Some cars are a delight for people who like to fiddle with settings. I know because I am one of them.

On that score alone, Citroën’s civilised DS4 is a driver’s dream.

Strongly sculpted, with a confident, distinctive stance, the DS4 has a real raised road presence, but its star feature is its interior, which can be individually adjusted to suit your taste.

For such a compact car, the cabin exudes a designer label sense of quality and attention to detail expected on a much larger vehicle.

You feel instantly connected with the car, thanks to a driving position that puts you right at the heart of the action.

In front of you is a chunky, racing-style, flat-bottomed steering wheel sprayed with a dozen buttons and four roller switches. There are touches of luxury throughout such as the chrome detailing on the air vent surrounds, instrument cluster, gear lever and centre console.

The upmarket test model also came with sporty, aluminium-drilled pedals, embossed leather door handles and ambient lighting.

The dashboard blends analogue dials with digital displays, the three instrument binnacles glow bright blue or white, and the speedometer needle moves around the central binnacle instead of sitting at its centre.

A panoramic windscreen extends high over the heads of the driver and front seat passenger.

Front heated seats, finished in leather, are large, supportive and adjustable for side and lumbar support, and even come with a massage function.

The cabin has plenty of storage space, from wide door bins to a raised centre console, with a cooled compartment that holds up to four 50cl bottles.

The DS4, with its chrome-finished waistline, dark tinted windows and striking daylight running light strips, is the second model in the distinctive DS line, and has already been voted Most Beautiful Car of the Year in an online poll.

Combining coupé-style with five-door flexibility, the DS4 drives as well as it looks, with light, taut and predictable handling.

As you would expect with a car challenging the likes of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, BMW 1-Series and Audi A3 Sportback, it is quiet, comfortable and refined, whether on uncared-for country roads, or smooth motorways.

The DS4 is one of the safest vehicles in its class with a maximum 5-star Euro NCAP safety rating and extensive safety features, including electronic stability, anti-lock braking, six airbags, cruise control with speed limiter and a blind-spot monitoring system.

At the touch of a button, the various vehicle alerts and reminders can be switched to one of four sound themes — Classic, Crystal Symphony, Jungle Fantasy and Urban Rythmik.

The intensity of the automatic dual-zone air conditioning can be varied, with a rest function maintaining ventilation in the cabin for up to eight minutes after the engine is switched off.

For good measure, the car comes with a new eTouch emergency and assistance system, which automatically, or manually, makes emergency or assistance calls using a built-in SIM card, in the event of an accident or if the car is immobilised.

Auto facts Citroën DS4 DStyle HDi 160

  • Price: £22,950
  • Insurance group: 23E (1-50)
  • Fuel consumption (Combined): 55.4mpg
  • Top speed: 132mph
  • Length: 427.5cm/168.3in
  • Width: 181cm/71.2in
  • Luggage capacity: 13.6 cu ft
  • Fuel tank capacity: 13.2 gallons/ 60 litres
  • CO2 emissions: 134g/km
  • Warranty: Three years/60,000 miles