Update 16 April 2024: You just gotta love the Italians. After having been launched as the Alfa Romeo Milano, an Italian government official declared that the use of the name ‘Milano’ is banned by law. So folks, here we have the Alfa Romeo Junior. Compact controversy indeed!

Sean and I were having a chat about Alfa Romeo the other day. I mentioned that if it was not for the fact that sedans and hatchbacks don’t sell as well today, Alfa Romeo would build a hot-hatch successor to the Giulietta if they had their own way.

Barely a day later, this news drops. Sporty at heart, compact in size and Italian style at first sight, the Alfa Romeo Milano Alfa Romeo Junior was presented to international press in Milan at the historic headquarters of the Automobile Club Milano where Alfa Romeo was founded in 1910.

Boy, does the Milano Junior court controversy. I’ve read stories in other publications worldwide to this effect. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, so we invite you to draw your own conclusions. As for me, I LOVE it!

The name ‘Junior’ comes from Alfa Romeo’s past. On September 26, 1966, the GT 1300 Junior was unveiled in Balocco to appeal to a younger and newer audience of buyers.

Despite the lack of the name “Giulia,” it was the leader of a new Alfa Romeo generation. Indeed, similar versions of the Spider range would also be identified with the Junior.

With sales of over 92,000 units, the GT 1300 Junior soon became the overall best seller in the line-up, and a true status symbol of its time.

Bold Exterior

The Milano’s Junior’s design is quintessentially Alfa Romeo; aimed at those looking for a car not only to be a ‘means of transport,’ but rather for symbiosis, a bond that can bring out ‘authentic emotions.’

The new Milano Junior, with its compact dimensions (length of 4.17 meters, width of 1.78 metres and height of 1.5 metres), encompasses the uniqueness of the Alfa Romeo Centro Stile‘s original and modern Made in Italy design.

Typical of the brand expressed in the balance of proportions and purity of lines.

Alfa Romeo’s stylists have modelled this ‘skin’ with artisanal care to breathe life into a sinuous and exciting design that catches the eye at first sight.

This creates a genuine emotional connection between the driver and the car, even going as far as resulting in a strong desire to caress it. Trust me folks, this describes me to a tee.

The proportions are set out with stylistic features relating to tradition, such as the limited overhangs, the muscular wheel arches, and the iconic ‘truncated tail,’ a reference to the legendary Giulia TZ.

One unique new feature is the new shield in the Leggenda and Progresso variants. Perhaps the most famous and recognizable signature in the automotive world. This is banked by ‘3+3’ and adaptive Full LED Matrix headlights.

Elegant Cabin

The same inspiration of sportiness can be found inside the car, with the generous use of premium materials. Most of all, the instrument panel brings back the historical ‘telescope’ design, persuading you to wrap your hands around the steering wheel, start the engine, and make the best of a unique driving experience.

The middle of the cluster features a fully digital 10.25-inch TFT screen, to access the car’s data and the settings for the driving technologies.

Oriented towards the driver, a 10.25-inch touchscreen system comes with intuitive widgets that can be customised via drag and drop. Every user can create their own unique homepage, where each of the car’s features is a widget in itself.

To further embellish the interior, the air conditioning vents are shaped in a quadrifoglio or four-leaf clover, the symbol par excellence of Alfa Romeo sportiness.

Finally, Sabelt sports seats feature an enveloping backrest that combines ergonomics and structural lightness.

Despite its compact size, the Milano Junior boasts the largest boot in its battery-electric vehicle (BEV) class with a load capacity of up to 400 litres.

The Milano Junior also comes with features such as the “Alfa Romeo cable organiser” storage compartment located under the bonnet, a handy place to store the charging cable. For easy access, proximity access enables owners to unlock and lock your car quickly and easily without human intervention.

Driving Passion

The team that coordinated the development of the Milano’s Junior’s driving dynamics is the same one that developed the Giulia GTA at the Balocco testing centre in Vercelli province, with the clear aim of the new Milano Junior achieving best-in-class driving characteristics.

The car touts the most direct steering in the segment with a 14.6:1 steering rack, specially calibrated to be extremely precise. In the VELOCE variant, the sports suspension has been lowered by 25mm, and the front and rear anti-roll bars are extra sporty to guarantee high levels of corner grip.

Front brakes are over 380mm with four-piston monobloc callipers, and a Torsen limited-slip differential is included as standard. The high-performance 20-inch tyres are also specific to electric vehicles.

The Milano Junior will also include the Alfa D.N.A. system – Dynamic, Natural, and Advanced Efficiency. On the Q4 hybrid version, a rumoured fourth mode known as Q4 will be available for low-grip conditions.

All this forms the basis of a compact car with pure, recognisable Alfa Romeo sportiness.

The Alfa Romeo Milano Alfa Romeo Junior is equipped with “Alfa Connect Services,” a tool that offers onboard connectivity and a range of services such as “My Navigation,” enabling drivers to search for destinations and points of interest, as well as real-time alerts on traffic, weather and speedcams. Thanks to over-the-air (OTA) technology, the car’s maps and software are always kept up to date.

