Sunday Drive: Citroen C3 Shine

Sunday, 24 January 2021

• CITROEN C3 SHINE

• Base price: $29,990

• Powertrain and economy: 1.2-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder, 81kW/205Nm, 6-speed automatic, FWD, combined economy 5.2L/100km, CO2 119g/km (source: RightCar)

• Vital statistics: 3396mm long, 1749mm wide, 1474mm high, 2539mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 300 litres, 16-inch alloy wheels.

• Safety: Four stars (ANCAP).

• At a glance: The smallest car Citroen offers here is still a quirky and interesting thing that delights more than it disappoints, but there is a catch…

• Who should consider it: Anyone who wants something small, stylish and cheerful to get around in. City dwellers and francophiles.

Ever since it launched in 2002 as a replacement for the Peugeot 205-based (and therefore equally brilliant) Saxo, the C3 has been, well, the dull, uninspiring member of the European city car segment. That was until 2016 when it got well and truly caught up in the wave of Citroen becoming stylistically interesting again, sprouted a whole lot of (brilliant) Cactus styling cues. Now Citroen has refreshed it for 2021- it looks cool, but does it measure up?

ON THE OUTSIDE

Changes to the exterior of the C3 are fairly minimal, with tweaks to the front bumper, LED headlights and re-profiled ‘airbumps’ (the black plastic rubbing strips on the doors) being the main changes.

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Colour combinations and personalisation, on the other hand, has been cranked right up, with Citroen saying that a colossal 97 combinations of body and roof colours are now available. With, no doubt, a few fairly horrific combos available if you are so inclined to go there…

But the C3 remains a quirkily handsome compact car that sets itself apart in the segment by actually being interesting. And it’s functionally interesting too – those big black plastic ‘airbumps’ will actually absorb quite a blow, meaning the C3 is virtually immune from supermarket parking lot door dings.

ON THE INSIDE

Inside even less has changed, although there’s just two new optional interior ‘ambiences’ to choose from – the $500 ‘Emerald’ ambience that includes advanced comfort seats, a black leatherette dash insert and a leather steering wheel or the $1000 ‘Techwood’ ambience (that was fitted to our test car) that adds cloth and leatherette upholstery and a cool/weird wood-like dash insert.

But it really didn’t need to change all that much because the C3 has one of the best looking and certainly most interesting interiors in the segment.

Everything from the ‘reverse airbump’ pattern in the door trims to the weird wood-like optional Techwood dash inlay that keeps you guessing as to what the hell it actually is, and the uniquely stitched, but brilliantly comfortable seats are fresh, interesting and a tactile pleasure (okay, so some of the plastics aren’t though…) to use, while the visibility is fantastic and the driving position is comfortable despite its slightly upright feel.

Most things are relatively ergonomically sensible – which is actually a triumph of design for a French car – but there is an “except” and it comes in the form of the HVAC controls only being on the touchscreen, which is both baffling and infuriating.

The rest of the quirks are largely forgivable though, simply because they are charmingly obstinate in a very French way.

UNDER THE BONNET

The C3 only comes to New Zealand in a single specification with precisely one engine and transmission combo, that being a six-speed automatic hooked up to an 81kW 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine.

The engine isn’t exactly the most powerful thing, but is happy to give anything a go and while it can sound a bit gruff at times, it is, again, in a forgivably charming way that most three-cylinder engines have when they are trying hard.

It is, however, more than powerful enough to keep up with traffic both around town and out on teh open road, while the transmission is actually rather good at being in the right gear at the right time most of the time, something that French cars are not particularly renowned for.

ON THE ROAD

Citroen has definitely veered hard towards comfort for the C3, with an impressively cosseting ride from such a small car around town.

The trade off for this slick urban ride however comes on the open road, not so much from body roll (although there is some), but more in the fact that it’s soft suspension makes it a tad wallowy over bumps and irregularities.

Still, given it will likely spend the vast majority of its life pottering around town, this is a largely acceptable trade off.

What isn’t quite so acceptable is the fact that autonomous emergency braking isn’t standard equipment in the C3 and is only available as part of a $1500 package that also includes forward collision warning, blind spot monitoring, high beam assist, an auto-dimming rear view mirror and front parking sensors.

This also means that safety equipment that is standard on a $25,990 Toyota Yaris costs you extra to get on the $29,990 C3.

VERDICT

The Citroen C3 is a quirky and interesting small car that offers something refreshingly different in the compact car segment.

If you are after something to potter around town in that makes you smile every time you hop inside it or catch its reflection in a shop window, then the C3 will definitely appeal. It is comfortable, cheerful and relatively well-equipped for the money.

The downside comes from its optional safety features that other cars in its segment get as standard for the same, or less, money.