Citroen C3 (2002 - TO DATE)
MODELS COVERED: C3 February 2002 to date: Five door hatch 1.1, 1.4, 1.4 16v, 1.
6 petrol, 1.4 diesel [L, LX, SX, Desire, Exclusive, XTR, Stop and Start, VTR] Four door Pluriel convertible 1.4, 1.6 petrol
BY ANDY ENRIGHT
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Citroens C3 was the car that proved that superminis didnt need to be outrageously sporty in order to succeed. Concentrating instead on offering keen value for money and an unthreatening family oriented appeal, the C3 notched up significant sales and the diesel models in particular are some of the best superminis around. Picking up a decent used example shouldnt be too tricky with a number of well looked after low-mileage cars on the market.
The interior is also adventurously styled which makes a change from all the other makers who seem to be slavishly aping VW Group products. As a result, instead of a dull Teutonic cabin, weve got one that goes its own way, light and airy with low window lines and bold, sweeping curves. Rock-hard seating, coalhole colour schemes and a fetish for aluminium inserts have all been forsaken in the quest to provide a functional, non-threatening family car. The dashboard has shades of toned-down
Fiat Multipla, the lovely silver-trimmed circular vents appearing to warp the fascia as they bust gently through atop a voluptuous pod housing the stereo and air conditioning controls.
The digital instrumentation is clear and easy to read and has a
Saab-style black panel that turns all but the most important functions off if you dont want to be distracted by them at night. More importantly, there are enough bins, cubbies and boxes to make locating a carelessly stowed bunch of keys the work of several minutes. ISOFIX child
seat mounting points feature strongly and such is the C3s family orientation that an optional Child Pack is available. No, this isnt a lockable trunk that stows problematic sprogs safely in the boot, its a selection of extras that will hopefully offset just such an outcome.
A child safety indicator on the dashboard monitors whether seat belts have been unclipped whilst safety locks can be activated or deactivated via a dash-mounted switch. A 12-volt socket at the rear, previously the preserve of MPVs, allows junior to play Gameboys without the ticking time bomb that is a battery failure/high score moment. Aircraft-style trays can be fitted to the back of the front seats with clip-in pen and cup holders and plastic bag hooks. The greatest feature is probably the simplest.
A swing down mirror thats usually stowed behind the standard rear view allows you to keep an eye on the offspring without impeding your forward vision too badly. The innovation certainly doesnt stop there. Citroens Moduboard system is a load bay dividing system that helps protect soft items from hard, clean from grubby and prevent bulky objects from racing across the load bay during spirited driving. Not that pedal to the metal antics are encouraged by the C3.
The C2 will provide for those more concerned with uprated dampers than Pull-Up Pampers. Clever safety-conscious electronic features have been borrowed from the larger C5 things such as speed-sensitive intermittent wipers with rain sensing activation, hazard lights that deploy automatically under severe braking as well as side airbags and comprehensive pedestrian safety features. The egg-like shape suggests almost MPV-like levels of interior space. Certainly at the front, thats true, with more elbow, head and shoulder-room than any other rival, not surprising when you consider that this car is wider than some Family Hatchbacks from the next class up, notably VWs Golf.
At the rear, things are a little different. The three inches in length the C3 loses to a 5-door Fiesta shows here in the restricted legroom and the headroom isnt great either. Some compensation is the 305-litre boot, one of the largest in the class. With its full-length canvas roof in place, few would finger the Pluriel version 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. The main problem is that you cant store the roof rails in the car, so if you head out if full convertible mode, just pray it doesnt rain.
Used C3 prices start from £4,600 for a 2002 51-plated 1.4-litre LX or a 52-plated 1.1-litre L, with SX versions weighing in around the £5,400 mark and automatics tacking another £250 into that price. The 1.
4-litre HDi diesels proved more popular and you shouldnt have too much trouble tracking down a clean 2002 51 plated LX with 70bhp for around £5,000. The more powerful 92bhp car starts at £6,200 in SX trim on 02-plates. If you hanker after a few extra refinements, youll need at least £5,900. This will put you behind the wheel of the plush 1.
6 16v Exclusive. Pluriel pricing is still a little volatile. Insurance for the C3 ranges from Group 2 up to Group 5 for the 1.6 Exclusive.
Although cabin trim quality isnt the best in class, the C3 comes from tried and tested stock and you should expect little or nothing in the way of mechanical faults. The engines in particular are supremely reliable and few issues have emerged so far. Check that the piano-finish on the Pluriels roof rails hasnt been damaged as even the slightest contact with a concrete garage floor will put a horrible scuff on them. Also check that the hood is working and hasnt suffered from any damage.
Aside from that, make sure the car has been regularly serviced, is free from parking knocks and scrapes and check the interior for signs of destruction by kids.
(approx.based on 2002 C3 1.4 excl VAT) A clutch assembly is around £110 and an exhaust system about £325 including a catalytic converter. Front and rear brake pads will be in the vicinity of £40-45 each.
A radiator is about £170, an alternator about £250 and a starter motor £230.
Think soft, safe and sedate and you wont be disappointed. The diesel models are a good deal punchier in feel than the petrol-powered cars. Whereas the more common eight valve unit makes 70bhp, the upspec sixteen-valve number swells power to 92bhp, giving the lightweight
Citroen a fair turn of pace and making it the C3 to choose if you need to get a mild hustle on. Of course, as with most diesel cars, bald 0-60 figures dont tell us too much, the C3 HDi 16v clocking 11.
5 seconds. Whats more impressive is the smooth swell of torque. It starts pulling hard from just over 2,000rpm and unlike many multivalve turbodiesel engines, it hasnt shot its bolt by 3,000. The little Citroen still has decent reserves of shove right up to 5,000rpm, endowing it with the sort of flexibility thats not generally a feature of such small cars.
The gear lever becomes something of a quaint irrelevance as you just wade lazily through the surplus of torque. Plug it into fifth as you hit a motorway on-ramp and youll be amazed how it accelerates right up to speeds at which a judge would likely throw his gavel, wig, stenographer and book at you. Whats equally impressive is that despite the C3s abundant urge, it still manages to average 65.7mpg.
On a gentle run, youll see over 76mpg which, incidentally, is better than the eight-valve model.
The C3 sees Citroen once again refusing to follow the in crowd and in the process the French company created one of the more appealing cars in the supermini sector. The C3 rewards a laid back frame of mind and yet it offers enough neat touches and stylish features to keep all but the most determined petrolhead happy. Plump for a diesel if you really want a supermini that shines while the Pluriel will certainly get you noticed. Recommended.
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