Via the My Alfa Connect smartphone app, customers can also interact with the car using “My Remote,” with various services such as remote control of the car’s functions and notifications if these are not respected. E-Control also offers the option to remotely manage start-up and stopping, to schedule charging, or if necessary, to heat or cool the interior before getting into the vehicle.

Another innovation is the integration of the Hey Alfa virtual assistant and ChatGPT (A.I.) which use voice recognition to give you a useful, discreet ‘copilot’ on your travels, for information, and advice and to meet all the driver’s needs.

In the EV ELETTRICA variant, Alfa Romeo has opted for a “Hybrid Synchronous Motor”. Available in two power versions, 156hp or 240hp, output should be sufficient for an engaging and sporty drive. The 54-kWh battery is quoted to offer “a very good ratio of rated to usable energy”.

Specifically, in the 156hp version, you get up to 410 km of range (WLTP), or 590 km (Urban). At 100-kW DC fast charging stations, it takes less than 30 minutes to charge the batteries from 10 to 80%.

Next up, the hybrid IBRIDA variant adopts a 136hp 48V variable-geometry turbo (VGT) architecture alongside a 1.2-litre 3-cylinder engine. The battery and a 21-kW electric motor are built into the 6-speed dual-clutch gearbox, to ensure efficiency. Power will be sent to either front-wheel or Q4 all-wheel drive. The engine can even shut off, giving you electric drive up to 150 km/h.

The top-of-the-range launch version, dubbed SPECIALE will be available with both IBRIDA and ELETTRICA (156hp) powertrains.

Spring for the SPECIALE, and you get the “Progresso” badge, matte sports finishes in Brera red, and 18-inch ‘Petali’ alloy wheels. The interior comes with exclusive features such as a ‘Spiga’ vinyl and fabric interior, a leather steering wheel, and an electric driver’s seat with massage functionality.

Controversial? Sure.

Still an Alfa Romeo? Let us drive it first.

Photo Credits: Alfa Romeo

Read more automotive news at AutoApp, or check out our latest videos on Ignition Labs TV and on TikTok!

In July 2023, I reviewed the Citroen e-C4 and needless to say, came away impressed. So, when the e-C4 X was first shown at the Singapore Motorshow 2024, I started chomping at the bits to see what this new variant would bring to the table.

As for the question asked at the beginning of this article, we invite you to answer that for yourselves. After what we went through during ACOTY 2024 with the Peugeot 408, we’re not going down that rabbit hole again!

L’extérieur

The e-C4 X’s face is distinctive, and one that will cause people to turn their heads and look. Tri-LED headlights sit ensconced into the bumper while sleek LED daytime running lights sit atop and seemingly carry on into the headlight cluster.

The dual chevrons mark this face out as distinctly Citroen, and one that we’ve seen before in the e-C4, sans anodized blue trims to signify it as an electric vehicle (EV). No, the e-C4 X carries its EV cred quietly, and is better for it.

18-inch rims wear rather narrow but rolling resistance-friendly 195/60 R18 Goodyear EfficientGrip tyres, but don’t let the name or its relative narrowness put you off. These babies can grip very well should the mood strike to string a series of bends together.

The rear end is made distinctive by the e-C4 X’s taillight clusters as well as its sloping roofline that kicks up into an integrated spoiler in the boot lid. It’s definitely something other road users will take note of while on the move.

Otherwise, the exterior design aesthetic is clean, interspersed by bits of black plastic trim to signify its better-than-other-sedans ground clearance.

L’intérieur

Swing open the sedan boot lid to reveal 510 litres of luggage capacity that’s both deep and wide. Before anyone bemoans the lack of a liftback, which no doubt would have made the e-C4 X more practical, I get why they did it.

It’s most likely for sound insulation, which is important in an electric vehicle. With a liftback, the boot area would be exposed to the cabin space, thereby making it a little noisier.

The rear seatbacks fold down in a 60:40 split to liberate more space if longer or more numerous items need to be carried.

The rear seats themselves are pretty comfy, although being a ‘C4-class’ vehicle, legroom is just about adequate with the driver’s seat almost all the way back and some ways up for my seating position.

The rear door aperture is a tad small, which requires a little more contortions to negotiate, especially for taller people. Once inside though, headroom is way more than sufficient.

Rear occupants get a couple of air vents and USB ports, one Type-C and one Type-A, to keep their electronic gubbins juiced up.

The front seats are manually operated, which in my opinion is good because fore-and-aft adjustments are much faster and there’s one less electrical item to go wrong.

The seatback angle and lumbar-support adjustments are done courtesy of two knobs on the side of the seatback, and knuckle-bashing on the B-pillar may ensue. Once set though, it’s off to the daily grind.

Being a Citroen, you can expect these seats to be nice and comfy over many thousands of miles. I came away from the review loan period feeling refreshed after every drive.

The steering wheel is perfectly sized, and manually adjusts for reach and rake. Controls for adaptive cruise and audio/telephony are clearly laid out on either spoke of the steering wheel.

