Citroen C3 Pluriel   Women's view

Citroëns C3 Pluriel Helped Vanessa Hinkley Cause A Splash At A Recent Wedding

I needed a small car that I could take to a friends wedding. My Proton wouldnt really cut the mustard so it was to Citroen that I turned. Their C3 Pluriel looked like just the sort of vehicle that would fit the bill small, cheeky, stylish but not so outrageous that it would upstage the bridal car. Its one of a generation of drop top minis like the Nissan Micra CC, Mitsubishis Colt CC and the Ford Streetka that certainly hold a good deal of appeal for us girls.

My husband chuckled when he saw the Pluriel arrive. Knowing Id booked a convertible, hed assumed Id made a foul up and ordered the hatchback C3 instead but appearances can be deceptive. 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. Despite the 1999 motor 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 Micra CC. Once you have left the rails at home, youre committed to open top motoring for the day, come rain or shine. That was my dilemma. The weather looked like it might well hold for the day so we stripped the Pluriel down to its bare essentials and hit the road.



Despite its limitations, the Pluriel is still a very appealing choice. We later discovered that 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. The car was a hit with my friends and I ended up acting as an unofficial Citroen sales representative. That was until the heavens opened and the car took a thorough dousing whereupon the drive to the reception left me with a damp patch on my bottom that resolutely refused to dry all night.



Three engines are offered, a 1.4-litre petrol with 74bhp on tap, a 1.4-litre HDi diesel capable of averaging 63mpg or a 1.6-litre 16v flagship version replete with paddle-shift transmission that retails for £16,095.

Dont be lulled into thinking this version of the Pluriel is in any way sporty as the focus is instead on fun, comfort and a more restrained approach, reflecting the philosophy of the C3 supermini upon which its based. Although the C3 has shifted in respectable numbers, the Pluriel is destined to be a niche model.

After my initial enthusiasm was tempered by the wet posterior incident, Im in two minds about the C3 Pluriel. Much as I admire its impish styling and sheer innovation, if I was signing the cheque, Im not sure if I could stomach the fact that if you do want a full convertible youre effectively at the mercy of the capricious British weather. Others may disagree and if I was hiring a car for a weeks break on the Costa Brava the C3 Pluriel would get my vote every time. Maybe global warming does have something going for it.