Citroen C3 Hatchback, Buy Used, Buy New or Contract Hire

Citroen C3 Car Reviews

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Practicality

The Citroen C3 is an inexpensive car, and with Citroen promoting price reductions you will rarely find one being sold at full price. Along with low insurance rates some models of the C3, such as the XTR, will retain a much higher resale value. C3’s are inexpensive to service and maintain, and the diesel engine option provides better fuel economy than its petrol counterpart. Despite the mini status of the Citroen C3, the boot is spacious, and a rear folding seat opens to provide more space for luggage and such. There are several compartments inside the cabin for storing small loose items. Though being a mini, the glove compartment has limited space.

All controls and gauges are well placed in the driver’s line of sight. The digital speedometer is easy to read and the radio display is functional and easy to read as well. The fuel gauge is not up to par with the rest of the gauges as it uses LED technology, making it difficult to judge how much gas you have left.

The front passengers sit high and have adequate legroom. The seats are soft and supportive when driving straight; but take turns more briskly, and you will find that lateral support on the seats suffer. Move to the rear seats and the story changes. The bench seat is lower, but flat making it easier to access, but once inside, it is apparent that the C3 was not meant for long journeys because comfort could quickly become an issue.

The large aperture on all five doors on the Citroen C3 ensures easy access to the seats. High sitting, passengers don’t have to stoop to reach the seats. Tall rear passengers will have a hard time getting comfortable, for the rear head and legroom weren’t designed to accommodate them. Front passengers will enjoy plenty of head and legroom.

Being a mini, the C3 is very easy to park. Assisting with this is a tight turning radius and light steering. The accelerator isn’t fidgety at low speeds, and slow maneuvers are easily performed. Both front and rear visibility, make for easy judgment of where the front and rear of the car end. Parking sensors would make this easier, but aren’t offered as an option.

Life Style

Although the Citroen C3 is more than capable to drive through town, once on the motorway it becomes a less pleasant ride. At low speeds road and wind noise aren’t problematic, but once you increase your speed the cabin can get quite noisy. The roof racks catch wind and the road and engine noises aren’t filtered out very effectively.

The C3 was not meant to be a family vehicle. Being a mini, it isn’t capable of adequately toting around a family. The boot is too small to accommodate the cargo associated with a family. Getting small children in and out will prove to be an especially difficult task, and only a very small family will be provided for adequately by the C3.

The C3 is inexpensive and low insurance rates means that the C3 will prove to be a very attractive to young buyers. It is quick and fun to drive around. Aside from the fun, sleek design; and rugged stance, the C3 is safe and will give parents peace of mind.

Although the French have never had the greatest reputation for craftsmanship things are changing. The C3 is reliable, and is well constructed. The quality of the materials could be better, but at the selling price, you don’t get much better. When it comes to image, the C3 looks nice, and the body lines are aggressive but all the way down to the plastic wheel farings the C3 looks cheap.