Road Tested By Hugh Maguire.
The supermini class is a competitive one. Citroen’s new C3 is up against some pretty good rivals such as the Renault Clio, Toyota Yaris, Suzuki Swift and Mazda 2 to name a few.
Often known for producing some rather quirky and as a result divisive cars has the new C3 gone all conservative? Well no actually. They seem to have been reasonably brave with the design favouring a more butch SUV look than small dinky supermini. This new C3 comes in two trim variants named, PLUS and MAX and with a choice of a 1.2 litre petrol, a petrol hybrid and an EV and a choice of six colours.
This week we are road testing the 1.2 litre petrol in PLUS trim.
So how does it look?
I think the bolder SUV styling works and gives the new C3 a more rugged look. Roof rails, plastic surrounds on the wheel arches, front and rear skid plates, and attractive diamond cut 17 inch bi-tone alloys do give it an attractive style. You can purchase a set of four external colour clips which click in to place on the bodywork. A bit gimmicky really I am not sure how many will bother to buy a few sets of those to “personalise” their C3 exterior. Quirky? No I don’t think so, while not earth shatteringly unique I think it stands out among the supermini class.
What’s it like inside?
The first impression is one of surprise at the amount of space inside. The more square profile does have its benefits and that is apparent in the roomy cabin.
Slip into the drivers seat and you will find an excellent driving position, a tiny steering wheel (did they follow the Peugeot 208 with this idea?) and what Citroen call its “head up display” digital instruments. Its not really a head up display as we know it but a narrow broad strip of digital instruments. It works well enough. The 10.25 inch central touchscreen has some pretty basic graphics but again it all works fine. The heating and ventilation controls are traditional circular knobs and all the better for it.
Apple car play and Android Auto is standard, and there is a neatly positioned USB port near the centre tray to enable phone charging. Overall the interior looks and feels well put together though you don’t have to look too far to notice the hard touch cheaper plastic trim.
The Airbag on/off light mounted above the rear view mirror is way too bright and distracting at night and the cabin could do with some form of area soft light at night as its difficult to see where the cup holders and storage trays are.
Its really roomy both front and rear and even at 6 feet or so I can sit comfortably behind my driving seat position. So a true and easy four seater. The boot is reasonable too and would take two standard suitcases.
What is under the bonnet?
A 1.2 litre 3 cylinder petrol turbo producing 100bhp and driving the front wheels through a six speed manual gearbox.
While the quoted 0 to 100km/h time is a leisurely 10.6 seconds the C3 feels a bit more spritely than that off the line though you certainly need to plan your overtaking carefully as there is not much punch in mid range acceleration. That 3 cylinder emits a nice sound though and the gear change is slick and light. Indeed I enjoyed being back in a manual car where there is more interaction involved in the process of driving.
Overall fuel economy was good burning on average 6.1 litres per 100km.
So how does it drive?
The new C3 is set up with comfort as the dominating virtue and in that it succeeds. It is comfortable, those nicely cushioned seats are good though the front seats need more lumbar support in my opinion. The ride is excellent insulating the occupants from most imperfections on the road. It handles safely and well though accompanied with a bit of body roll in tight corners. Refinement levels are on a par with rivals though there is a bit of tyre roar on more coarse tarmac.
Hugh’s Verdict.
The new C3 is priced very well starting at €23,900. But its not car to choose just based on price. It does deliver what it was designed to do. Its a comfortable urban supermini that is quite well kitted out and provers versatile and frugal.
Dislikes: Some cheap plastic trim on the doors and centre console.
Tyre roar on course tarmac.
Basic graphics on the central touchscreen.
Likes: Appealing style.
Decent Specification as standard.
Lots of room for its size.
Inexpensive to own and run.