Sold on Petrol - The charm of abundance

Back from a long holiday, the Citroen C4 is all ready to shine in the competitive hatchback segment.

With the new Carbon Emissions Vehicle Scheme (CEVS), it's a tough call to make when faced with the new Citroen C4, both in petrol and diesel guises. The two variants are literally identical, with a redesigned exterior that is striking and assertive, yet elegant and compact to fit the bill as a hatchback. 

Now you may start to ponder, are there any differences and which is better? Instead of touching on how the diesel variant isn't any good, I'm just going to highlight the little advantages the petrol variant has over it.

Firstly, the petrol variant is not really a thirsty hippo. Weighing in at 1,275kg, which is 15kg lighter than the diesel C4, as well as being equipped with a multi-point electronic turbocharged fuel injection system complemented with a six-speed electronic gearbox system providing for around 15km/L, it wouldn't hurt your pockets that bad.

Although the petrol powered C4 loses out in terms of its torque figure, it has more horses to see that it finishes the century dash in 8.7 seconds - that's a solid four seconds faster than its diesel brethren. With that kind of performance figures, coupled with an industrial sounding engine, it's just hard not to think of the diesel variant as a truck.

Design wise, the petrol C4 does not lose out too. Although the test car I had came with a bigger set of 18-inchers (I got lucky), the petrol variant comes with a size 17 as standard. And if you are wondering what shoes the diesel variant is wearing, they are merely a set of plain-looking 16-inchers. 

Inside the C4, it wouldn't take long to realise that one of its features is the ability to customise the colour of the instrument panel, which sadly to say, is only available on the petrol variant. Yes, it may sound like some gimmick, but at least there is a lesser possibility of you getting bored staring at the same old colour.

With these factors ironed out, I have made my choice. How about you?

Sold on Diesel - The charm of frugality

It must have been a tug of war - in your mind that is - when it comes to deciding between two identical cars, each bearing a different type of drivetrain technology.

Here we have the C4 hatchback in petrol and diesel guises.

Regan must have elaborated his stand in going for the conventional choice - the 1.6-litre THP 155 petrol with 156bhp and 240Nm of torque on tap. And naturally (not compliantly) my choice fell on the 1.6-litre e-HDi diesel, capable of 110bhp and 270Nm of torque.

In the horsepower race, it is obvious that the diesel falls backward - in this case 46 horses short. And even with 30Nm more torque, the e-HDi clocks a century sprint close to 13 seconds, compared to 8.7 on the petrol. But a quick glance on economy figures reveal that the petrol C4 will too sprint to the nearest petrol kiosk in a more sprightly manner.

Contrary to common beliefs that diesel cars are more pollutive than their petrol driven brethrens, the diesel C4 emits just 109g/km of CO2 - compared to a significantly higher figure of 148g from the petrol C4.

As such, based on the recently implemented CEVS, the diesel C4 will attract a $15,000 discount, putting the $5,000 garnered by its stablemate to shy. The diesel C4, despite being equipped with more costly clean diesel technologies, will, thus, retail at a lower price after the discount. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist - but paying less for something that's worth more sounds like a wholesome deal.

The C4 is one of the first few models that is available locally in both petrol and diesel variants after the commencement of CEVS. In fact, it is one of the pioneering examples which advocate for a smaller carbon footprint, doing its part for the environment; yet at the same time providing real world savings - both in terms of upfront payment and running costs in time to come.

What about the uncouth image that has been given to these gas burners, you may ask? Rest assure that tireless efforts and thoughts have went into the refinement of these machines. A recent encounter with the diesel C4 has erased our doubts, proving to be a potent cruiser that is nowhere less comfortable than the petrol.

Suddenly, losing the drag race doesn't seem to matter that much after all.