A Detailed Look at Design, Interior, Features and More

Citroen has already established its identity in India with the Citroen C5 Aircross. This was their first product in India and it showed just how good of a car the French automaker can really make. Now, they have taken that approach and have brought it down to a smaller package in the form of the Citroen C3. This car will launch in India on July 20 and the bookings for it will open on July 1. But before that, we have already driven the car and here we share our first drive impressions as well as a detailed look at the design of the Citroen C3, the interior, features, practicality and also share our first drive impressions.

Watch Citroen C3 Video:

In short, what Citroen has done is that they have shown once again that when it comes to the art of making cars, they are at the top of the game.

The Citroen C3, despite having compact dimensions, has a good road presence. It looks and feels premium right from first glance due to nice design details like contrasting highlights all around the car or an optional dual-tone paint scheme. With ample body cladding all around and large 15-inch wheels, it looks the part of being a compact SUV. And thanks to its styling, it does stand out of the crowd too.

On the inside, the C3’s biggest draw is the amount of space on offer. The quality of materials used shows the intent that the C3 is being built to a cost but at the same time, Citroen has not spared anything when it comes to giving features that modern-day buyers will deem necessary. There is a USB charging port at the front, two USB charging ports for rear passengers, a 12V power socket at the front, a height adjustable driver seat, height adjustable steering, and of course, a massive touchscreen with great response and UI. The best bit is that they have also given wireless Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay support which declutters your cabin from wires and also gives great usability. This is a masterstroke from Citroen in making the car appealing to tech-savvy buyers.

Additionally, the gear knob design makes the cabin look upmarket and so does the contrasting dashboard which can be had in either an orange shade or grey. The AC vents are meticulously designed as well and there is ample light that comes into the cabin making the car feel bigger from the inside than it is.

Our only nitpicks are that the inside rearview mirror does not have the “night mode” toggle and the rear electric window controls are placed awkwardly ahead of a bottle holder, in the centre console. But other than that, there are no complaints. The C3 also has bottle holders on all four doors, generous boot space and decent space for three passengers at the back as well.

If you want to take a detailed look at the car, check out our detailed image gallery of the Citroen C3.

In terms of driving, the thing to note is that it does not feel like you are driving a smaller car and are seated lower than the traffic around you – something that a lot of people will appreciate.

It comes with a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder engine that can be had in two state of tunes. You can have it in ‘Puretech 82’ tune in which the engine makes 82 PS of power and 115 Nm of torque, and comes with a 5-speed manual transmission. Or, you can have it in the ‘Puretech 110’ tune which adds a turbocharger to the engine bumping the output to an impressive 110 PS of power and 190 Nm of torque, and this version comes with a 6-speed manual transmission. As of now, there is no automatic transmission option but expect Citroen to come out with that very soon.

The Puretech 82 tune claims a mileage of 19.8 km/l and the Puretech 110 tune claims a mileage of 19.4 km/l. We will test these figures in our detailed review.

What we found out in our first drive, though, is that the Puretech 82 drivetrain is decent at best and works fine in city driving conditions. If you are already on slightly faster city speeds or highway speeds, and you want to make that quick overtake, you will have to shift down a gear – or even two gears – to make that manoeuvre. But for daily office commutes in the city, it will do the job.

The Puretech 110 drivetrain, with the turbocharger, makes the C3 one of the quickest cars to buy. To put it in perspective, the Citroen C3 has more power and torque than the turbocharged Volkswagen Polo!

It is no surprise, then, that Citroen needed a new gearbox to handle all that torque, all 190 of it. However, if you are in the mood for spirited driving, you will find that the sixth gear really is for better efficiency and consecutively, stay in the first 5 gears only. the Puretech 110 Citroen C3 is very, very fun to drive.

What also stands out is that the Citroen has a great driving feel due to the way the chassis and suspension is set up. Bad patches of roads and large speed breaks do not upset the car and the driver will have confidence in difficult driving conditions.

So all in all, the Citroen C3 does a lot of things right. Yes, you may choose to focus on some of the cost-cutting measures that Citroen has undertaken but that way, you will be overlooking the areas in which Citroen has gone the distance. Be it the infotainment experience, the space, practicality, giving the car a good road presence with a funky design or giving over 70 accessory options to really customise the car to your heart’s content – Citroen has invested smartly.

We don’t know the price of the car yet as for that, we have to wait till July 20. If Citroen pulls off the final challenge of making this is a competitively priced car, then they have a winner on their hands.

Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here.

Citroen has already established its identity in India with the Citroen C5 Aircross. This was their first product in India and it showed just how good of a car the French automaker can really make. Now, they have taken that approach and have brought it down to a smaller package in the form of the Citroen C3. This car will launch in India on July 20 and the bookings for it will open on July 1. But before that, we have already driven the car and here we share our first drive impressions as well as a detailed look at the design of the Citroen C3, the interior, features, practicality and also share our first drive impressions.

Watch Citroen C3 Video:

In short, what Citroen has done is that they have shown once again that when it comes to the art of making cars, they are at the top of the game.

The Citroen C3, despite having compact dimensions, has a good road presence. It looks and feels premium right from first glance due to nice design details like contrasting highlights all around the car or an optional dual-tone paint scheme. With ample body cladding all around and large 15-inch wheels, it looks the part of being a compact SUV. And thanks to its styling, it does stand out of the crowd too.

On the inside, the C3’s biggest draw is the amount of space on offer. The quality of materials used shows the intent that the C3 is being built to a cost but at the same time, Citroen has not spared anything when it comes to giving features that modern-day buyers will deem necessary. There is a USB charging port at the front, two USB charging ports for rear passengers, a 12V power socket at the front, a height adjustable driver seat, height adjustable steering, and of course, a massive touchscreen with great response and UI. The best bit is that they have also given wireless Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay support which declutters your cabin from wires and also gives great usability. This is a masterstroke from Citroen in making the car appealing to tech-savvy buyers.

Additionally, the gear knob design makes the cabin look upmarket and so does the contrasting dashboard which can be had in either an orange shade or grey. The AC vents are meticulously designed as well and there is ample light that comes into the cabin making the car feel bigger from the inside than it is.

Our only nitpicks are that the inside rearview mirror does not have the “night mode” toggle and the rear electric window controls are placed awkwardly ahead of a bottle holder, in the centre console. But other than that, there are no complaints. The C3 also has bottle holders on all four doors, generous boot space and decent space for three passengers at the back as well.

If you want to take a detailed look at the car, check out our detailed image gallery of the Citroen C3.

In terms of driving, the thing to note is that it does not feel like you are driving a smaller car and are seated lower than the traffic around you – something that a lot of people will appreciate.

It comes with a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder engine that can be had in two state of tunes. You can have it in ‘Puretech 82’ tune in which the engine makes 82 PS of power and 115 Nm of torque, and comes with a 5-speed manual transmission. Or, you can have it in the ‘Puretech 110’ tune which adds a turbocharger to the engine bumping the output to an impressive 110 PS of power and 190 Nm of torque, and this version comes with a 6-speed manual transmission. As of now, there is no automatic transmission option but expect Citroen to come out with that very soon.

The Puretech 82 tune claims a mileage of 19.8 km/l and the Puretech 110 tune claims a mileage of 19.4 km/l. We will test these figures in our detailed review.

What we found out in our first drive, though, is that the Puretech 82 drivetrain is decent at best and works fine in city driving conditions. If you are already on slightly faster city speeds or highway speeds, and you want to make that quick overtake, you will have to shift down a gear – or even two gears – to make that manoeuvre. But for daily office commutes in the city, it will do the job.

The Puretech 110 drivetrain, with the turbocharger, makes the C3 one of the quickest cars to buy. To put it in perspective, the Citroen C3 has more power and torque than the turbocharged Volkswagen Polo!

It is no surprise, then, that Citroen needed a new gearbox to handle all that torque, all 190 of it. However, if you are in the mood for spirited driving, you will find that the sixth gear really is for better efficiency and consecutively, stay in the first 5 gears only. the Puretech 110 Citroen C3 is very, very fun to drive.

What also stands out is that the Citroen has a great driving feel due to the way the chassis and suspension is set up. Bad patches of roads and large speed breaks do not upset the car and the driver will have confidence in difficult driving conditions.

So all in all, the Citroen C3 does a lot of things right. Yes, you may choose to focus on some of the cost-cutting measures that Citroen has undertaken but that way, you will be overlooking the areas in which Citroen has gone the distance. Be it the infotainment experience, the space, practicality, giving the car a good road presence with a funky design or giving over 70 accessory options to really customise the car to your heart’s content – Citroen has invested smartly.

We don’t know the price of the car yet as for that, we have to wait till July 20. If Citroen pulls off the final challenge of making this is a competitively priced car, then they have a winner on their hands.

Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here.