Citroen C3 2018 in-depth review - Mat Watson
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Date: 2022-04-11
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Comments and reviews: 10
Alloallo
Driving one at the moment, and it isn't great. It feels as if after 20k miles it will drop to bits. I've always been a Citroen driver since my first ZX TD (what a fantastic machine that was, but I won't be buying a C3. No way.
1) the touchscreen to do everything really really sucks. Working the heating controls while driving is a nightmare. Give us some knobs please.
2) the floor of the boot is unsupported, and so objects drop down into the spare wheel well.
3) a lot of the power is up above the red line, which means it gets thrashed mercilessly, and watching the rev-counter isn't always on your mind when overtaking etc.
4) while thrashing mercilessly, you suddenly hit the rev limiter, and it isn't smooth at all. It sort of jerks about. It sounds like it may have an unhappy valve now.
5) the stop-start feature is a pain. Luckily it can be turned off, but how to do that isn't in the manual. The Polo has a button. Be like Polo. Better still, abandon this pointless feature altogether.
6) the driver's seat gives me a bad back. Already at about 4k miles the padding feels like it is going.
7) day running lights and LEDs everywhere - no thanks.
8) onboard computers running radio etc means that it does change its mind about things. Sometimes you start it up and the radio just decides to switch itself on etc. The Stop-Start turned itself off before I found out how to do it! Yay! On the other hand, what else may turn itself off without warning? ABS? Power steering? Lights?
9) I haven't even looked under the bonnet, I'm not expecting to be thrilled.
10) oh - and the s-dding boot catch! Obviously the designers of the C3 have never considered what it might be like to have arthritic hands. My hands are fine, but the catch absolutely sucks.
Basically, far too clever for its own good. Give us fewer functions and better quality. Respect us as drivers, and stop making machines that try to think for us please, and that do just exactly what we expect, nothing else.
Remember when hire cars made you want to drive a new car? The entire range of modern small cars makes me glad I never own anything less than ten years old.
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Driving one at the moment, and it isn't great. It feels as if after 20k miles it will drop to bits. I've always been a Citroen driver since my first ZX TD (what a fantastic machine that was, but I won't be buying a C3. No way.
1) the touchscreen to do everything really really sucks. Working the heating controls while driving is a nightmare. Give us some knobs please.
2) the floor of the boot is unsupported, and so objects drop down into the spare wheel well.
3) a lot of the power is up above the red line, which means it gets thrashed mercilessly, and watching the rev-counter isn't always on your mind when overtaking etc.
4) while thrashing mercilessly, you suddenly hit the rev limiter, and it isn't smooth at all. It sort of jerks about. It sounds like it may have an unhappy valve now.
5) the stop-start feature is a pain. Luckily it can be turned off, but how to do that isn't in the manual. The Polo has a button. Be like Polo. Better still, abandon this pointless feature altogether.
6) the driver's seat gives me a bad back. Already at about 4k miles the padding feels like it is going.
7) day running lights and LEDs everywhere - no thanks.
8) onboard computers running radio etc means that it does change its mind about things. Sometimes you start it up and the radio just decides to switch itself on etc. The Stop-Start turned itself off before I found out how to do it! Yay! On the other hand, what else may turn itself off without warning? ABS? Power steering? Lights?
9) I haven't even looked under the bonnet, I'm not expecting to be thrilled.
10) oh - and the s-dding boot catch! Obviously the designers of the C3 have never considered what it might be like to have arthritic hands. My hands are fine, but the catch absolutely sucks.
Basically, far too clever for its own good. Give us fewer functions and better quality. Respect us as drivers, and stop making machines that try to think for us please, and that do just exactly what we expect, nothing else.
Remember when hire cars made you want to drive a new car? The entire range of modern small cars makes me glad I never own anything less than ten years old.
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Leif
I had a 2018 plate one of these on loan for two weeks while my car was being repaired. I hated it. The engine was the slowest and it is slow. The inside is weird. I came to like the interior design, and although plastics are hard, it feels well made. The door grab handles look cheap though, and belong on a bus. The infotainment system is awful, small screen and hard to navigate. It often froze. Sometimes my iPhone played through its own speaker instead when connected, very buggy. The air con is awful. It is controlled via the touchscreen which is inconvenient and dangerous to do when driving. Not having real controls saves money. And my lips got so dry they were cracking and bleeding. The gear lever is floppy as said. Yes it-s not a sporty car, but it is comfortable, and like an armchair on wheels which I liked. The speedo etc look awful, cheap and nasty, due to the awful font, and they are hard to read and partially obscured by the steering wheel. The worst part is the dreadful ergonomics. It is so illogical I could not even figure out how to reset the trip meter. And in terms of space, my VW Polo which is a super mini ie one class down, has more space and a bigger boot. It is good value, but I would happily and in fact did pay more.
