C4 VTR gets the gear

Citroën has debuted a new C4 variant which blends five-doors, 103Kw and a manual gearbox for the first time.

Citroën C4 VTR five-door gets the five-speed manual gearbox and 2.0-litre 103kW engine from the C4 Coupe in a more versatile yet still stylish hatchback package.

The VTR also gets the Coupe's 17-inch 'Resolfen' alloy wheels and front bumper and valance. Inside there's sports front seats; the steering wheel gets leather and carbon-fibre and chrome accents are featured.

The added goodies top-off the already substantial list of standard editions in the C4 hatch. This includes: electric windows and mirrors, remote central locking, power steering, cruise control and speed limiter, ABS (plus ESP, EBD and EBA) aircon, automatic wipers (rear too!) and headlights, multi-function trip computer and high-spec hifi.

"With the launch of the Citroën C4 VTR we are providing equipment and trim packages that clearly focus on the different customers for the manual and automatic versions of the C4 with the hatch with the 2.0 litre engine," explained Citroën's Aussie chief, Miles Williams.

"The typical customer for the manual C4 will be one that wishes to have a more sporting focus for the car, in both equipment and trim, while the automatic C4 is more centered on luxury."

The five-speed VTR has a top speed of 208km/h and logs a 0-100km/h time of 9.2sec according to Citroën. Combined average fuel consumption is 7.6lt/100km.

The new C4 VTR is priced from $29,990.