The C3 model is already quite a well-known term for the French car manufacturer Citroën. The first generation was presented in 2001 at the Frankfurt exhibition center, then sales began at the beginning of the following year. In the first generation, the Citroën C3 appealed mainly to the female population, as it gives the impression of coziness and can also be a nice addition to the fairer sex. Only in 2009 was the second generation revealed, which of course was very different from the first and tried to build on the successes of its predecessor.
The second generation was understandably modernized in the middle of its life and premiered at this year's Geneva Motor Show. Compared to the pre-facelifted version, it has an updated car company logo, new LED daytime running lights and redesigned front and rear lights. It goes without saying that modernization also includes revising the interior and supplying more efficient power units. A modernized Citroën C3 with the most powerful gasoline engine, in the Exclusive equipment level , has just arrived in our editorial garage.
Design – Coming of age
The Citroën C3 in the first generation had a rather extravagant impression and not everyone could find it to their taste, sometimes there were even sneers. In any case, the second generation has been here for a long time, which underwent a rejuvenation treatment this year. The only thing it still has in common with the original generation is a kind of ovoid shape .
The front part of the car will offer a particularly robust bumper , which hides not only the trapezoidal air intake, but also the fog lights, which are guarded by LED diodes for daytime running lights. However, the dominant front are the headlights , which complete the character of the car, and between which there is a narrow grille creating the very logo of the brand.
The side view is characterized primarily by the taller body structure , the handsome design of the 16" alloy wheels and, last but not least, the Exclusive badges, which give the car a level of prestige. The short rear overhang is certainly also interesting, which could indicate a small luggage compartment, but the opposite is true.
As for the rear parts, here too there are lamps which remind me of a kind of " eagle's head ". It could be expected that the rear would also offer similarly large lights as it is on the front due to the balance between the two parts of the car . The bulging lid of the luggage compartment lifts pleasantly , so opening the trunk will not be difficult even for women, at whom the car is aimed. I commend Citroën for designing the front and rear in the same ratio.
Interior – Coziness
Although the cabin of the small and lovely Citroën C3 does not offer any luxury, you will still feel comfortable here, because the emphasis is also on the appearance side. It mainly charms with the elongated Zenith windshield above your heads, which not every car offers, or the cream seat cover, which, although it matches beautifully with the exterior shade of blue, also gets dirty right away . The test model had driven only about eleven thousand kilometers and the rear seats were already smeared with a black stain, so I do not recommend this combination .
The basis of the driver's workplace is a relatively large steering wheel with silver decor, which we know from the previously tested Citroën DS3 Cabrio , only the logo has changed. Even though the diameter of the steering wheel reaches large dimensions, it is surprisingly quite pleasant to work with. We know the levers for controlling turn signals, lights and wipers from the first generation. What is new, however, is the instrument panel with three indicators . In the middle is the analog speedometer, to the left of which is traditionally the tachometer, also with analog mode. On the right side of that shield, there is an on -board computer display that shows the state of the fuel tank as well as the recalculated range, the total distance traveled and everything related to the cruise control settings. After a longer investigation, we found that right next to the last tube is an air freshener with a cartridge directly from the car manufacturer.
The center console will offer similar exhausts to the affordable C-Elysée , below which is a second on-board computer display , which shows basic data (time, date, radio station) or everything about audio and finally fuel consumption. Unfortunately, the named display unit is already outdated and the competition offers far better systems. However, from a practical point of view, it is first class . In the middle is the control for air conditioning or heating with large and clear buttons, which suited us very well. The car radio is located outside the driver's field of vision, which, on the other hand, has small controls. Overall, the dashboard stands out with its practical and simple impression .
Three people can sit on the back seats, so there is no problem with the width, but it is worse with the headroom . With my height of 188 cm, I fit in there just right, but I wouldn't want to complete the trip to Croatia in the back seats. If we move into the luggage compartment, we will be surprised by the relatively large area. Specifically, the luggage compartment has a basic volume of 300 liters , after folding the seats a large step is created, but also a volume of 1121 liters. Based on the external dimensions , we would not have guessed that the Citroën C3 would offer such space both on the back seats and in the trunk.
Ride – Predator
In the engine compartment of the car we tested, there is an atmospheric four-cylinder 1.6 VTi petrol engine with an output of 120 hp at 6,000 rpm and a torque of 160 Nm at 4,250 rpm. In other words, it is the most powerful petrol engine in the C3 range . City traffic is handled by the 16-speedster with an overview, it allows itself to be willingly dialed up to higher revs. Shifting does not have precise paths and takes place around 2000 revolutions per minute, but a more predatory style is manifested only in the higher spheres . It navigates through the city pleasantly and with its dimensions it adjusts well in the metropolis. A problem can arise with parking, as the C3 does not have a parking camera , but only parking sensors, which partially replace the camera and warn of an obstacle with a signal. The steering does not give enough feedback, but since the car is primarily intended for women, this is not a beauty flaw . Fuel consumption in the urban cycle was around 6.2 liters per hundred kilometers .
On district roads, we feel the chassis, which is tuned to a mostly comfortable note . The rear axle starts to sound at higher speeds and on poor-quality roads, which is commonplace in the Czech Republic . Driving the modernized C3 will be fun for you, as the 1.6 VTi engine is willingly revved to higher levels, and the accompanying sound of the naturally aspirated four-cylinder is the icing on the cake. At a speed of 130 km/h, the drive unit turns almost 4,000 revolutions per minute , so we would welcome a sixth gear . Although you won't be sorted among snails on the highway, in return you have to accept unpleasant noise in the cabin and a greater loss of fuel in the tank. After a week of testing, fuel consumption stabilized at around 6.5 liters per hundred kilometers . However, it should be noted that we drove in a more agile style. With more effort, we would certainly achieve the declared "paper" figures .
Conclusion – Small but handy (despite minor flaws)
What are we talking about, the small and nice Citroën C3 charms the fairer sex more, but even a man likes to sit in a " livelier car " once in a while and will replenish his energy through the lust that the C3 possesses with a sharper driving style . But everything is dampened by the above-mentioned attributes, for example, imprecise shifting or steering without sufficient feedback. We were quite disappointed that the most powerful petrol 1.6 VTi is only available in the top Exclusive trim , where the customer unfortunately has to dig deeper into their pockets. However, if the small C3 were driven exclusively by a woman with children, I would not hesitate to choose a weaker drive unit .
Basic promotional price of the car (C3 1.0 VTi 68 Vitamin): CZK 209,000
Basic promotional price of the tested car (C3 1.6 VTi 120 Exclusive): CZK 319,900
Pros
– tasteful design
– decent engine
– panoramic windshield
– surprising volume of the luggage compartment
– pricing policy
Cons
– five-speed gearbox
– control without feedback
– outdated on-board computer
– unnecessarily oversized steering wheel
– consumption and noise reduction
