Citroen C2 VTS 1.6 HDi
The range-topping model in the Citroen C2 line-up, the VTS HDi offers a fun drive, warm hatchback performance and impressive green credentials. For most, this diesel option will be preferable over the petrol VTS but with a number of other sporty oil-burning superminis on the market, the cars excellent fuel economy and low emissions will be crucial to securing sales.
| Build |  |
| Comfort | |
| Depreciation |  |
| Economy |  |
| Equipment |  |
| Handling | |
| Insurance | |
| Performance | |
| Styling |  |
| Value | |
6HDi to market five years ago but whether it would have marketed the car as a "mean, green, performance machine" is doubtful. The car market, and the warm hatchback sector in particular, just wasnt very clued up on environmental issues back then. Today, weve largely collated the clues, commissioned the forensic reports and dropped the case file off with the crown prosecution service. What modern motorists havent been told about global warming and climate change isnt worth knowing but if you wade through all the chaff, one fact tends to stick.
Now and increasingly in the future, green cars will save us money. Even the Burberry-clad tribe from your local McDonalds Drive-Thru will appreciate that one. The environmentally-friendly warm hatchback isnt a genre that the leading manufacturers have done to death but Citroen is never shy when it comes to exploiting a convenient niche. The standard C2 VTS comes with a 1.
6-litre 123bhp petrol engine but the HDi version gets a 110bhp 1.6-litre diesel. Its still fast, achieving 0-60mph in 9.4s compared to 8.
3s in the petrol car, but as tends to be the case in the old petrol vs diesel debate, its the oil-burners torque that delivers a killer blow.
"A mean, green, performance machine?"
If youve tried the petrol C2 VTS, youll know that its a buzzy little thing that really needs to be revved hard if its to give up its best performance. 6,500rpm yields the peak power output and at that engine speed, you almost expect to see a council official in hot pursuit clutching a noise abetment order. The VTS is ideal for its target market in many respects a fun little car that looks, sounds and feels faster than it actually is. The 1.
6 HDi derivative is slower but it feels just as quick if not quicker by virtue of its 260Nm maximum torque, which is 80% more than the petrol model. Its more flexible and punchy at the speeds youre forced to do around town. Despite being a diesel, when worked hard it may actually be quieter too - aftermarket bean can exhaust notwithstanding. The overall driving experience in the C2 VTS is immediate and enjoyable, if lacking a little in terms of finesse.
The ride is firm thanks to its stiffened suspension but that helps it grip and corner with some menace. The brakes are extremely aggressive with the merest brush of the middle pedal bringing you to a screeching halt but you do get used to them. The steering could use a little more feedback and the five-speed manual gearbox is on the floppy side but in general, its hard to argue with the amount of fun being served up for the price involved. ESP and four airbags are included, which will go some way toward setting parents minds at rest.
The looks of the C2 certainly lend themselves to warm-hatch conversion. The curving nose and asymmetric window line are trademark features with the wheelarches bulging out from the superminis slab sides. The VTS emphasises its sporting edge with side sills and bumpers that lower the stance as well as a subtle roof spoiler at the back. Inside, the dark plastics are of acceptable quality and the design is neat but theres nothing to get over-excited about.
Space is generous for front seat passengers and less so for those in the back, while the split-opening tailgate hides a modest luggage area. The simple ball and socket air-vents are a clever piece of design and, finished in silver, these do raise the tone in an otherwise moribund cabin. The buttons on the centre console are large, chunky and solid to the touch, as is the fat handbrake lever. Storage space is less of a strongpoint with only a seriously confined glovebox and a couple of narrow door pockets to speak of in the front and just enough room for a large holdall or similar in the boot.
Rear seat accommodation seems seriously confined when you glance over your shoulder from the front but climb back there and things arent so bad. The long base section to the seats means that two adults could be accommodated on a short journey so long as the front seats arent in Peter Crouch mode. The C2 VTS HDi retails for £13,495 but as always with Citroen, be on the lookout for regular cashback deals. The diesel actually comes in at £1,000 more expensive than the petrol alternative.
Its undeniably a better car and with its lower running costs, most buyers will just about be able to justify the premium but its a close run thing. As the range-topping model, the VTS HDi comes well-equipped with air-conditioning and 16" Cheetah alloy wheels amongst the highlights. Some of the alternatives to the Citroen do look appealing with Fiats diesel Grande Punto Sporting and SEATs Ibiza TDI 130 FR both undercutting the car on price. To plump for the C2 VTS HDi over either of these larger, faster cars, youll have to really value the C2s superior fuel economy or collect one of those Citroen cashback deals to sharpen-up that value proposition. The green issue will be crucial to the fortunes of the C2 VTS 1.
6HDi. With some serious competition in the rapid diesel supermini category, the car will rely on its exemplary emissions and fuel economy in order to gain a foothold. Fortunately, the VTS HDi is a real eco-warrior. On the combined cycle, the little Citroen chips in with a 64mpg average.
Get it out on the open road and that increases to 74mpg, although a more indicative figure may be the 49mpg it achieves around town. For a small car with performance pretensions, this is impressive stuff and the 119g/km CO2 emissions figure will also do its bit your bank balance - not to mention the polar ice caps. The absence of serious heart-stopping performance will also help make the C2 VTS HDi an affordable car to insure. Thats another tick in the plus column for the younger drivers that the vehicle is pitched squarely at.
The big question where the Citroen C2 VTS 1.6HDi is concerned is as follows. Are the nations warm hatchback buyers concerned enough about the environment to purchase a vehicle that counts fuel economy and low emissions as its key strengths? They may not be but they probably are concerned enough about saving money and in todays taxation climate, that and green considerations increasingly go hand in hand. The C2 VTS HDi is a sporty looking and feeling hatchback with a raw urgency that makes it fun to scoot about in.
Performance is reasonable and the diesel engines low down muscle makes it a benign companion when youre not haring around like a Tasmanian Devil with attention deficit disorder. The best bits though are the 64mpg average economy and the 119g/km emissions. With the C2 VTS HDi, the green choice is also the fun, affordable choice and that has to be the best way of encouraging people to make it.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Citroen C2 VTS HDi
PRICE: £13,495 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 6 [est]
CO2 EMISSIONS: 119g/km
PERFORMANCE: Top Speed 120mph 0-60mph 9.4s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 49.9 (extra urban) 74.4 (combined) 64mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags / ABS with EBD and EBA / ESP
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/width/height 3666/1659/1451mm
