2017 Citroen C3 – complete with a sprinkle of Citroen’s Cactus fairy dust (+video)

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The new Citroen C3 – Citroen’s offering in the Fiesta market –  has been revealed ahead of a 2017 debut, with new stand out looks influenced by the successful C4 Cactus.

This is the new Citroen C3, a car Citroen hope will challenge the Ford Fiesta when it arrives in early 2017, and to give it every chance Citroen has taken a number of the styling cues from the successful C4 Cactus and grafted them on to the new C3. And they look to work.

And that’s a good thing, because with Citroen’s DS models hived off in to a new sub brand, its star car – the Citroen DS3 – has departed with it, and Citroen need a new stand out small car. This could be it.

Both at the front and back the new C3 has more than a hint of C4 Cactus going on, with the tail lights very like the Cactus and the front end – with its stacked lights look – more than a little reminiscent too, although with a wide chevron grille instead of a single narrow chevron.

It also looks like Citroen are going to make the Airbump a feature across their range going forward, and the new C3 gets the anti-ding plastic bits slapped on its flat flanks – and they look just fine.

Even the new C3’s interior takes the ‘Spartan but Funky’ ethos of the Cactus as its mantra, with a central 7″ touchscreen (mounted lower down than in the Cactus) reducing the button count, a simple dashboard, although with conventional dials, unlike the Cactus, and even straps for the door handles – just like the Cactus.

New technology will include ConnectedCam, a GPS enable camera in the rear-view mirror which will record the road ahead and save the relevant chunk if you have a prang, but you can also use it to take stills or video at the press of a button.

Essentially a facelift and built on  the same platform as the current C3 (as is the C4 Cactus), the new C3 will major on customisation, with 36 different colour combinations for the exterior and four interior ‘Mood’ choices to please all tastes.

Engine options are no surprise, with the new C3 having the choice of the three-cylinder 1.2 litre petrol with 67bhp, 81bhp or 109bhp, or the four cylinder 1.6 litre diesel with 74bhp or 99bhp, all with stop-start and a six speed manual gearbox, although there will be a six-speed auto option available soon after launch.

The new Citroen C3  looks to add up to a properly individual alternative to cars like the Ford Fiesta, and seems to have taken the bland out of the C3 equation.

New 2017 Citroen C3 Video