Citroëns used to be quirky, even weird. In recent times, though, as part of the Peugeot group, Citroën has produced too many me-too cars with hard-to-beat pricing as their main selling point. The Pluriel, at once a coupé, convertible and pick-up truck, was a refreshing spark of innovation. Now comes the C4, which, although essentially a conventional modern hatchback (it shares its platform and engines with the Peugeot 307) incorporates sufficient novel features to truly distinguish itself.

The C4 follows the trend among new hatchbacks of having distinctively different styling between three and five-door versions. Both have the new Citroën front with boomerang headlights and a bold motif forming the grille, but at the back the five-door displays a rounded cosiness, while the three-door’s cut-off tail wears a rally-style wing half way up its right-angled rear window. Contrary to appearances and the three-door being called the C4 Coupé, the two versions have the same dimensions and provide identical accommodation.

They drive the same, too — except for the 180bhp VTS version, which will be available only as a coupé. Although Citroën has recently won the World Rally Championship, it has eschewed sportiness for its new mainstream model, which is softer and more comfortable than most cars in its class. It doesn’t feel as taut and responsive as a Focus or an Astra, yet it handles tidily and has steering that is accurate, even if it is not very communicative.

When the C4 goes on sale here in mid-November there will be a choice of five petrol and three diesel engines, prices ranging from £11,500 to £18,000. All petrol engines — 1.4, 1.6 and 2 litre — come with a five-speed manual gearbox, although automatic transmission is available with the 1.6 litre and a special version of the 2 litre. The HDi diesels — a 1.6 developing 92 or 110bhp, and a 138bhp 2 litre — are expected to be popular, but I felt that the 2 litre petrol engine best suited the sharply styled three-door Coupé.

The C4’s fascia and controls are different from any other car’s. Citroën describes the layout as a “senso-cultural revolution” — more intuitive than a conventional dashboard. A series of controls for audio, telephone and trip computer are arrayed at the centre of the steering wheel, and while there’s nothing unusual about that, in the C4 the hub is fixed and doesn’t turn with the wheel rim.

Apart from ensuring that the switches are always in the same position, this means the airbag (housed in the wheel centre) can be ideally shaped to give greater protection to the driver. It has one unanticipated disadvantage, though: you can’t tell when the wheel is in the straight-ahead position.

The digital instrument screen, high up on the fascia, is a transparent panel that, apart from looking cool, reacts to ambient light. So many electronic displays become unreadable when the sun is in the wrong direction, but this one is clear at all times, even if you’re wearing shades. It’s a pity, though, that the display is at the centre rather than in the driver’s natural line of sight. The orange strip of the rev counter is in front of the driver and turns bright red at maximum revs to indicate that it is time to change gear.

Much of the other good stuff offered by the C4 will be optional. The most highly publicised is the lane-departure system, which is really a drowsiness detector and sends a warning vibration through the seat if the car veers across a white line without the driver indicating. It could be valuable on a long motorway journey, and it can be turned off for crowded main roads that demand much lane-switching. But Citroën is realistic about being the first with a wake-up device, and as it costs £300 extra, the company doesn’t expect to sell many.

Unusual in cars of this type and price are laminated glass side windows (for improved security and noise insulation), a low-tyre-pressure warning system, a speed limiter, and swivelling headlamps to improve cornering visibility. The latter are being offered on several of the latest cars (including the Astra and Focus) but Citroën points out that it had lights that turned with the steering on the DS and SM models back in the 1970s.

One feature that may not receive universal welcome is the air freshener that provides a range of nine fragrances — slotted into a dashboard ventilator — to suit the driver’s mood. Unfortunately the three that I sampled seemed only to create bad moods, and in fact forced me to drive with the windows open.

Okay, it may be quirky, but this is not the sort of innovation that made Citroën famous.