BUYER’S GUIDE: Citroen C1
FROM £5,00000 City car is good value and cheap to run, but trails some of its rivals
CITROEN has a rich history of creating economical cars.s. Perhaps the greatest one ever made was the 2CV. Launched 70 years ago, itt was simply bursting with charm and clever design.
Things have moved on since then, and while the 21st-century cityity car has to be a lot more accomplished than one from the forties, that hasn’t stoppedopped the C1 being fun, distinctive and cheap to run.
This Mk2 model is also easy to drive (if not especially rewarding),g), thanks to its compact dimensions, light controls and comfortable ride, makingking it ideal for city streets. But if you lookook more closely there are chinks in the Citroen’s armour, so read on and we’lle’ll tell all. History
THE C1 Mk2 arrived in UK showrooms in July 2014. Buyers could chooseoose between three or five doors, and whileile the original version was offered with a diesel engine, the new one came only with 1.0 (VTI 68) or 1.2-litre (Puretech 82) petrol units.
Three trim levels were offered:ered: Touch, Feel and Flair, with the latter also being available in Airscape form, which brought a full-length sliding cloth sunroof.nroof. Cars with stop/start are known as e-vti, while ETG models have a clutchlesss gearbox.
A facelifted C1 is now reaching hing showrooms, with only a 71bhp1bhp 1.0-litre petrol engine offered (VTI 72),, extra safety equipment (some standard,dard, some optional), improved refinement,ent, fresh colour choices and better connectivity. onnectivity. Which one?
THE 1.2-litre engine feels usefully fully more nippy than the 1.0-litre; if buying the latter avoid the ETG transmission because it isn’t as slick as the manual.
The entry-level C1 Touch comes with 14-inch steel wheels, hill start assist, remote central locking, electric front windows, a two-speaker radio and a height-adjustable steering wheel.
Feel models get 15-inch steel rims, air-con, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, split-folding rear seats, plus a touchscreen display with a fourspeaker stereo, DAB and Bluetooth.
Range-topping Flair includes privacy glass, electrically heated and adjustable door mirrors, a reversing camera, a rev counter, and 15-inch alloys. Airscape models (available only in five-door form) provide open-air driving, but the cloth roof reduces refinement at speed. Alternatives
THE C1 faces tough competition, not least from the Kia Picanto with its bigcar feel, generous equipment, keen prices, excellent reliability and long warranty. All of these traits also apply
to the Hyundai i10, which is closely related to the Kia. The VW Group trio (Volkswagen up!, Skoda Citigo, SEAT Mii) are also very talented, refined and cheap to run.
But the Citroen’s closest rivals are the Peugeot 108 and Toyota Aygo, which are the same car but with different badges; they share most of the C1’s attributes. More left-field options are the Renault Twingo and its cousin, the Smart Forfour. Verdict
CITROEN has rediscovered distinctive design in the past few years and the C1 is a great example of that. This neatlooking car stands out in a crowd and costs very little to run, but some of its rivals offer a more complete package.
The C1 is easy to drive and if you buy a range-topper you get lots of equipment, but the interior is cramped and feels a bit low-rent in places. The warranty also only runs to three years, and while this is pretty normal within the market, the closely related Toyota Aygo has a five-year guarantee.