Introduction
City cars always used to be the vehicles of choice for those looking for frugal, low-cost runabouts. But, pushed by the need to have more equipment fitted to them, they’re not especially profitable for carmakers and it has meant many manufacturers have withdrawn their city cars from sale. Key brands such as Ford and Vauxhall no longer sell them, while Citroen joined the pile last year when it axed the C1.
But this French firm has acknowledged the need to still offer customers low-cost transport, which is why it’s now introduced the C3 You – a new, entry-level version of the firm’s supermini. Coming in at £13,995, it’s also the UK’s fourth cheapest new car. But is it worth considering or has the penny-pinching gone a step too far?
Performance
While other C3 models are available with a choice of petrol engines and a turbodiesel, on this ‘You’ trim, it’s only available in conjunction with the entry-level engine.
It’s a small 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, which sends drive to the front wheels with an old-school five-speed manual gearbox. It’s not turbocharged either, so develops a relatively small 82bhp and 118Nm of torque. Getting from 0-60mph will take 12.3 seconds, with the C3 maxing out at 103mph.
It performs well when it comes to efficiency, however, as while Citroen claims between 48.3 and 54.3mpg, we saw above that top figure during our week of testing. CO2 emissions stand at 123g/km, though an insurance group of 14 is high for a model of this size and power.
Ride and handling
Considering this C3’s relatively low price, you might expect it to be quite mediocre behind the wheel, but it’s surprisingly quite pleasant. The 1.2-litre petrol engine needs working relatively hard to get up to speed, but it certainly doesn’t feel as slow as its power figure suggests. It’s surprisingly competent on the motorway too.
But the C3 performs at its best around town, where its light controls and small size come into their own. Visibility is good too, and it’s very easy to park, though you do have to be mindful that there are no sensors at the back. The C3 also remains impressively comfortable, with its well-cushioned seats and small wheels resulting in a very supple ride.
Interior
The only part of the C3 where it really feels like cost savings have been made is its interior. While the usual C3’s touchsceen fills the black display in the middle, here there’s a small screen in the middle with limited functionality, though Bluetooth and DAB radio is included as standard. You’ll need to plug a USB in and buy a phone mount if you want to use Google Maps, though.
The quality is what you’d expect, meaning there are few soft, posher materials, and instead a lot of hard-wearing plastics. The C3’s interior space also remains far more in line with city cars than superminis, though considering the low price of this ‘You’ trim level, it’s a slight weakness that’s much easier to forgive. A Dacia Sandero will offer more room, however.
Equipment
It’s no surprise that the C3 You isn’t the most generously equipped model, though the amount of kit you do get isn’t bad at all considering.
Highlights include LED headlights, front electric windows and a five-inch touchscreen with Bluetooth and DAB radio. You also get cruise control, air conditioning and lane departure warning. The only things we think this model could perhaps do with is a touchscreen offering smartphone mirroring, autonomous emergency braking and rear parking sensors.
Cost
Citroen’s C3 You is now the fourth cheapest new car on sale in the UK, and only behind the £12,995 Dacia Sandero, £13,400 Kia Picanto and £13,795 MG3.
The C3 You comes in at £13,995, and it’s also around £4,000 cheaper than the next C3 model, and even one with the same engine. It’s why this Citroen is really rather impressive value for money.
Verdict
The regular Citroen C3 has never quite been able to compete with the best in the supermini segment, but dropping the price significantly with this ‘You’ trim level, it’s made it all the more appealing.
It feels like a car for the times – a small, affordable and cheap-to-run car is what many will be looking for, and deserves to do well as a result.
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