The new Citroen C3 which Mary McBride drove was in an eye-catchingBotticelli Blue
ROADTEST FACTFILE
Car...Citroen C3
Model...1.6 HDi Exclusive
mpg (comb cycle)...65.7 mpg
CO2 emissions...110 g/km
Price...£15,190
Loaned by Central Garage, Newport
There’s a sweet smell to the new Citroen C3.
It’s not just the smooth shape, the light, bright interior and generous legroom inside. It’s not even the low 110gm/k CO2 emissions and £35 a year road tax, with a fantastic 65.7mpg from the 1.6-litre diesel engine version I tested.
The C3 comes with a fragrancer button fitted to the dashboard, so smells can be replaced by a waft of fragrance — without the need for a cardboard Christmas tree or traffic lights dangling from the rear-view mirror.
An element of luxury was evident from the first sight of the new C3 I was to borrow from Central Garage, Newport, with the car shining out to me across the forecourt in Botticelli Blue
Certainly any Venus could clamber out of her shell and make herself comfortable in the driving seat of a C3, with fully adjustable steering wheel and seats.
For despite an array of the latest technical helpers — automatic digital air conditioning, electric windows front and back, electrically heated and folding door mirrors, on-board trip computer to keep you informed about performance, auxiliary socket for iPod/MP3 to play through the radio/CD stereo — the C3 is straightforward to drive.
The Executive diesel model I drove comes with five-speed manual gearbox and no gimmicks to start, stop or apply brakes. The car has a real ignition key, real handbrake and normal gearbox. Simple.
The C3’s seats feel firm yet very supportive and the car swings along nicely over the bumps and potholes of our Island roads in winter.
I’ve already mentioned the impressive mpg and low emissions of this new Citroen engine but performance does not suffer. It has comfortable power for hilly roads and 0 to 62mph figure is 11.3 seconds, a very respectable figure for a small family car.
For there is ample room in the C3 to take the family out, with three seats and sets of seat belts for rear passengers. Comments from the back seat were very positive about legroom, visibility and general comfort.
And with five people in the car and all seats up, there is still 300 litres of space in the boot. If you need more parcel space, the back seat folds in either 1/3 or 2/3 configuration and there are lots of storage pockets, and under the armrest, for bits and pieces.
Safety is always a consideration for family drivers and the C3 has safety features including ESP for extra stability, emergency braking assistance with automatic hazard lights and loads of airbags at the front and sides, too.
The C3 also benefits (all except the entry-level VT trim) from the extra brightness and all-round visibility of the panoramic zenith windscreen. Extras available include rear-parking sensors and automatic headlamps and rain-sensing windscreen wipers.