Citroen DS4 arrives in Australia

French car-maker Citroen will introduce its DS4 crossover to the Australian market next month in three versions with prices starting at $35,990 for the base turbo petrol version.

The car will be offered in Australia in two forms: DStyle (petrol and diesel) and DSport (high power petrol). The DStyle e-HDi turbodiesel is tagged at $36,990 while the DSport turbo petrol is $39,990.

First hinted at by the three-door HighRider concept unveiled at the 2010 Geneva motor show, the production DS4 that made its debut at the Paris motor show later in the same year proved to be virtually identical to the concept car, except it had five doors.

Approximately the same size as a Volkswagen Golf, but standing a bit taller to emphasise the crossover tag, the five-seat DS4 Citroen continues with the signature wrap-over panoramic windscreen and pumped-up stance that characterised the concept car.

The 147kW DSport version is fitted with massive 19-inch wheels, and size does not drop much below that with both other models wearing 18-inch wheels.

Standard equipment across the range includes an electric park brake, cruise control, electrochromatic rearview mirror, black panel instrument lighting function, dual-zone climate control, USB and Bluetooth connectivity and “sports” front seats. The DSport adds leather trim and a couple of other embellishments but is otherwise fitted out pretty much the same as the DStyle versions.

Options include satellite navigation, “active” bi-Xenon headlights and a Denon hi-fi system with a boot-mounted sub woofer.

The two turbo petrol engines are the familiar PSA-BMW developed powerplants displacing 1.6 litres and producing 115kW/240Nm and 147kW/275Nm respectively. The 1.6-litre e-HDI turbodiesel due in May this year produces 82kW/270Nm.

The 115kW petrol and 82kW e-HDI diesel utilise Citroen’s EGS robotised six-speed transmission, while the other engines use a conventional six-speed manual complete with a gear efficiency indicator (GEi).

The five-star Euro NCAP DS4 comes with six airbags, cornering lights, blind-spot monitoring, rear parking sensors and programmable cruise control that allows pre-setting of as many as five cruising speeds.

The DS4 goes on sale in Australia on March 1, joining the Citroen C4 hatch and C4 Picasso MPV, and will be followed by the Mitsubishi ASX-based C4 AirCross SUV towards the end of this year.

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