Skoda’s little city slicker

Skoda’s first stab at citycar motoring has proved to be an impressive one, with the Citigo borrowing Volkswagen technology and blending it with the value we expect from the growing Czech brand.

This improved version has smartened up its act and those in search of a beautifully conceived, affordable and impressively space and fuel-efficient urban runabout will need to consider it.

Get behind the wheel and you’ve a solid, well appointed cabin that promises a solid, well appointed driving experience. Already, you sense, there’s a depth of design here missing from this car’s French, Korean and Japanese rivals.

Most of these feature three cylinder 1.0-litre engines that are busily revvy at best and downright noisy at worst. A configuration shared here, but delivered with a bit more finesse. Fire the engine and a more refined thrum filters out from beneath the bonnet ahead.

The front section has been subtly revised, so there’s a new bonnet, a redesigned radiator grille, modified bumpers and updated fog lights, all aiming to create a fresher, younger look.

The front headlights are fitted with LED daytime running lights and the fog lights come with an optional cornering function, which lights up the area the vehicle is turning into on junctions with poor visibility.

Thanks in part to a low kerb weight of only around 850kg, even the least efficient entry-level 60hp models will return a combined fuel economy figure of 64.2mpg, with emissions pegged at 101g/km.

Pricing starts from just over £8,000 but most Citigo variants in the UK tend to be sold somewhere in the £9,000 to £11,000 bracket common to this kind of car. There’s a choice of either three or five-door body shapes and five different trim levels.

Some citycars sell on cute and cuddly virtues. This isn’t one of them. Here instead, the urban runabout has grown up, become mature, got itself properly sorted.