citroen Smart Pad Support in the event of an accident".
Bad news for fans of 'obsidian black' paintwork - it has been removed from the C4's palette, to be replaced with 'perla nera black'.
The e-C4 has so far accounted for around 20 per cent of C4 sales, while around 70 per cent of all sales are "towards the top of the range", says Citroen.
Prices for the revised C4 start at £21,310 for Sense trim with a PureTech 100 petrol engine and manual gearbox, with a range-topping Shine Plus weighing in at £28,510 with BlueHDi 130 diesel engine and eight-speed automatic gearbox.
The e-C4 is offered with a 134bhp motor and 50kWh battery in three trim levels - Sense Plus, Shine and Shine Plus - which are all eligible for the government's £2,500 plug-in car grant. Inclusive of the grant, they are priced at £30,895, £31,845 and £32,495 respectively.
