Citroen C2 VTS   Women's view

Citroëns C2 VTS Brings A Wider Appeal To Citroens Shopping Rocket. June Neary Tries It

Im not a typical hot hatch buyer and Im certainly not a typical Citroen hot hatch buyer. Lovers of the French marques little pocket rockets tend to hail from the Max Power generation of pimply youths who are into drainpipe exhausts and wild bodykits. Me? Id just like something with a little more poke for the weekly shop. Mind you, there are plenty of people just like me which is why Citroen went a rather different route when they switched from the old Saxo VTR and VTS models to the new C2 VTR and VTS replacements.

Visually and actively, these appear, at first glance anyway, to be rather toned down. So that they can represent a reasonable purchase for for, well, someone like me.

The VTS I tried might have been a pocket rocket but it was still essentially a C2. Which means that despite being even shorter than a Saxo, its easily able to seat four in comfort. Lessons have been learned from the reception given to the C3 interior and the C2 adopts many of the funkier styling touches such as the ventilation system and the bar rev counter and introduces a few of its own. The latest cars feature an upgraded dashboard, in high-grade plastic with silver detailing, which brings a pleasantly up-market feel to the cabin.

Theres a wide range of trim choices too, from sober monotones right up to the most extrovert two-tone designs. The steering adjusts for rake and reach in all versions while plusher trims also get a height adjustable seat. Few will have any cause for complaint given the amount of space in the front of the cabin as it feels no smaller than the C3, a car already renowned for its spaciousness. Like the C3, the C2 gets a can holder ahead of the gear lever as well as generously proportioned door bins that can accommodate a 500ml bottle of pop.

Access to the rear isnt bad and Citroen have displayed admirable pragmatism in failing to pretend that the C2 is anything other than a four seater. So many small cars cram three belts in across the back and end up trussing occupants up like a leg of lamb but the two rear seats of the C2 are well sculpted and respectable in terms of knee and shoulder room although taller passengers may feel the sloping roof impinges on their coif. In this upspec model, the rear seats individually slide, recline, fold and tumble. This allows the owner to optimise luggage or passenger space by sliding the seats on runners but in order to fold the rear seats fully flat, the front ones need to be run a long way forward, precluding this possibility for long legged drivers and front passengers.

Like all C2s, this version gets a tailgate that splits into two sections to ease loading in tight spots.

The VTS I tried is powered by a 125bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine up 15bhp on its VTR sibling thats enough to punt it to 60mph in 8.1 seconds and on to a top speed of 126mph. This sixteen-valve unit never feels particularly rapid but, I found, had plenty of pulling power through the gears.

This makes for a car that is deceptively rapid. I was pleased to find a five speed manual box having not got along with the semi-automatic paddle shift system offered on the cheaper VTR model. The VTSs manual transmission features close ratio gearing which enables you to extract as much performance as there is from the willing engine. Citroen told me that they could probably have made the engine a good deal more powerful had they wished, but in order to keep insurance costs manageable, theyve pegged the power at 125bhp.

Combine that with the C2s excellent security and safety and low cost of accident repair and the VTS weighs in fully six insurance groups lower than the old Saxo VTS it replaced. A Group 8 rating certainly puts it on the shopping lists of many young buyers who might have thought this sort of car unaffordable.

Like most Citroens, this is a strongpoint with this car. The £12,495 asking price is £1,000 less than the Saxo VTS was at launch all those years ago, and includes air conditioning, a CD stereo and ESP stability control. ESP is particularly appropriate for this kind of car and the kind of people likely to be driving it. Should you really want to test the effectiveness of Citroens insurance policy, it can be switched off but youll still have the safety net of anti lock brakes with electronic brake assist and brakeforce distribution to help you out of a spot.

I started the test thinking that this car was unlikely to be for me. And ended it wondering whether in fact a C2 VTS might not be a lot of fun in a long term relationship. Life is like that sometimes isnt it?