UK Drive: Citroen’s C3 brings plain-and-simple motoring with added style

What is it?

The Citroen C3 is the kind of car that nearly all drivers have interacted with at some point. Whether you’ve driven one yourself or know someone who has, it’s been a consistent sight on our roads for quite a while now, bringing value-focused motoring in a package that doesn’t cost the earth to run.

For the latest model, Citroen has ditched the C3’s bubble-like hatchback design for a more on-trend crossover look, with a higher riding height and chunkier proportions overall. Is it still a car for all people, though? We’ve been finding out.

What’s new?

That bold new look is one of the biggest changes to the new C3, but you can’t fault Citroen for making the switch. Crossovers and SUVs now dominate the best-sellers list, with hatchbacks and city cars falling by the wayside for buyers. Thankfully, the French brand hasn’t forgotten about this car’s budget-focused roots, which is why it still comes with an attractively low price point and a range of engines that shouldn’t prove too expensive to run and maintain.

In fact, the model we’re testing here – in entry-level Plus trim – comes in at £19,035, making it one of the cheapest cars on sale in the UK today.

What’s under the bonnet?

As with other Citroen models, you can get the C3 with a range of engine options. There’s an electric model – badged e-C3 – which has an official range of 199 miles, though a recently-announced Extended Range model ups that to 249 miles. As always, electric doesn’t fit for everyone, which is why the C3 is also offered with regular petrol engines, too.

There’s a hybrid model and then this version, a tried-and-tested 1.2-litre turbocharged unit with 99bhp and 205Nm of torque. Efficiency is good, too, with Citroen claiming 52mpg and decent CO2 emissions of 128g/km. The hybrid does undercut the primary petrol in this area, however, cutting those emissions back to 114g/km.

What’s it like to drive?

The C3 brings the kind of comfortable ride quality that you’d expect from a Citroen. On the UK’s pothole-blighted roads, this really comes to the fore and the C3 does well to tackle those really big imperfections ahead of you. The only downside to this is that the car starts to feel wayward through quicker bends and there’s quite a lot of lean to deal with.

The little 1.2-litre engine does a good job of getting the C3 up to speed in a decent enough time, though a 0-60mph acceleration sprint in just over 10 seconds is quite lacklustre by modern standards. You need to work the engine hard to achieve this as well, and the six-speed manual gearbox is a little vague – though it’s light and easy to control around town.

How does it look?

The new design of the C3 is a big change from that of its predecessor, and in our opinion, it’s a change for good. The upright, chunky of design of the C3 gives the car quite a bit of presence on the road, even if its compact footprint means that it doesn’t actually take up all that much space.

It certainly gives the impression of a car that could tackle some rough terrain, even if it’s designed to be kept on the road.

What’s it like inside?

There’s the usual amount of hard-wearing plastics to be found inside the C3’s cabin, but it’s to be expected of a car at this price point. However, Citroen has done a great job of injecting some fun and character into things via plenty of textures and patterned sections. The large areas of gloss black plastic do tend to collect dust and fingerprints, but things are spruced up with some silver elements.

Leg and headroom are good throughout the car, helped no end by the C3’s boxy design. The 310-litre boot is well-sized and easy to access, too, though there’s quite a ‘drop’ over the load lip, so taking heavier items out might prove a struggle for some. You can fold the rear seats down and increase that to 1,188 litres if you need to.

What’s the spec like?

We’re testing the C3 out in the cheapest, entry-level Plus specification and while a few years ago that might’ve meant a lack of radio and several blanked-off buttons, that isn’t the case anymore. You get a 10.25-inch central infotainment display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which means it’s easy to mirror your smartphone on the screen. Higher-spec cars add in-car navigation but, in truth, you can just save the money and use your phone wirelessly on the screen for maps instead.

Other highlights include a variety of USB-C charging points for keeping said devices topped up, and plenty of safety-boosting assistance systems.

Verdict

The C3 feels like the antidote to over-complicated cars that have arrived in the last few years. It’s comfortable, easy to drive and simple to live with while the option of electric, hybrid and petrol setups means that there should be something for everyone.

While there are higher-specification, more expensive grades available, the C3 feels like the kind of car that is at its best when kept as low-priced as possible.