New offbeat take on in-car living

When tackling an all-new market, one needs a solid entry-level model and Citroën believes they have exactly that in the latest C3 model.

They say their versatile little hatchback offers an offbeat take on in-car living.

The entry-level Feel model is powered by a normally aspirated three-cylinder petrol engine of 1 199cc that develops 60kW of power at 5 750rpm and 118Nm of torque at 2 750rpm. That goes to the front wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox.

In the uprated Shine derivative, a turbocharger is added to raise the figures to 81kW at 5 500rpm and 205Nm at 1 500rpm, with a six-speed automatic gearbox

The C3 is 3 996mm long, 1 749mm wide and 1 474mm high, with all derivatives boasting five doors.

The Feel sits on 16-inch alloy wheels in 205/55/R16 rubber, while the Shine has 17-inch alloys with 205/50/ R17 tyres. Both have a 15inch steel spare wheel.

Both offer halogen headlamps and LED daytime running lamps, while the Shine adds automatic headlamps, front fog lamps, welcome lights and follow me home lights to the list.

As could be expected a multitude of safety features come standard in both derivatives.

Inside, Citroën says, the vehicle has a deliberately designed cocoon effect that filters out disturbances from the outside world

Comfort items include electric power steering, programmable cruise control with a speed limiter, an automatic air conditioner, a leather-covered height and depth-adjustable steering wheel, electric front windows, cup holders, onetouch front window operation, electric mirrors and cloth covered seats.

Citroën say the Feel will go from standstill to 100km/h in 13.2 seconds, with a top whack of 169km/h.

Meanwhile, they reckon the Shine will dispatch 100km/h in 9.4 sec, reaching a top speed of 194km/h.