2015 Citroen DS4 THP 210 Prestige, car review: A new look and new engine for upmarket version of the C4

But is it enough to banish memories of the previous model?

Citroën has revised the DS4 to further differentiate it from the C4 upon which it’s based.

This is in line with the company’s strategy of presenting its DS models as a separate range with a more premium image. To help make this clear, the DS4 gains a unique face with a grille and headlamps of its own.

It also has a kit list which includes climate, cruise, sat-nav, DAB, Bluetooth and a 7” interface, as well as various unique trim and colour options. That’s whichever model you go for – there are two, called Prestige and Elegance.

The everyday C4 range donates several engines to the cause, but there’s also a newcomer – the turbocharged THP 1.6, a petrol unit with 208bhp and 210lb ft. It’s the one tested here.

The engine itself does everything it should, as does the six-speed manual box behind it. There’s plenty of grip from the front wheels, too – but the steering does a good job of disguising the fact, with too much weight at low speeds and not enough when you want it.

Sadly, things don’t improve with the car’s suspension – which really is sad, because Citroën has revised it. It bumps and shudders on broken roads, and lets the body waft around in corners. For a premium car, the composure just isn’t there.

Neither is any sign of an improvement in the back seats – an area in which the previous DS4 let itself down. Just getting into them is hard work, and your reward is to be sat in a cramped space next to a window you can’t open.

At least you won’t feel short-changed compared to the people up front, though, as they don’t get much room to relax in either. Neither are their seats supportive enough, even if they’re trimmed nicely – though this just sheds a harsher light on the amount of so-so materials elsewhere in the cabin.

At least the boot is a decent size. So this is a practical enough hatchback for people who like a car mainly for its looks and kit but don’t concern themselves with how it drives and the standard of its cabin environment.

To them, the DS4 will seem like an excellent result for the money. For the rest of us, it’s step along the way to Citroen’s DS brand offering cars that really are as good as they look.

2015 DS4 THP 210 S&S Prestige 6-speed manual

Location: Chinon, France

On sale: Now

Price: £22,995

Engine: 4 cyls, 1598cc, turbocharged, petrol

Power: 208bhp at 6000rpm

Torque: 210lb ft at 1750rpm

Kerb weight: 1430kg

Gearbox: 6-spd manual

0-62mph: 7.8sec

Top speed: 146mph

Economy: 47.9mpg (combined)

CO2/tax band: 138g/km, 22%