CITROEN C3

To test drive the Citroen C3 to study if the brand would potentially race forward or hunt for more excuses still, we landed in monsoon-hit, lush green Goa this June.

Here's the in-depth first-drive review of Citroen C3:

The C3 is undeniably Citroen and does bear a resemblance of sorts to the C5 Aircross. The face of the SUV is distinct in that it does have a massively imposing grille or lush use of chrome splashes. Instead, dual chrome chevrons with chrome extensions in the front grille give it a young and distinct appeal. There are sleek LED DRL units but the the main head light unit is halogen-powered. ‘Why?' - is a question best left for Citroen to answer.

The vehicle stands on 15-inch smartly-designed alloy wheels under relatively large wheel arches. The windows too are quite large and the side cladding towards the lower portion of the doors lend the car a slight bit of rugged character.

Nothing rugged about the rear though where Citroen opts for a clean profile, completed and complimented with the company badge and logo. Open the door here and there's a little over 300 litres of boot space. The cargo area is quite deep which means plonking one suitcase over another is possible. But on the flipside, the opening for the boot is quite narrow and there would be quite a loading angle which would surely make lifting heavy luggage and putting it in the boot a significant effort.

Overall, the C3 has a spunk around it from almost every angle and its sporty profile is massively highlighted by the big use of a bright shade of orange on the roof, ORVMs and casing around the front fog lamps. Personally, I am not too taken by the dual-tone orange shade but the car is also available in multiple mono tone hues.

That the C3 is a young car is also evident generously with how the cabin has been put together. The dashboard itself is offered in two colour trims - Orange and Grey. There is a 10.2-inch infotainment screen positioned right in the middle and it looks quite premium with features like wireless support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It is responsive to touch even if the amount of fingerprint it attracts would make it a delight for forensics teams. Nonetheless, it is bright enough for use under direct sunlight, has good viewing angles regardless of where in the car one is at and is connected to a four-speaker set-up.

Under it are the vents for air-conditioning which can be controlled using dial knobs over the center console. The vertical vents on the front sides are quite catchy to look at and are also mighty powerful in cooling the vehicle - essential because there are no vents for the passengers at the back.

For the driver, the seat can be adjusted for height while the compact steering promises to make short work of navigating through tight spaces. But where the C3 is found wanting is the digital driver display which is quite small and almost toycar-like. The stick to adjust the ORVM position is also rather flimsy and there are plenty of closed button sections which give a sense of the vehicle still being a work in progress. There is also no one central button to lock or unlock all doors and this depends entirely on the status of the driver-side door. The control buttons for the rear windows are also located on the central console and not on the rear doors.

Step back to the rear seats and there is decent amount of space on offer. The wheelbase of 2,540 mm is evident with impressive levels of knee and leg room, regardless of how far back the front seats may be. There is good amount of cushioning on all seats and superb under-thigh support. Head room is also quite satisfactory but the central tunnel on the floor bed and the center console jutting back takes generous bites out of the leg space for the middle-seat passenger.

The rear-seat passengers do sit slightly higher than those in front in a theater-like setup and while there is no sunroof, the cabin is quiet and has a pleasant aura all around. Storage spaces are plentiful too but use of only hard plastics is a bit of a let down. There are also several features that are either missing entirely or would be offered as optional extras. This includes wireless phone charging, ambient lights, rear-view camera and the likes.

First things first - if you fancy a diesel car, then the Citroen C3 isn't for you. If you want the convenience of an automatic gearbox, then steer away from the C3 too. Snubbing the diesel motor is a miss for sure but not offering an automatic transmission in today's times means the French are likely to lose a fair share of customers.

But if a petrol motor and the enthusiasm of a manual gearbox is your thing, Citroen C3 is offering two choices of each. There is a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated motor churning out 82 Ps (80 hp) and offering 115 Nm of torque. Then there is the more capable 1.2-turbo petrol which puts out 110 Ps (108 hp) and an absolutely scrumptious 190 Nm of torque.

This torque figure alone promises to set the C3 apart from most of its intended rivals and isn't just a numerical highlight but does translate to some extremely peppy traits when on the move. Push the pedal, slot the intended gear number and the C3's turbo engine is just so impressively enthusiastic. Imagine a child running around in a chocolate factory - endless energy, scampering from one corner to the farthest other corner. That, in a nutshell, is the C3 turbo for you.

But it is not just innocent enthusiasm because there is a high degree of maturity too, especially when it comes to the large gear bands. The shifts may not be as slick to touch as is in most Korean cars but the sheer need to work the gearbox is comparatively far less. The C3 pulls and pulls clean, and while there is a slight strain from the engine at higher rev bands, the solid grip over NVH levels also help in keeping the cabin calm while pushing the car forward.

The other big strength of the C3 lies in its suspension set up that is tuned so well that the ride quality raises the bar for several other sub-compact SUVs currently out and about on roads here. Sure it may not be like the ‘Flying Carpet’ effect on the C5 Aircross but still, the ability of the C3 to brush past broken roads is mighty impressive. And unless hurtling the car over speed breakers, even man-made road aberrations are very well negotiated.

But while the C3 shines within city limits courtesy its easy maneuverability and rushes towards three-digit speed mark on open roads with spirited focus, the lack of feedback from the steering is a letdown. Steady at moderate speeds, the C3 steering wheel needs to be gripped harder at high speeds to extract any iota of feedback. There is also a slight body roll for back-seat passengers when the car is pushed into corners with disdain and this takes some sheen away from the otherwise comfortable experience of being on the move inside this car.

Most of these traits - the good and not so good - are obviously on the more sedate C3 option as well. But it would be incorrect to plainly assume that the 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated motor is lethargic. Obviously not as eager as its more powerful twin, the more affordable C3 still has enough spirit to be a confident daily ride option. The pick from lower rev bands is stellar and the five-speed gearbox continues to have a mighty large range to adapt to changing drive conditions. Move to high speeds sure need more work and overtaking won't be as breezy but unless you identify yourself as an enthusiastic driver every time you get inside your car, this motor should suffice.

As such, the C3 does a respectable job of offering two solid engine options and a suspension set up tuned for comfort.

The Citreon C3 isn't an extravaganza in terms of feature list or boisterous looks. And yet, it goes beyond just getting the basics right to offer a car that's confident and basks in that confidence.

Citroen will offer a mammoth list of optional extras which cover exterior style packs to feature additions for alloys, rear-view camera and more. This is a generous hint that off the block, the C3 may be very aggressively priced.

Citroen has a solid product on its hands and one that has the potential to find favour among a young car-buying audience. All eyes would be on how well the C3 is priced and how well the company is able to come good on its promise of offering a robust post-sales network. Considering the base variant will be quite a stripped down version, a starting price of somewhere around ₹5 lakh ought to hold the car in good stead.