Citroen C3 PLURIEL 1.4i
Although not traditionally one to moan, I vividly remember my college graduation ceremony. Meeting up again with friends you hadnt seen in a couple of months, trading excited news about job hunting and travel plans gave the event a real buzz. The edge was taken off my day, however, by the sheer amount of students whod been treated with cars as their graduation gift. As I pondered my present, a £4.
29 KFC Celebration Meal, I felt Id definitely got the suboptimal end of the stick. Back then the prize for passing your degree seemed to be a Peugeot 106. These days most would be delighted with the keys to a Citroen C3 Pluriel.
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4-litre petrol version retails at £13,895 although, knowing Citroens propensity for short-term marketing sweeteners, it should yield even better deals at intervals over time. Its easy to understand the clamour. What other car can switch from a three-door hatchback into an impromptu pick up in the space of a minute or so? Or which can open and close a full-length roof whilst on the move at any speed? The Pluriel 1.4 offers all of this as well as a surprisingly comprehensive level of standard equipment.
Expect to find electric windows, tinted glass, electric door mirrors, a multi function computer, a six-speaker CD stereo, ABS, twin front and side airbags and a transponder immobiliser. It doesnt sound very entry level at all and further inspection of the specification list yields front fog lights, height adjustable headlights and a massive amount of seat and steering wheel adjustability. The 1.4-litre engine is good for 101mph and will notch off the sprint to 60mph in a so-so 13.
7 seconds, but performance isnt what the Pluriels all about. With a combined fuel economy figure of 51.4mpg and low insurance, this is one car that might look a million dollars but neednt break the bank. With its full-length canvas roof in place, few would finger the Pluriel as a convertible, the shapely glasshouse and the seemingly fixed rear window giving it the appearance of a quirkily styled three-door hatch.
Slide the canvas section back, fold the rear window cartridge down into the spare wheel cavity and house the gloss finish roof rails in their deckchair like holder and you then have a full convertible. No rollover hoops or bulky tonneau covers sully the appealing shape. Whats more, theres even a reasonable amount of space in the boot once the hood has been dropped. Fold the rear seats flat and drop the tailboard and youll have a workaround pickup, although its debatable how legal it is to drive in this mode as the rear number plate is thus obscured.
"Its easy to understand the clamour. What other car can switch from a three-door hatchback into an impromptu pick up in the space of a minute or so? "
Built at Citroens Madrid factory, the Pluriel offers similar interior quality to the C3 hatch. Despite the 1999 show car displaying an interior of quite baffling design flair, the production Pluriels interior is largely C3. That means neat, easy to operate design and the C3s facelifted dash board with its higher grade plastics and more upmarket feel. The door panels have been given a boost too with the same themes as the curvy facia.
The effect is a definite improvement. One key drawback of the Pluriels design is that the bulky roof rails cannot be stored in the car upon removal, instead residing in their holder in your garage. Therefore you dont have the option of pulling over to the roadside and dropping the roof to form a full convertible as you can in a Peugeot 206CC. Once you have left the rails at home, youre committed to open top motoring for the day, come rain or shine.
One suspects we wont see too many Pluriels plying our roads in full convertible mode. Despite these limitations, the Pluriel is still a very appealing choice and even with the black tusks in place it feels very airy when the canvas roof is retracted, the side windows are dropped and the back glass is slotted out of sight. Rear seat passengers will have just as much fun as front seat occupants and theyll also feel reassured by thee Pluriels high waistline. It handles fairly neatly, the comfort-oriented suspension doing a good job of soaking up most surface imperfections that might otherwise betray a wobbly scuttle.
Citroens engineers are proud of the reinforcing work theyve done on the Pluriel and the fact that it weighs about 150kg more than its hatchback equivalent is testament to this effort. Only over the very worst potholes will you provoke any shudder from the chassis. The driving position is unusual due to the fact you sit ducked into the car with the curved windscreen apparently soaring overhead. Theres a reasonable amount of space in the back for four, although five would be a tight squeeze as both knee room and shoulder space would be at a premium.
Some of you may have spotted that the rear screen folds into the spare wheel well, thus signifying a lack of said wheel. Rather than rely on the commonplace - and usually quite useless - puncture repair aerosol, Citroen has done the right thing and fitted the Pluriel with Michelin PAX run flat tyres. Cars stranded on the roadside are never a great advertisement. Quite how the various water seals and roof parts stand up to the wear and tear of real world motoring remains to be seen but at first glance they appear well fabricated.
With Citroens excellent three-year warranty and long service intervals of 20,000 miles, the Pluriel looks a surprisingly hassle-free way of enjoying inexpensive drop top motoring. Upgrades to the interior have raised the tone and whilst it may well prove a little too adventurous for more conservative customers, its not difficult to see Citroen meeting their ambitious sales targets. Whether you can envisage yourself behind the wheel of a Pluriel or not, students of motoring history will view Citroen returning to their innovative ways as cause for celebration. Ill have mine with hot wings and sauce.
Facts At A Glance
CAR: Citroen C3 Pluriel 1.4i range
PRICE: £13,895 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 4
CO2 EMISSIONS: 163g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60 13.7s Top Speed 101mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 31.7 / (extra urban) 51.4 / (combined) 41.5mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags, ABS with EBA and EBD
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 3934/1700/1559mm
