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Citroen's second generation C4 enters a dragon's den of top selling, high quality Focus-sized family hatchback rivals. Does it have what it takes to win over a demanding public? Jonathan Crouch reports

Not your run-of-the-mill family hatchback, the Citroen C4 piles on the technology and includes some unorthodox styling features but it all hangs together rather well. It's a car that had become a rather forgotten choice until the introduction of this second generation version, which aimed to change things with sleeker styling, much improved quality and a range of more efficient engines. It still isn't a French Golf. Actually, it's more interesting than that.

The first generation C4, launched in 2004, marked a return to form for Citroen, the marque back to its innovative best after a series of rather ordinary offerings in the family hatchback sector. It felt fresh and distinctive, but its quality wasn't quite up to Golf standards, nor could its engines quite produce the kind of figures to make company Fleet Managers sit up and take notice, even after Citroen rejuvenated them in 2007.

When the time came to create a second generation model, it was necessary to keep the car's hi-tech and individual feel, yet correct these failings, something Citroen claims to have done very thoroughly. If they have - and if Focus-class buyers can be persuaded to sample the result, then this car might still be able to achieve the kind of sales success its French makers were hoping for from the outset.

On the road, Citroens have always prioritised comfort over handling but the spec sheet suggests that this one may well serve up a slightly more dynamic experience than its predecessor, without compromising the relaxed demeanour which has always marked this car out. This C4 does, after all, feature a new rear suspension set up with flexible transverse beam and the claimed result is minimal bodyroll and good road feel, all of which should be aided by better feedback from the hydraulic power steering. There's traction and ESP electronic stability control too as standard: it's no longer acceptable in this class to limit things like this to the plushest variants.

Whether your preference is for diesel or petrol, manual gearshift or automatic, this C4 claims to have it covered. You'll need to be after a 1.6-litre engine since the whole of the mainstream range is based around powerplants of that size, in petrol form developing 96, 120 and 155PS, while the diesels deliver 90, 110 and 150PS. There's plenty of transmission choice too - the usual five and six-speed manuals and a four-speed auto, plus a clever six- speed clutchless manual gearbox.

Whichever C4 package you choose, you should find it a pretty refined one. Citroen have worked hard to deaden noise intrusion with revised soundproofing to deliver new levels of quiet, even going as far as installing an acoustic laminated windscreen with a layer of damping film.

Though it doesn't look it, this car is quite a bit bigger than its first generation predecessor, around 5cm longer (at 4.33-metres) and also a couple of centimetres longer and wider. The really impressive thing though is that, thanks to a stringent weight-saving campaign, it's no heavier. That's quite an achievement, especially bearing in mind all the presumably quite heavy safety kit that has enabled this C4 to achieve a five-star NCAP rating for crash safety. Its styling is evolutionary rather than revolutionary, so this isn't an especially memorable shape, but it is a very smart one, the long styling lines on the side flowing into a neat clamshell bonnet highlighted by the familiar double-Chevron badge. The chrome highlights and dramatic revamped headlights certainly mark the car out.

One slight disappointment inside is the absence of the unusual fixed steering wheel boss, which on the MK1 C4, carried most of the car's key switches and was a really unusual touch. You turned the wheel and the switches stayed static. Citroen says that it's ditched this in the interests of saving 3.5kgs in weight: we think it's more likely that buyers just couldn't get used to it. Whatever the truth, this second generation C4 does deliver a very smart cabin indeed, this objective pursued over a development programme that ran over more than 1.25million test miles. The result is an interior that really is close to the kind of VW Golf quality that its designers were striving for. And it's bigger for passengers than many of its rivals. Detail touches include being able to alter the backlighting behind the dashboard controls to suit your preferences. Plus sound alerts which can also be changed to your taste, in the same way that you can modify your mobile phone's ring-tone.

This C4 sits in much the same £15,000 to £20,000 bracket as its predecessor but claims to offer much of a big-car feel to suit downsizers. Obvious rivals apart from the inevitable Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf and Vauxhall Astra models include the Peugeot 308 which is essentially much the same car underneath. Potential buyers might also be considering cars like Renault's Megane and Toyota's Auris.

Buyers of this Citroen will be choosing between three main trim levels, with the top-end models featuring extras such as a powerful Denon sound system complete with sub-woofer in the boot for a genuine hi-fi experience on the move. Other optional features you wouldn't necessarily expect to find on a car of this class include electric lumbar adjustment and massage seats for driver and front seat passenger. Safety of course is a priority, so there's also the option of blind spot monitoring to stop you lane-changing dangerously in front of another driver, plus programmeable speed limiting and cruise control systems.

One nice touch is that the air conditioning controls and the sound system buttons are located next to each other, so drivers won't need to roam the dash with their fingers as they try to retune to Radio 2 or turn up the heating a notch. The upmarket feel of the cabin is enhanced with what Citroen call a 'slush skin', which sounds less attractive than it really is - a soft touch material for the dash. There are also classy chrome details on the gear shift lever, air vents and on the steering wheel controls. To keep track of the maps, torches, pens, memory sticks, drinks bottles and bags of sweeties that roll around the interior of most cars, owners have access to plenty of cubbies and storage spaces - four in the centre console alone. Plus there are door bins capable of holding mega drinks bottles of up to 1.5 litres.

Included in the powertrain line-up are Citroen's e-HDI units with Stop-Start technology which turns the engine off when you're waiting in traffic or at the lights, then automatically restarts it the moment you touch the accelerator and want to get going again, As well as markedly reducing engine emissions from the HDI engines, this technology means that fuel economy is boosted by as much 15%, enough to represent significant savings. Diesel drivers should habitually record combined cycle fuel figures in the 60s and the 110PS e-HDI engine will deliver CO2 emissions of 109g/km. Citroen even claim that this model's Energy Saver tyres will save 90-litres of fuel during their lifetime and that alone represents a saving of well over £100 at the pumps. Low insurance premiums (mainly groups 4 to 6) and the added benefit of zero road tax on the lowest emitting versions also beef up the C4's low running cost credentials.

If you find yourself uninspired by the obvious choices in the family hatchback sector, Citroen's C4 continues to make a distinctive and slightly leftfield choice. The French brand is at its best when it does things that little bit differently and this Gallic family hatch is a prime example of this.

In the past, this car's unashamedly high-tech approach alienated some people while inspiring others. This time round, the many clever touches remain but they've been incorporated into a higher quality, easier to live with package that's cheaper to run and will have more mass-market appeal. It's still a Citroen though, innovative and that little bit different. Attributes that, when combined the marque's usual tight pricing, mean one thing: that this C4 really can deliver on a lot of levels.