Citroen is a brand that’s sometimes unfairly overlooked in the UK.
Its cars don’t have the dynamism of Ford or the upmarket image of Volkswagen – although the brand’s luxury arm, DS, hits the spot when it comes to attracting the well heeled.
Yet Citroen has a quirky French style all its own, gets its sums right when it comes to value for money, and usually matches its best rivals for comfort and practicality.
What we have here is the new third generation C3. Citroen certainly hasn’t come up with something bland.
A chunky stance, low-placed slitted headlights and – most of all – those egg-carton bumper guards pinched from the C4 Cactus make it instantly recognisable. It won’t be to everyone’s taste but I rather like it and I certainly applaud Citroen for being different.
This third gen model uses the same platform as its predecessor but enlarged, making it one of the most spacious superminis in its class.
It won’t tax your brain to memorise the engine line-up – a 1.2 petrol and a 1.6 diesel. These have been tuned to different levels of strength, though, so the three-cylinder petrol can have 68hp, 82hp or 110hp while diesel buyers get a 75hp or 100hp model.
There are three trims: Touch, Feel and Flair. Prices start at an extremely reasonable £11,135 and the 110hp petrol Flair model I drove cost £16,425.
It’s a very roomy car, with space in the back for adults and a capacious 300 litre boot.
The dashboard is well laid out and uses decent quality materials. However, Citroen’s insistence on running all the controls through a touchscreen does mean that instead of twisting a dial you have to work your way though a menu system to adjust the heating, which makes it difficult to do without taking your eyes off the road.
Anyone who does long commutes would do well to consider the C3. It has a comfortable suspension set up and is well insulated. That, coupled with excellent economy (my petrol bettered 60mpg) make it an excellent long distance cruiser.
Its compact size makes it nippy in town and those plastic side panels protect it from supermarket bumps and scrapes.
Citroen has never tried to mimic the opposition, instead playing its own game. The C3 is a better car for it.
Price:
£16,425
0-62mph:
9.3 seconds
Top speed:
117mph
Economy:
61.4mpg
CO2 emissions:
103g/km