Its touch points are not as good as Hyundai but the drive quality is better than most.
BHPian aaggoswami recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Test drove Naturally Aspirated Citroen C3
- While on the showroom floor, C3 feel utilitarian and budgeted. Something nobody would like to get associated with in the radars of urban buyers. This is an area where the car would likely lose potential buyers. And this is exactly the area where Hyundai wins hands down. I didn’t feel like taking even a test drive.
- Rear seat is well designed but my feet were not comfortable on the floor due to lack of space and the front seat rails. This is again a put-off for those who intend to use the rear seat frequently. However, they haven’t compromised on seat design. The seat felt from a segment above.
- For the driver, there is good shoulder room. Cars like Fronx are the ones where my right hand is not having sufficient space. Not the case with C3. Good job here.
- Boot lid is more Maruti and in fact, it seems Maruti is trying to improve at least in the Nexa products.
- The drive. This is where the journey starts to get good. Amazing ride for a car of this size. Simply felt as if I want to do more miles in this car. Steering is nice to hold, is light and isn’t devoid of feel. It doesn’t feel disconnected and is ideal for the urban jungle. Coupled with the awesome ride, this is the car for urban running. Bonnet is visible and it eases out the drive experience by a noticeable margin. AC is a chiller and vents are very well designed, they won’t chill out left hand or right hand. Gearknob feels very nice to hold, but shifts are rubbery. Noise insulation from outside elements is very nice for a car of this class.
- Brake pedal is spongy but the braking isn’t bad for driving inside the city.
- Engine: The naturally aspirated motor would make its presence felt if you push it a bit hard. But it has got good driveability. 3rd gear would let you go as down as 25 kmph and this was with three adults in the car. However, I felt the gearing was on the lower side and this engine would remain audible on highway drives.
- This car was quite effortless to drive overall with just the rubbery gearshifts sticking out as a sore point.
C3 is a brilliant product where the touch points are not as good as Hyundai but the drive quality is better than most and levels products a segment above. Ride itself is the sole reason to buy the car, it’s that good. For a small car, it masks speeds very well. This is a good second or third car in the garage where the small footprint, good driveability, and ride make for a comfortable journey.
However, the product has to be improved for potential buyers to have this car in case of a one-car garage. Impressed I am but not to the extent of putting my money down on the car. Another thing to highlight was that there were no restrictions by the Sales Advisor for the length or route of the test drive.
Keyword: 8 things to know about Citroen C3: Test drive observations