Citroen C3 review

Well, the controls are all feather light, from the steering to the gearshift to the pedals. That’s okay around town, but it does mean it’s lacking a little in the fun department. It’s not a Sunday afternoon blast kinda car.

But that’s fine; it’s not intended to be, and you’ve only between 99 and 108bhp to play with anyway. Both petrol and hybrid C3s have a game, thrummy-sounding 3cyl engine to accompany progress. Zero to 62mph is leisurely with either powertrain and while it’s nippy enough around town and at low speeds, it does start to run out of steam elsewhere.

Of greater pertinence is the running costs and economy: during our testing we've typically clocked high-40s mpg, regardless of whether we're in the pure petrol or hybrid. Citroen claims 50.4 and 56.5mpg respectively on the combined cycle and both look close to achievable during regular driving. 

The hybrid doesn't plug in, nor operate much beyond parking speeds on battery alone, making its biggest change over the pure petrol its six-speed auto 'box. It's smooth, simple and ought to be a boon in town or frequent gridlock. Just watch out for its sticky RND selector, detailed on the next page.

Will I get on with the driving position?

It’s a similar setup to Peugeot’s i-Cockpit, with a view of its dials (or head-up display, in this case) over the top of the small steering wheel. However, where some struggle to find a driving position that works in the Peugeot, we didn’t encounter any issues here. Good news for any longer-legged folk.

It doesn’t take too long to get used to the head-up display either, largely due to its simplicity, with fuel displayed on the left, speed in the middle, and economy on the right. It also basically looks like a digital dial setup anyway. It's a shame it’s not more customisable, and that a rev counter appears to be absent, but then it might have missed the point if it were too complicated. It looks smart and helps the price tag feel more 'value' than 'cheap'.

What's the ride like?

Citroen makes no secret that the C3’s reason for being is comfort above all else, and it now gets Citroen’s advanced comfort suspension, complete with hydraulic bump stops at each corner, and it is impressively smooth riding.

With that said, it’s not quite the ‘magic carpet’ ride Citroen would have you believe, and it does become slightly unsettled over larger potholes or imperfections. But that’s to be expected, and there’s little else, if anything, in this sector that will trump it.

The pay-off of course is that there is a noticeable amount of lean and body roll, with the raised ride height meaning that it’s now even more apparent than the previous generation. The electric variant fares slightly better, due to the added weight. The C3 is also not much cop at long-distance motorway cruising - it can do it, but the cabin is a bit noisy. The low price tag has clearly led to a deficiency in sound insulation. No great shakes when this is clearly designed as a city car; just bear in mind a lightly used Yaris or Polo will be far more refined for similar money.