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I had a 2018 plate one of these on loan for two weeks while my car was being repaired. I hated it. The engine was the slowest and it is slow. The inside is weird. I came to like the interior design, and although plastics are hard, it feels well made. The door grab handles look cheap though, and belong on a bus. The infotainment system is awful, small screen and hard to navigate. It often froze. Sometimes my iPhone played through its own speaker instead when connected, very buggy. The air con is awful. It is controlled via the touchscreen which is inconvenient and dangerous to do when driving. Not having real controls saves money. And my lips got so dry they were cracking and bleeding. The gear lever is floppy as said. Yes it-s not a sporty car, but it is comfortable, and like an armchair on wheels which I liked. The speedo etc look awful, cheap and nasty, due to the awful font, and they are hard to read and partially obscured by the steering wheel. The worst part is the dreadful ergonomics. It is so illogical I could not even figure out how to reset the trip meter. And in terms of space, my VW Polo which is a super mini ie one class down, has more space and a bigger boot. It is good value, but I would happily and in fact did pay more.
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Joe
Bought this car this month. I've only ever driven hatchbacks or compact SUVs in my driving life.
I've owned Kia Rio, two Nissan Pulsas, Toyota Corolla, Nissan Micra, VW Golf, Mitsubishi Lancer, Ford Fiesta, Renault Megane and most lately Citroen DS3. (Yes. I have changed cars on average every 1. 5 years. Yes. I'm an idiot as I have wasted a lot of money in the process)
I've driven as a hire car Fiat Punto, Mitsubishi Colt and Mazda 3.
Buying Citroen C3 was a total impulse buy. I went into Peugeot dealer to buy 3008, then saw this car. and bought this one also.
In any case, I have to say. wow. This car is fantastic. especially given that I've owned and driven a lot of hatchbacks. I was initially worried about its engine output that is rather diminutive on paper. But, I have absolutely zero problems zipping around town, overtaking, pulling out of junctions, etc.
The car's cabin is a fantastic place to be. Very comfortable, very chic.
After driving all those very mundane every day cars, I began detesting the idea of being yet another VW Golf driver. This car certainly isn't mundane. And common, it ain't.
Couldn't be happier with the car and the way it drives and its design.
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Bought this car this month. I've only ever driven hatchbacks or compact SUVs in my driving life.
I've owned Kia Rio, two Nissan Pulsas, Toyota Corolla, Nissan Micra, VW Golf, Mitsubishi Lancer, Ford Fiesta, Renault Megane and most lately Citroen DS3. (Yes. I have changed cars on average every 1. 5 years. Yes. I'm an idiot as I have wasted a lot of money in the process)
I've driven as a hire car Fiat Punto, Mitsubishi Colt and Mazda 3.
Buying Citroen C3 was a total impulse buy. I went into Peugeot dealer to buy 3008, then saw this car. and bought this one also.
In any case, I have to say. wow. This car is fantastic. especially given that I've owned and driven a lot of hatchbacks. I was initially worried about its engine output that is rather diminutive on paper. But, I have absolutely zero problems zipping around town, overtaking, pulling out of junctions, etc.
The car's cabin is a fantastic place to be. Very comfortable, very chic.
After driving all those very mundane every day cars, I began detesting the idea of being yet another VW Golf driver. This car certainly isn't mundane. And common, it ain't.
Couldn't be happier with the car and the way it drives and its design.
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Matt
I have one of these for this long bank holiday weekend, a brand new 18 plate rental which I picked up this afternoon with 2 miles on the clock.
Just driven it 70 odd miles to Wales. A very very odd drive - as mentioned you seem to sit very high up which is strange in a car this size.
The handling is hilariously bad. The steering is light but devoid of any kind of feedback so fun is completely out the window when going at any kind of speed. Body roll is insane.
The engine and gearbox are laughable. The three pedals all react so differently to each other it's very tricky to drive smoothly. The -power- delivery is very sluggish and the gearbox is very clunky and long thrown.
Looks pretty funky inside and out. The interior quality is way lower than I expected even for a French car.
The infotainment system has some good features but sadly the screen is a bit clunky to use and the resolution isn't brilliant. Also as mentioned in this video the fact the screen controls things like the heating and AC is a ridiculous idea!
On the whole despite it looking different (whether that's good or bad) it simply isn't a very good car.
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I have one of these for this long bank holiday weekend, a brand new 18 plate rental which I picked up this afternoon with 2 miles on the clock.
Just driven it 70 odd miles to Wales. A very very odd drive - as mentioned you seem to sit very high up which is strange in a car this size.
The handling is hilariously bad. The steering is light but devoid of any kind of feedback so fun is completely out the window when going at any kind of speed. Body roll is insane.
The engine and gearbox are laughable. The three pedals all react so differently to each other it's very tricky to drive smoothly. The -power- delivery is very sluggish and the gearbox is very clunky and long thrown.
Looks pretty funky inside and out. The interior quality is way lower than I expected even for a French car.
The infotainment system has some good features but sadly the screen is a bit clunky to use and the resolution isn't brilliant. Also as mentioned in this video the fact the screen controls things like the heating and AC is a ridiculous idea!
On the whole despite it looking different (whether that's good or bad) it simply isn't a very good car.
