Citroen C3 1.4VTi Review & Road Test (2010) Part 2

Part 2 of our Citroen C3 Review

In part 2 of our review / road test of the Citroen C3 we take a look at its performance and economy.

The 1.4 VTi is not necessarily the best engine for the C3, but it is nice for a change to have a petrol engine in a small car. You get used to the almost on/off nature of driving a small, turbo diesel that it’s rather nice to get a petrol engine with more linear power and a more fluid note for a change.

But 95bhp is not quite enough for really flying along – even in a compact-sized car – but it’s enough to propel the C3 around town quite adequately. At a bit over 10 seconds to 60 mph it won’t win the traffic lights Grand Prix, but nor will it be left trailing in the wake of all around.

And it has a good enough turn of speed to sit all day on the motorway at 80mph and still have the ability to accelerate. And it does it all in relative serenity. Because that is the USP of good French cars; they’re quiet and comfy.

Not everyone wants cutting-edge handling, which is just as well because the Citroen C3 doesn’t offer it. What it does offer is an amazing amount of insulation from our winter-battered excuse for a road network. Whereas a German car – or indeed most small cars – are set up on the stiff side, the Citroen C3 isn’t.

It will handle almost all the rotten roads you can throw at it with surprising aplomb. It doesn’t crash and bash, it just sails through. But there is a price to pay for that. The handling.

As long as you’re not pushing on the handling is just fine in a small, front wheel drive kind of way. It tends to understeer and rolls a lot. It can also get thrown badly off line if you push through a corner with bumps midway.

But actually, if you wanted to drive like that you wouldn’t buy the C3. You’d opt for a Fiesta or one of VW’s offerings. You’d buy the C3 for its comfort. And it’s very hard to have a feather pillow ride and cutting edge handling.

So the Citroen C3 has a lot to offer as a small family car. It has a decent amount of room, it’s very comfortable, easy to drive and the cabin’s a half decent place to be. It should also be quite cheap to run.

This particular C3 is the most expensive of the bunch with all its toys, but there are much cheaper versions. And Citroen’s prices do tend to be ‘negotiable’ so you should be paying less than list for your new C3. Which is important. Depreciation is not Citroen’s strong point, but of you get a decent discount when you buy it doesn’t matter too much.

But it’s not just a decent buy price that’s appealing, it should be pretty economical too. Citroen quote 48.7 mpg (we actually got 41.1mpg) which is quite reasonable from a peppy-ish 1.4 petrol. Service intervals are 20,000 miles, so you won’t be at the dealers every five minutes emptying your pockets.

Better built, better looking, economical and as comfy as a feather pillow, the C3 is a great buy for those who want a small family car, but have no interest in thrashing it round every corner they come too. Because the Citroen is just no good at that.

But it is remarkably good at most everything else.

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