Yep, the e-C4 X has adaptive cruise, which is very nice. Initially, I couldn’t figure out how to change the following distance, but Sean leaned over and said, “Can the speed-adjustment rocker be pressed?”

Voila! Just depress the rocker multiple times to change the following distance to your preference.

There’s only one chink in this really nice steering wheel. See the bit of brightwork on the bottom spoke? It caught the sun’s rays between 11 AM and 2 PM and reflected the glare into my eyes.

This could also be due to my unique seating position, so if this is you also, a little bit of vinyl wrap professionally applied should do the trick.

The main instrument screen may seem quite small at first. It can be configured in three ways, and the trip readouts are momentarily activated by pressing a button on the wiper stalk. Otherwise, it is minimalist, for good reason.

And that reason is because the e-C4 X has a head-up display or HUD. Turn the vehicle on, and the HUD screen rises out of the dashboard.

Why not just project it onto the windscreen? Because HUD-compatible windscreens are more expensive than their regular counterparts. See, Citroen engineers were thinking ahead, since windscreen replacements are pretty commonplace.

The HUD itself is pretty simple too, displaying speed, adaptive cruise and speed-sign information. Adjustments for the HUD can be done via a set of controls near the driver’s right knee and next to the door.

The infotainment screen in the e-C4 X measures 10 inches across, features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and from what I remember, appears to be of a crisper resolution and responsiveness than the e-C4’s.

Also, a complaint I had about the latter’s ever-present menu functions while Android Auto is operating is not the case here, with the full width of the screen’s real estate being utilised. NICE!

Thankfully, aircon controls are physical! There’s also a wireless charging tray just below the aircon controls, and USB Type-C and Type-A ports. Use the former if you prefer wired Android Auto.

La Conduite

Let’s first get to the reason Citroen is famous – its world-class suspension that lets the e-C4 X float down the road. In case you haven’t read the e-C4 review, here it is again in brief.

It’s called “Citroen Suspension with Progressive Hydraulic Cushions,” and I still maintain that the French engineers must have dabbled in sorcery and witchcraft to come up with a relatively simple suspension system that rides THIS well without resorting to air ride or the problematic oleo-pneumatic system from Citroen’s past.

Just to prove a point to Sean in the back seat, I flew over a small but sharp speed hump without slowing down just like I did with Joel in the e-C4.

Folks, we didn’t feel a thing. We heard the tyres thumping over the speed hump, but that was it. Sean was noticeably impressed. The ride comfort of the e-C4 X, just like the e-C4 is 85-90% that of a BMW 735i with air suspension.

Don’t take my word for it. Go for a test drive and experience it yourself.

Just because it’s cushy and comfy doesn’t mean that the e-C4 X leans over like a land barge when negotiating corners. Quite the opposite, because it will dance through the twisty stuff in a sure-footed manner.

An area that sees improvement over the e-C4 is its efficiency. The e-C4 X has a 4kWh larger battery pack than the former, and power and torque from the electric motor are slightly up to the tune of 2hp and 10Nm respectively.

It isn’t going to win any traffic-light drag races. Acceleration is adequate for the daily-drive duties, and it’ll get the job done competently.

Charging the battery pack from 20%-80% is claimed to be done in about 30 minutes, and from my experience charging from just over 30% to 90%, which took 31 minutes at a 120kW DC charger, is a realistic claim.

Citroen claims 14.1kWh/100km or 7.1km/kWh WLTP energy efficiency and 436km of claimed range.

My own experience bettered their efficiency claim at a normalised average economy of 12.7kWh/100km or 7.9km/kWh, meaning over 400km of range from the 54kWh battery pack is entirely doable.

To put things in context the e-C4 X is the second most efficient EV we’ve ever tested at the time of writing, and dethroned the popular BYD Atto 3 100kW for the silver medal. As usual, your mileage may vary with driving style and conditions.

If you’re looking for a quiet comfy EV that has its own charm in a sea of generic-looking vehicles, the e-C4 X is a good place to start. There’s but the slightest of wind-rustle at highway speeds emanating from the top of the A-pillar, but that’s it.

Even the stock sound system is rather good and can play loud without becoming tiring on the ears. Sure, it’s not got tech up the wazoo, but that simplicity adds to its charm. French charm, might I add.

Just like the e-C4, no one can ever accuse an e-C4 X owner of driving something mundane-looking. It’s a really sweet car to daily-drive, and once again, kudos to the French engineers who made it happen.

Photo Credits: Sean Loo (@auto.driven)

Technical Specifications

Citroen e-C4 X

Unladen Weight: 1,584kg
Battery Size: 54kW
Power: 134hp
Torque: 270Nm
Drive: Front wheels
0-100km/h: 10 seconds (claimed)
Range: 436km (claimed)
Energy Economy: 14.1kWh/100km or 7.1km/kWh (claimed)
Price: S$164,999 with COE (accurate at the time of this article)
Contact: Citroën Singapore

Read more automotive news at AutoApp, or check out our latest videos on Ignition Labs TV and on TikTok!