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Steven
Well first of all the zips do hide isofix points. so unless someone stole them on Mats car they are there. Also PSA have been putting a clean/change position on their wipers since the 307. Switch the engine off, move the stalk up and they move to the vertical position and stop. you'd think motoring journalist would know that. it's only been around for 20 years.
Also it's not the easiest car to drive smoothly but unless you are a cretin after a few hours exposure you should be able to get it to drive smoothly enough.
All in all it's a nice thing to live with as long you aren't expecting a race car.
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Well first of all the zips do hide isofix points. so unless someone stole them on Mats car they are there. Also PSA have been putting a clean/change position on their wipers since the 307. Switch the engine off, move the stalk up and they move to the vertical position and stop. you'd think motoring journalist would know that. it's only been around for 20 years.
Also it's not the easiest car to drive smoothly but unless you are a cretin after a few hours exposure you should be able to get it to drive smoothly enough.
All in all it's a nice thing to live with as long you aren't expecting a race car.
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roundysquares
I currently have this one as a rental. Now, I travel a lot and rent cars up to 9 months in a year. So I get to drive a lot of different models, and I must say, this is one of the very few where I have pretty much no complaints. Everything works well, it's comfortable and also not bland. I had a brand new Peugeot 2008 a couple months ago, and even though I was surprised by it's quality feel, this can hold up and actually has a better and more responsive infotainment system. I just really like it.
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I currently have this one as a rental. Now, I travel a lot and rent cars up to 9 months in a year. So I get to drive a lot of different models, and I must say, this is one of the very few where I have pretty much no complaints. Everything works well, it's comfortable and also not bland. I had a brand new Peugeot 2008 a couple months ago, and even though I was surprised by it's quality feel, this can hold up and actually has a better and more responsive infotainment system. I just really like it.
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Traitor
Got one. And the massive frame and huge rear view mirror mount makes for a huge blind angle. I have to lean and weave every morning as I approach the parking at work. My turn is a right turn just after a zebra crossing. I have a left hand drive.
Apart from that, I am quite satisfied with it.
Oh. Another thing. The active temperature thingy (not real Air Condition) causes some tiny actuators to open and close some sort of ducts every now and then. They give a tiny whining noise. Irritating.
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Got one. And the massive frame and huge rear view mirror mount makes for a huge blind angle. I have to lean and weave every morning as I approach the parking at work. My turn is a right turn just after a zebra crossing. I have a left hand drive.
Apart from that, I am quite satisfied with it.
Oh. Another thing. The active temperature thingy (not real Air Condition) causes some tiny actuators to open and close some sort of ducts every now and then. They give a tiny whining noise. Irritating.
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carwow
I had one of these as a hire car when I went to Bulgaria. the thing was absolute junk! It was falling apart after only 8000km(5000miles) Nasty cheap build quality, Gutless engine and a ride that was far to soft! The ride was so soft that it actually made me feel sick after driving it brcause it was never settled, it was always wobbling around from bump to bump. yes it looks quirky and niche, but look past that and it is a desperately cheap pile of junk, not in the same league as a polo or Fiesta
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I had one of these as a hire car when I went to Bulgaria. the thing was absolute junk! It was falling apart after only 8000km(5000miles) Nasty cheap build quality, Gutless engine and a ride that was far to soft! The ride was so soft that it actually made me feel sick after driving it brcause it was never settled, it was always wobbling around from bump to bump. yes it looks quirky and niche, but look past that and it is a desperately cheap pile of junk, not in the same league as a polo or Fiesta
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John
Which sad git wants to show friends footage of where you drive. a bore of the first order. Just a simple dashcam that is auto on when you drive and is easily downloaded onto a USB when you have an accident. Just because the computer can does not mean it's useful. The 1. 2 is also underpowered and the mycitroen app a pain in the backside only useful for people who live for pressing buttons rather than getting on with living. Designed by a teenager? Ps it likes jumping out of reverse
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Which sad git wants to show friends footage of where you drive. a bore of the first order. Just a simple dashcam that is auto on when you drive and is easily downloaded onto a USB when you have an accident. Just because the computer can does not mean it's useful. The 1. 2 is also underpowered and the mycitroen app a pain in the backside only useful for people who live for pressing buttons rather than getting on with living. Designed by a teenager? Ps it likes jumping out of reverse
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Tambo74
I totally agree, just hired one while my Golf Gti mk7 is in the garage and the C3 feels like a toy car so spongy and the manual gearshift 1. 2 is horrible the car is so wallowy and body roll is laughable, but apart from that the C3 is a decent cheap car a sort of plug and play modern car you just drive and forget about, I also love the side body protection and quirky looks. I'd own but the Interior plastics, Drive train and body roll are a deal breaker foe me.
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I totally agree, just hired one while my Golf Gti mk7 is in the garage and the C3 feels like a toy car so spongy and the manual gearshift 1. 2 is horrible the car is so wallowy and body roll is laughable, but apart from that the C3 is a decent cheap car a sort of plug and play modern car you just drive and forget about, I also love the side body protection and quirky looks. I'd own but the Interior plastics, Drive train and body roll are a deal breaker foe me.
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