Citroen C3 Pluriel Cote DAzur Special Edition
Nice, Cannes, St Tropez; the Cote dAzur is Europes playground for the rich and famous, nestling in Frances southeast corner betwixt the sun-baked hills of Provence and the shimmering Mediterranean sea. Its a classy destination and no mistake, a place where the local glitterati cruise tree-lined avenues in drop top sportscars and designer shades. Citroen are obviously hoping that some of this French Riviera glamour will rub off on the Cote dAzur special edition of their budget C3 Pluriel convertible.
Youd probably need something a tad more salubrious than a C3 Pluriel to cause a stir amongst the yacht owners, supermodels and playboys lounging on the St Tropez waterfront. These individuals have shoes that cost more than the £12,995 it takes to acquire the Pluriel in Cote dAzur special edition guise and would hardly deign to raise an eyebrow even if Brad Pitt drove past in a Bugatti Veyron at 200mph. In the drizzly half-light of the British summertime, however, the Pluriel has more of a chance to make an impression. Most of us Brits are a long way removed from Mediterranean high society.
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The other exterior feature is a set of special wheel trims and in an age when even £8,000 superminis tend to have alloys, its hard to get excited about those. Inside, theres a translucent blue gearknob, a leather steering wheel and leather finish door handles. The seats get multi-coloured vertical stripes on their back sections which also raise the tone.
"Want a new convertible supermini on a £13,000 budget? Youre going to be out of luck anywhere but at your local Citroen dealership."
Power for the Cote dAzur special edition is supplied by the entry-level unit from the Pluriel range the 1.4-litre 75bhp petrol engine. Dont expect road-burning performance because youre not going to get it from this or any C3 Pluriel for that matter. The 0-60mph sprint takes just under 14s and theres a 99mph top speed but you dont really notice the lethargic progress when youre at the wheel because the Pluriel doesnt encourage spirited driving.
The chassis isnt the stiffest and theres always the suspicion that if you did hurl it at a corner, you might either topple over or come out the other side minus a few pieces of extraneous trim. The Pluriel is at its best being driven sedately with the featherweight steering and the soft suspension making for a suitably relaxing experience. The engine noise is well suppressed too and even wind noise with the roof up isnt as pronounced as you might imagine, although its less hushed with the centre section folded back. Down on the Cote dAzur, wealthy individuals pay well over £100,000 for high performance supercars and other exotica so they can crawl along the sea front at a snails pace in it.
With the C3 Pluriel Cote dAzur, you can get a model that could have been built for exactly this purpose but at a tenth of the cost. It wont even hit your bank account hard when youre driving it - buyers can reasonably expect to average over 40mpg and the CO2 emissions are 163g/km. The driving position is unusual due to the fact you sit ducked into the car with the curved windscreen apparently soaring overhead. Equipment levels are about what you would expect, all Pluriel models featuring electric windows all round, electric mirrors, remote central locking a CD player and an electrical operated canvas roof.
Safety levels on the C3 Pluriel are equally high, with anti lock brakes with brake assist and electronic brakeforce distribution, four airbags and four 3-point inertia reel seatbelts, as well as a specially stiffened body shell, reinforced windscreen pillars and roof arches plus strengthened seat backs and headrests. 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 most other drop-top models. 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. Theres a reasonable amount of space in the back for two, although three would be a tight squeeze as both knee room and shoulder space would be at a premium. 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 quite well fabricated. There are drawbacks to the C3 Pluriel but these should always be framed within the context of its price. If you want a new convertible supermini on a £13,000 budget, youre going to be out of luck anywhere but at your local Citroen dealership.
The Cote dAzur special edition models enhance the Pluriels case a further notch or two with a desirable set of cosmetic extras that may not be up to French Riviera standards but will cut a dash on your local high street.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Citroen C3 Pluriel Cote dAzur
PRICES: £12,995 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 4
CO2 EMISSIONS: 163g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60 13.9s Top Speed 99mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 31mpg / (extra urban) 52mpg / (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
