Citroen C3 2010 Review

Citroen C3

No wonder… They're fast becoming the dominant class of car in Europe and Asia as drivers downsize because of petrol, the planet and parking space. Expect the same here sooner rather than later…

Many buyers trading down to smaller vehicles don't want to sacrifice safety or luxury – and small-car buyers who would otherwise upgrade to a bigger car are happy to stay in the fold if they can find a suitable vehicle with more comfort and convenience features. Indeed, according to data supplied by Citroen, in Europe three-quarters of Light Cars sold are the dearer models, not the cut-price cheapies.

A decade ago Citroen had just one car in the tiny-tot class, now it has four variations on the theme to cater to all tastes. And now, after seven years and more than 2 million sales worldwide of the original C3, we have the second generation model. In the car world this figure isn't quite like reaching platinum status on an album, but it's still an impressive tally.

The new C3 has grown in every direction. The body is taller, wider and slightly longer – and this means it has put on a little bit of weight around the tummy. But this is the price of progress – extra safety and luxury features also help tip the scales.

At first this seems attractive; it's near the top end of Japanese and Korean hatchback prices, and the start of the Europeans. It effectively matches the starting price of a five-door Volkswagen Polo – except the Polo at this money has more power, more torque, and comes with curtain airbags (which the cheapest Citroen lacks).

The other challenge for the Citroen C3 is that a Volkswagen Polo can be had for $16,690 – undercutting the C3 by more than $3000 – if you only want a three-door hatch. But even that model Polo's 1.4 engine has more power and torque than the basic French hatch's 1.4. Sacre bleu!

The story doesn't get much better for the Citroen as you climb the C3 range. The next model up is a big jump to $23,490. It's powered by a 1.6 petrol engine with four-speed auto and with front, side and curtain airbags, but its performance is still outgunned by the Polo (which has a smaller but more powerful 1.2 turbo petrol engine). And when equipped with auto transmission, the Polo undercuts the French car by $1100.

The flagship of the C3 range, the Exclusive, costs $25,990. That $2500 premium buys (among other things) brushed metal highlights on the dash, tinted rear glass, Bluetooth, heated side mirrors, and a unique moonroof directly above the driver and which blends seamlessly – and without pillars – into the windscreen.

But, curiously, the $2500 premium does not buy alloy wheels.

And on all models, the handy digital speedometer is no more – even though Citroen now uses digital speed displays on other models in its range.

In case you're wondering, Citroen says the bigger than most extended windscreen costs about $750 to replace – about double the price of a normal windscreen, but also about half the replacement cost of the curvy rear window on fellow French car the Peugeot RCZ.

A 1.6 turbodiesel engine is available in two model grades (see below) – but a five-speed manual is the only transmission available.

In 2011 Citroen plans to introduce stop-start fuel saving technology on the diesel C3 models, as well as the option of a robotised manual. The faux automatic is not as smooth as the latest twin-clutch transmissions, but at least there is an auto driving mode.

New C3 at a glance:

The base model C3 has a 1.4-litre petrol engine and five-speed manual transmission with small-ish power and torque numbers (54kW 118Nm) and modest levels of performance. The official 0 to 100km/h claim is a leisurely 14.2 seconds.

Hopefully the savings at the bowser will keep your mind occupied on the way to the speed limit, although the average fuel consumption figure of 6.3L/100km is middle of the road for this class. As with the Polo, it requires premium unleaded (95 octane minimum).

The middle of the range C3 has a 1.6 petrol engine; a close relative of the turbocharged 1.6 used to power the DS3 hot hatch and Mini Cooper S, it was jointly developed by Citroen, Peugeot and BMW-Mini.

Without the turbo it doesn't quite get the pulse racing, but it's a competent city and highway cruiser. Power and torque (88kW, 160Nm) are middle of the road for this engine size and the economy is also par for the course (7.0L/100km).

