FIRST DRIVE:PROGRESS IS an interesting thing. When the previous generation Citroën C3 was launched, the French firm went down the utility route. No bad thing, perhaps, but the supermini market quickly shifted to a more sophisticated level – a level that Citroën now addresses with the new C3. Thats no more obvious than inside, where Citroën has replaced the Christmas cracker-like plastics and insubstantial build with an interior that has not only the looks, but also the substance.
Not that the exterior hasn’t been given an overhaul too, the C3 retaining much if its rounded profile, with classier detailing and more sophisticated style. There are some shared lines with the bigger C4 and the overall look is not too dissimilar to Citroën’s forthcoming upmarket offering – the DS3. Choose the most expensive trim level and the C3 not only gets smart chrome exterior highlights, but panoramic Zenith windscreen that floods the car with light.
Call me conventional, but I’ve no real interest in looking at the sky when I’m driving, and the loss of the framing effect at the top of the windscreen is just weird, giving the feeling that you’re in a greenhouse, rather than in a car.
That can be sorted by pulling a blind over your head, creating a roof much like a conventional car. Great, but do that and what’s the point? Then there’s the fear of a stone chip or crack, that Zenith windscreen not likely to be cheap to replace. Opt for the cheaper trim – as most Irish buyers will – and you get an ordinary windscreen, though you also lose air conditioning and some of the glitzier bits, inside and out.
Even at its simplest, the C3 appeals. The body-coloured panel on the dashboard, the instrument binnacle, neat air vents and centre console are all of a quality and style far removed from the old C3. The glovebox lid no longer feels like it’s made of recycled plastic shopping bags, seats are firm and comfortable and the boot is spacious. Rear legroom is tight for adults, but acceptable for children, while headroom is ample, both front and rear.
Despite its rallying prowess in recent years, Citroën isn’t a firm we’d associate with a sporting drive; the C3 is better at comfort. With more sound deadening, there’s less noise than before, though push either of the engines hard and they get vocal. There’s a little road noise on rougher surfaces, but overall a decently hushed environment.
Which makes the C3 a comfortable drive. Suspension is soft, which means you’ll be disappointed if you want to get around corners quickly, but happy if you want to be isolated from nasty road surfaces.
The steering is similarly comfort orientated, with the wheel not having anything in the way of real feel, but finger-light weighting makes for effortless twirling when parking. The gearbox is never going to impress with its quick shifting accuracy, but it works well with a clutch that’s light and easy to modulate.
Two small engines will be offered here initially: the 1.4-litre petrol and 1.4-litre turbodiesel. The line-up may be expanded in time, with the addition of three-cylinder units and larger capacity 1.6-litre choices, and Citroën is promising the addition of stop-start by 2011.
Not that the C3 isn’t already green; the 74bhp 1.4-litre petrol returns 6.1l/100km and 140g/km on the official combined cycle, the 69bhp turbodiesel managing 4.3l/100km and 113g/100km of CO2.
Neither engine will set the road on fire, with 0-100km/h times in the 14-second sphere, but that’s not what the C3 is about, and both units pull with vigour and enthusiasm. Not that existing C3 buyers will care, as the small Citroën builds hugely in the areas that really matter: quality, style and value.
Factfile Citroën C3
CITROËN C3 1.4 8V VT
- Price: from €15,000 est
- Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol, 74bhp @ 5,200rpm, 118Nm torque @ 3,300rpm
- Transmission: five-speed manual, front-wheel drive
- 0-100km/h: 14.2 secs
- Top speed: 163km/h
- CO2 emissions: 140g/km
- L/100km: 6.1
CITROËN C3 1.4 HDI 8V VT
- Price: from €15,000 est
- Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel, 69bhp @ 4,000rpm, 160Nm torque @ 2,000rpm
- Transmission: five-speed manual, front-wheel drive
- 0-100km/h: 13.7 secs
- Top speed: 163km/h
- CO2 emissions: 113g/km
- L/100km: 4.3 litres