Citröen might have begun its Indian chapter with the extremely likeable C5 Aircross but it wasn’t until the arrival of the more budget-friendly cars that the sales picked up. Now as we wait for the imminent Basalt coupe-SUV, it’s a good idea to reacquaint ourselves with the car that started it all, the Citröen C3. Presented here it’s in the top-spec Shine variant, complete with a properly potent 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine and a longer list of features, the absence of which did cause some commotion two years ago. