The Citroen DS4 - Can It Deliver?

So... another Citroën driven, another day to realize what on earth the French have planned for us in the DS range. This time round, I shall attempt to contribute my experience with the 6-Speed Manual DS4 200 THP .

A brand whose spirit lies deep within providing optimal comfort in the past, now trying its best to excite the keen modern driver using unorthodox methods for the present and future. Will it even be feasible? I’ll dive straight into its driving characteristics to uncover this mystery.

I took a good five minutes to familiarize myself with the driving position, pedal placements and steering angle before setting off, because these elementary adjustments can make or break one’s driving experience. Clutch in, first gear, the journey begins.

Initial impressions were not really positive. Let’s be honest here. The light clutch movement was never enough to stimulate petrolheads’ desire for more pedal feel, and the long gear throws can never match the incisive action of short shifters in more sports-oriented vehicles. But remember, that this French hatch was never intended to be as hardcore as the Clio Cup. Basing on ease of use, it ticks all the right boxes. But throw driving excitement into the picture and perspectives start to get distorted. Now, she has to rely on other trickery in her French arsenal to keep drivers smiling for a lengthier period. Can the wounded deliver?

The first “trick” that caught my attention was the steering feel. It was way heftier than the DS3, and the electric assistance seems less intrusive. A sharp turn into a gradual corner confirms its direct feel and uninterrupted technological intervention. Now the chassis has to keep up with the directness of the steering, which might pose a problem due to it having to lug around its 1496kg bulk. Truth be told, it only felt a tad heavier than the DS3 although its 200+kg weight deficit spelt otherwise. The 4 feels light on its feet and very eager to alter its bearings in a calm manner. Credit goes to the rather pricey 18” Michelin Pilot Sport 3 rubbers that helps to maintain that sizable advantage, ahead of most OEM tire fitments, when being stressed to its limits.

Wafting along in fourth feels sedate, poised and very pleasing. I dropped a gear when an opportunity struck, attempting to unleash at least most of its 200 BHP by fixating my target on the 6800rpm redline. Having Twinscrolls to reduce the turbo lag certainly aids in reducing the inertia of that clockwise rev needle motion. Response is reasonably sharp, but comparing it with the instantaneous feedback of NA motors would be stretching boundaries. It’s no doubt that response is keen for a forced induced engine block. I wasn’t left disappointed on the vocal front. Rorty 4 cylinder notes accompanied by feint induction whistles sounded surprisingly sporty and energetic for an artificially enhanced configuration, way surpassing my expectations. Those addictive tones even made me keep my revs hovering in the approximate 3000 RPM power band for the rest of the drive, to have that soundtrack replayed at my command!

Now back to the same old question that concludes most of my reflections. Can the DS4 deliver driving pleasure? The drivetrain that lacks that sporty touch leaves much to be desired, but ample positives can be taken away from its weighty steering, reasonably taut chassis and sonorous exhaust note. Ignore the French badge, which has been labeled with stereotypes relating to driving tranquility for far too long, because the DS4 has broken this tradition along with the DS3. Well done, Citroën. Now, let’s wait and see what further steps you take to improve on this commendable effort.

NA = Not Applicable? Not always.

The past month has been rather exciting as far as car testing is concerned. Having come to a firm conclusion that I’ll never derive as much pleasure driving a car with an automatic gearbox (DSG included), I’ve managed to focus my attention to analyzing engines and the way they deliver their performance. Two kinds of output come straight to mind. Forced induction (turbo to be exact) and naturally aspirated engines. Time to dissect them both.

Some might argue that if you want the pure thrill of being pinned back to your seat, look no further than forced induction to settle this urge for you. Yes, it will produce more torque from a small displacement, and the turbo lag helps in a way to create that “pause” and suspense. But do you really enjoy it all the time?

It’s time to draw a comparison. I have to admit that 90% of my mileage over my driving years has been clocked with turbo cars, and I have little experience handling NA machines. Being able to try a couple of NA cars guided my train of thought to focus on the wonders of naturally aspirated engines, regardless of the performance output.

Clocking 500 miles in the C63 AMG in Southern California partially changed my narrowed perspective of NA powerplants. It’s not the best car start with, since I was trying my best during the drive to siphon that distracting and addictive V8 symphony out of my mind, to comprehend how responsive that hand built Vee can be. It’s like studying with trance blasting out from your headphones. 600nm of torque didn’t help either. It’s a self-guided bullet train with gadgets perfected by German scientists. The AMG was oozing with absurd pace, but it didn’t manage to educate me with the basis of NA enjoyment, no matter how attentive a student I was.

I needed an instructor to provide me with more engagement. The Kia Koup with a 6 speed manual gearbox was perfect. 450nm of torque deficit wasn’t part of the syllabus. Crafting my own line in one of the tightest roads in Singapore needed a car with instant response, and it’s almost technically and physically impossible for forced induction to be considered, even with twinscrolls. (Unless we pop in a compound system form the Lancia Delta S4?) A simple tap on the accelerator out of any corner in this Koup was fuss free, with the eager motor replying to any of my information thrown at it. This is the car that can provide instant satisfaction, due to its high revving nature of the engine, and reliable self serviced gearbox. This Korean wasn’t even close to sprinting, but I hopped out of it confidently with a more knowledgeable driving brain.

Then came the revered machinery from Japan Land. Analyzing an F22C and two K20A within a span of 5 days helped me to indulge in uninterrupted NA goodness. 5 minutes in the Civic Type R was more than enough to help me dive into the nucleus of Honda’s core attributes. It was all about that springy needle on the tacho, shoving clockwise with absolute ease. It’s a sin not to mention vTec with Honda, and I could understand why after experiencing a 2^nd gear pull in the FD2R. Think forced induction with no lag at 6000rpm. That’s vTec for you, and you’ll be ultra impressed once you get involved in it.

The AP2 S2000 Type S, with its F22C, was way more linear in its delivery and to be honest, I couldn’t really feel the vTec kicking in. This engine aces in power delivery right from the moment you depress the throttle. It was never made to provide spurts of power, and its flat torque is laughable based on today’s towering numerics, caused by none other than forced induction performance. Try it if possible, and pay attention to how the engine responds to you. It’s razor sharp, way sharper than the C63 AMG. It’s as though the engine management system bypasses your limbs and sync wirelessly to your brain, whenever you want to make an attempt to rev it with any amount of pressure. This is how I derive driving pleasure.

You might realize that I didn’t put any emphasis on forced induction. This imbalance stems from the fact that NA will be more enjoyable than turbo most of the time. My opinion will definitely be met with plenty of doubts, and I will understand as I had been in this mindset for years. The past month changed my perception. Try some NA machines. It might change yours too.

The Owner's Manual

I have to admit that settling into a car with a manual drivetrain was a rather daunting task 3 months back, especially since the last time I handled a stick was under a strict driving instructor’s supervision, where having freedom to maneuver the Civic was the last thing on my mind filled with information overload. It didn’t help for the subsequent 4 years, where I didn’t have a chance to practise a stick shift, and it’s only now (better late than never) that I realized that I have been missing out on the most satisfying bits of Driving.

The 1 Series M Coupe was the car, which taught me that driving fast does not equate to even half the driving sensation, however immensely ironic it may seem. I was greeted by an empty stretch of tarmac, and it seemed only logical to plant my right foot down, but I didn’t, in some strange and subconscious fashion. Two questions popped up. Do I want to feel the shove of 450nm of torque, or do I want to work each gearshift to analyze how each input responds to me? I would definitely be lying if I told you that I didn’t want to experience what the straight six aided by two fully functioning angry typhoon fans could do.  It all happened within a split second, and the pressure to execute a decision was as tough as how I had to choose the right exit in order to avoid a massive jam during a recent drive up North.

I would love to execute both at the same time, but my inability to make both ends meet was a blessing in disguise. In step my left foot, which had been way too lazy for the past 4 years, and out step my right, which seemed to have a mind of his own in the past – “Mr Right” only wanted to press on without thinking of the consequences. Every subsequent leg movement to follow was nothing short of a bundle of joy. Many had told me that driving a manual transmission in Singapore was impractical and tiring, but these two thoughts had never ever crossed my mind. Of course, the baby M’s slick short shifter added to the sensation, but this school of thought was ditched out of the window when I tried other cars in the 3 months to follow, namely the Suzuki Swift Sport, Megane RS 250 Cup Monaco GP Edition and the Citroen DS3 1.6 150THP.

 We have to go more than skin-deep to understand how to make use of all four limbs to the best of our coordinating ability, to inch every bit of emotion out of every little input that you make, be it shifting or depressing the clutch. Every imperfection during early execution stages will be a step forward for the driver to find gratification in future shifts - and the reward will be Huge.

I had been a petrolhead ever since the days where I crashed my first souped up Tamiya car against the kitchen door, but understanding how others find Joy in driving grown up machines was a challenge at that immature stage of growth. Fast forward a decade and I am certainly privileged to comprehend the excitement when enthusiasts talk to me about the Joy of Driving a stick shift. It’s better late than never. I urge fellow petrolheads, whom like me, grow up in an era where numbered gear knobs sounded ancient, to dispose of lightning quick dual clutches for a few minutes, and hop into a good ol’ manual car, and you will never regret and forget the sensation derived from having full control of the machine, at any point in time, at any speed. If you have a Class 3A license (automatic-only license in Singapore), spend some quality time to enroll in manual driving lessons and I assure you that you will find that the challenge will be well worth it.