Now what is the C3 and what features does it have, what are the powertrain options, what are its pros and cons, how to drive it and most importantly, it should be on your radar when you are in the market. Looking for a subcompact SUV? Read the full review for all the answers.
Citroen C3: How is it from the outside?
Coming to the design of the new C3, this design is very familiar from the big brother C5 Aircross. At the front, it gets a chrome grille that is covered in the Citroen logo which is unique.
The SUV gets twin-pod LED DRLs along with halogen bulbs for the headlight and foglamps. At the bottom, it gets a hexagonal air dam with faux scuff plates. The car definitely looks and stands out from its competitors on the road and has that distinctive French quirkiness to it.
The car gets orange color accents around the fog lamps, on the wing mirrors, on the side door cladding and on the rear bumper which makes the car funky. One interesting thing here is that you can customize the color to chrome or platinum gray.
15-inch steel wheels wrapped in 195/65 CEAT rubber
The car has 15-inch steel wheels coated in 195/65 CEAT rubber. The slight drawback here is that you do not get alloy wheels even in the top variant. They are an accessory that you need to purchase separately.
Moving towards the back, the orange colored inserts add a bit of funk to the design. The tailgate design is clean and as a result the C3 looks very unique.
The C3 measures 3,981 mm in length, 1,733 mm in width and 1,604 mm in height. It has a wheelbase of 2,540 mm which is higher than the Tata Punch (2,445 mm) and the Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger (2,500 mm).
Citroen C3: How’s it on the inside?
Once you step inside the cabin of the new C3, the first thing you notice here is that there’s a lot inside. The cabin follows a two-tone orange and gray theme. Again, as on the outside, if orange isn’t your thing, you can customize the color to anodized gray.
The car gets a 10-inch infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. From a segment perspective, the infotainment screen works really well. It has got good touch response and the screen resolution is also good. Apart from this, we also liked the sound quality of the speakers. There is a digital instrument cluster that shows basic details about the car but it misses out on the tachometer.
The car gets manual air conditioning with chunky rotary knobs that click in the right place and there is also a huge storage space with two cup holders below them. The steering wheel feels good to hold and gets a flat-bottom design. Buttons for audio controls have been included but their plastic quality and fitment could have been better.
The quality of plastic inside the cabin is not consistent and one can see cost-cutting measures inside. The rear window power button is awkwardly placed between the front seats, there are no electric ORVMs and it doesn’t even get a manual adjustment for the dimming function for the IRVMs. Other than that, there’s no rear de-fogger, no adjustable headrest, no rear-arm rest and no rear camera either.
In terms of practicality and space, there’s plenty of room for the occupants and for storage. There is ample headroom and legroom in the rear seats too. The boot space is around 315 liters which is good for a car of this size and class. Clearly, seating is one area the C3 is really good at.
Citroen C3: Engine and Transmission
The Citroen C3 will be available in two powertrain options – a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine mated to a five-speed manual gearbox and a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine mated to a six-speed manual. Surprisingly, there will be no automatic gearbox for now but an auto gearbox will be added later.
Citroen C3: How does it perform?
First, we drove a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated unit that produces 82 bhp and 115 Nm of torque which is mated to a 5-speed manual.
The naturally aspirated engine does feel a bit sluggish but it performs well when compared to another smaller capacity three-cylinder NA engine. If you are looking for a small compact vehicle for your urban runout then this engine does the job. The 5-speed gearbox is well coupled with the engine and offers good maneuverability.
The 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol is slick and fast, and the out-of-line acceleration is good. There’s a bit of turbo-lag but you’ll love the way the car moves when the turbo comes on. The turbo gets a 6-speed manual as mentioned earlier and the gearbox is paired well with the engine but it’s a bit jerky every time you let go of the clutch and make the transition quicker. Does not happen. We are not sure if this is a problem in general or if it was specific to the car we drove.
Regarding the refinement, it is very good. While the noise of the three-cylinder is heard on the outside, the NVH insulation in the car is quite good.
Citroen C3: Comfort and Handling
Comfort is something that Citroen cars are good at and has made it a core tenet of their brand.
Like its bigger brother the C5 Aircross, the C3 promises great comfort due to its suspension. The C3, of course, may not deliver the same level of sophistication, but from a segment standpoint, it’s far ahead of anything in this class.
Handling is quite impressive and the balance between ride and handling is quite good. We pushed the car hard around corners and still it was controlling the body roll. Grip from the tyre is quite good and it comes equipped with wide 195 section tires – not the thinner tires you usually find on compact cars.
The chassis offers great maneuverability and as a result, the C3 is a vehicle that you can throw around and have a lot of fun with. Obviously, ride and handling are the strongest departments for the C3.
Citroen C3: Should You Buy It?
The last thing missing in this puzzle is the prices because they haven’t appeared yet but they will be on July 20th. The C3 is an impressive vehicle, which offers good space, great ride quality, handling and good performance, but you also need to consider that it misses out on some key and basic features that we have mentioned earlier.
In the absence of all these features, the C3 should be priced aggressively and not just competitively. If you don’t care about features and robust mechanics, what you’re looking for is great comfort, then the Citroen C3 is the one. There’s no doubt that Citroen has a winner on its hands, as long as they don’t price themselves.