Citroen C3

The No Frills Driver’s Car

The Indian automotive industry is booming, which has created space for a variety of cars. Where until last decade we had to resort to cars from pre-set segments created by the success formulas of predecessors, this decade has seen the invention of many new segments. Just as a larger variety of cars are gathering business in India, new brands have also made their way into our market. And amongst the more popular new entries of Kia and MG Motor is a brand called Citroën. 

While you could be forgiven for not knowing about Citroën's existence, it is a rather prominent brand across Europe. The C3 though is not the first car launched by the French car manufacturer in India, but it is the first model specifically engineered for our market. And it is manufactured right here on home soil, which is what makes it very important for Citroën. It is hard to categorise the C3, and even the folks at Citroën have had a hard time doing so. Which is why they call it a B-segment hatchback with SUV DNA. 

The ‘hatchback’ C3 though, doesn’t pit itself against other B-segment hatchbacks like the Swift or the Grand i10 Nios. But rather, it is a direct rival to micro SUVs like the Tata Punch and Hyundai Exter, and subcompact SUVs like the Renault Kiger and Nissan Magnite. So how does it stand apart from the interesting mix of sub ₹10 lakh cars? Let’s find out.

Citroën C3 Pros and Cons

Citroën C3 Exterior Design 

It is interesting that in a world where people go to any extent to call their product an SUV (Maruti calls even the S-Presso an SUV), Citroën has chosen to call this a B-segment hatchback. The C3 looks butch and tough, and with the body claddings and tall proportions, we would totally be onboard to call this a micro SUV. The design of the SUV — apologies, hatchback — looks modern and youthful, and while it isn’t a head turner, it surely is eye pleasing. In fact, in a bid to be more colourful, Citroën has added dual tone colour options which allow you to have an orange roof, rear view mirrors, and cladding inserts all over the body with a white or a grey paint finish elsewhere on the car. While it does make the C3 appear youthful, for anyone who doesn’t appreciate orange it will be a big no-no. And they will be glad to have the option to pick a more sedate colour scheme. 

Pay close attention to the exterior, and you will notice that many bits of the design are still left in the past. The door handles are still flappy style, all lights are bulb-type and not LEDs (except the DRLs), and the rear bumper is not body coloured either — albeit the design does make it look like a cladding and therefore, passable. These bits remind you that the C3 is a budget offering after all, and you will have to go deeper than the skin to see its true beauty.

Citroën C3 Interiors 

Step inside the cabin of the C3 and you will notice that the interior design concept follows the same structure as the exterior. The quality of materials used is good considering its segment, and the hard plastics also have a nice finish. There’s also a big orange insert that runs across the dash which looks premium, thanks to the matte texture, and similar to the exterior if you are not a fan of orange you can opt for a dark grey insert instead. While the fit and finish is good, you will notice a stark lack in features in the cabin when compared to rivals. Yes, it does get a 10.2-inch touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, but apart from that, most things seem to be borrowed from the past. While the air conditioner is outstanding at cooling the cabin, the controls are still manual; the instrument cluster only sports a small digital LCD multi-information display (which won’t feel out of place on a scooter), and gets no analog metres to support it, not even a tachometer; rear window switches are placed behind the handbrake instead of on the doors itself; and there are no adjustable headrests, split rear seatbacks, or a front armrest. There’s no sunroof either. 

Look beyond these misses though, and you will notice that the C3 is very practical and functional. There’s multiple storage spaces throughout the cabin, and many nifty touches like a groove around the AC controls to wrap around any loose USB cables, and a small dock for an accessory phone holder, placing your smartphone right next to the screen. The cabin has sufficient space for four adults, and the boot capacity of 315 litres is also respectable.

Citroën C3 Comfort 

If you are familiar with the Citroën brand and their first car launched in India — the C5 Aircross — you’ll know that it takes the comfort and ride quality of its cars very seriously. Despite being a budget product, the story is no different with the C3. It glides over uneven surfaces effortlessly. The suspension stays pliant no matter the road conditions, and interestingly, this hasn’t had a negative effect on the handling of the car either!