The 1.6 turbodiesel, meanwhile, has plenty of grunt. The power is modest (66kW) but torque (215Nm) is not far off the DS3 hot hatch (240Nm). Economy is impressive at 4.3L/100km, but there are other diesel cars in the class that sip between 3.7 and 3.9L/100km.

It is as short as a Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo – almost to the millimetre – but has one of the biggest boots and best rear headroom figures in the class.

The compromise for this big boot is back seat knee room. It's not impossible to live with, but it is not as roomy as, say, a Toyota Yaris (instead the Yaris has a small boot).

The new C3 dashboard is a more conventional layout than before and has been spruced up with better materials, fit and finish.

Overall the cabin has a pleasant ambience, ample storage pockets in the front and rear doors -- and the seat fabrics feel upmarket. But I'm personally mourning the loss of the digital speedometer.

The extended windscreen, standard on the topline C3, stretches further into the roofline than it does in the Picasso peoplemover. Cleverly, Citroen has designed an extendable hoodlining, with the sun visors attached, so you can block the sun when it's too bright. Also, the top of the glass has graded tinting, so you can enjoy the view without getting too hot under the colour. Importantly, the aluminium film that foils many electronic toll tags in other Citroen windscreens (and those in some other European vehicles), is not used in the C3.

In the press blurb for the new C3 the company proudly states: "As with any new Citroen model, safety is assured." So which genius in product planning in Paris decided to not make curtain airbags available – let alone not make them standard – on the base model C3 sold in Australia?

"We want them, we've asked for them, but the factory at this stage won't make curtain airbags available on the base model C3 given the relatively small sales volumes," says Citroen Australia spokesman, Edward Rowe.

"Six airbags, including side curtain airbags, are standard on four of the five C3 models we currently offer – and the base model comes with four airbags."

This is a glaring omission – especially by a European brand of the calibre of Citroen. Six airbags are fast becoming the norm, even in the cheapest cars on sale in Australia. Other recently introduced models to come with six airbags across the range include the $12,990 Suzuki Alto, $13,990 Holden Barina Spark and $12,990 Nissan Micra.

If the Citroen C3 is supposed to be a premium vehicle, how come its $19,990 model has features that the cheapest cars in Australia don't have?

It's a good thing then that stability control is standard across the C3 range (it may help prevent a crash in the first place) and it generally has good road holding.

Apart from the dozen or so Japanese and Korean rivals (my top three are the Toyota Yaris, Mazda2 and Suzuki Swift) that leaves the Volkswagen Polo as the main European rival.

The German hatch may lack some of the design flair of the Citroen – but the Polo is a formidable competitor with a subjectively roomier cabin, better performance for the same or similar economy – and a greater choice of auto transmissions. Oh, and model-for-model the Polo is cheaper.

The Polo also has a better blend of comfort and handling in my opinion. Before you sign on the dotted line for a Citroen C3, it would be worth at least taking the Polo for a test drive.

It has a lot more confidence in corners than it did before – largely thanks to the bigger diameter and lower profile tyres – but the downside is that the suspension feels a fair bit busier. It's not uncomfortably firm, just busy.

The 1.6 engine is middle of the road in terms of refinement and power delivery. Nothing exceptional but nothing wrong with it either.

The four-speed auto transmission is a definite improvement on previous attempts by the French carmaker, but it's still not as refined as the autos from the Japanese and Koreans. This is because about 1 per cent of sales of this class of car in Europe are automatics – so there's less expertise and less incentive to get it right.

Overall impressions on the C3 were positive, and I love the moonroof, although a bright sunny day may change my mind.

I think the price is a little high – clearly Citroen is putting a premium on its French flair – which can be a problem when you go to sell the car because the resale value on Citroens still isn't brilliant in Australia.

If you love the look and like the way it drives, you won't be disappointed. But as with most European cars, I'd be inclined to trade out of it before the three-year warranty expires.

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