On the seating front, one of the only drawbacks is that none of the passengers get adjustable headrests. That aside, the seats themselves are very soft and comfortable, and long journeys will be effortless. The range of adjustability for the driver’s seat is also significant, allowing people of various sizes to find a seating position that suits them best. The level of adjustability on the seat also aids ergonomics, and once you find a comfortable position, spending hours here would be a breeze. The rear seat of the C3 is also comfortable, however, the narrow cabin means that the rear seat is best suited only for two adults. A foldable armrest for the rear passengers is also missing.

Citroën C3 Performance and handling

The Citroën C3 makes up for every lost point on the equipment front, by delivering great performance and handling. You get a choice of two 1.2-litre petrol engines — one naturally aspirated, and one turbo. The turbo petrol is the enthusiast’s engine, delivering segment best 109 bhp and 190 Nm of torque! The torque is also available low down in the rev range, and the engine is very tractable too. You can ponder around at slow speeds in high gears or be pushing the speed limit, it will always be happy. The engine is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox, and while the gearbox is easy to shift, the clutch is a bit snappy and takes some time to get used to.

The naturally aspirated engine on the other hand is a more commuter friendly engine. It handles most duties well, and when you do want to go for a highway run, it won’t feel very underpowered. The engine’s peak torque though is built at a higher 3,750 RPM, and below 2,000 RPM, it does feel a bit sluggish. This unit is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox, and there’s no automatic gearbox on offer on either engines — another miss. 

The Citroën C3 is tuned to deliver a comfortable and carpet-like ride. But while doing that, Citroën hasn't skimped on the dynamics of the C3. In fact, it is one of the best handling cars in its segment, and that coupled with the turbo petrol engine makes for a very fun to drive package. Road trips in this would be effortless and fun, and should you get one, we’d urge you to take it on a trip every once in a while. 

Citroën C3 Key specifications 

Citroën C3 Safety Features

Similar to the other areas of the car, the safety features on offer on the Citroën C3 are bare minimum. Dual airbags, ABS, ESP, TPMS, and hill assist are a part of the package, but there’s not much beyond that. In fact, the doors and other areas of the car also feel lightweight, and don’t give you a reassuring feeling that you’d get from a Tata Punch. The Citroën C3 that is produced in Brazil was crash tested by Latin NCAP, and it returned an appalling zero stars. The units produced in India are yet to be crash tested by Global NCAP, but given that most differences between the models are cosmetic, the score is expected to largely be the same, if not slightly better.

Citroën C3 Technology and Infotainment

The Citroën C3 may be lacking on the feature front, but in regards to the infotainment system, Citroën hasn’t cut any corners. Taking centre stage on the orange (or grey) cladded dash is a 10.2-inch touchscreen infotainment. The system packs in wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which is a great addition considering that most systems in this price range are 7- or 8-inch units with only wired connectivity for Android Auto/Apple CarPlay. Not just that, but the system is paired with a six speaker setup which delivers beautiful audio quality. The C3 also packs connected car tech with over 35 features. Having said that, a better instrument cluster would have been nice to have — one amongst the many things one would desire to be a part of C3’s features list.

Is the Citroën C3 for you?

The average Indian buyer isn’t stingy. Indians do love to save money, but they also don’t mind spending money on something that deserves to be paid for. With the C3, it appears that Citroën has taken a rather conservative approach, trying to keep the prices in check and approaching India as a price sensitive market. It lacks a lot of features, and doesn’t get an automatic gearbox either, which all seems to be in a bid to save cost. However, look past that and you’ll see what the Citroën C3 is truly capable of. 

It gets two engines which can handle a versatile set of duties, and the ride quality is segment leading. Important features like Air Conditioner and Infotainment system are well executed, and the interiors are very practical. If Citroën were to add a top-of-the-line variant to the C3 line up with a few missed features, it would be great, but as it stands, the C3 is not a car for someone who is looking for a feature loaded car or a car that has the best GNCAP score. Rather, the C3 is for the enthusiast who is on a budget, and is looking to buy their first car, something that’s fun to drive and can handle one road trip after another, while also being practical and comfortable.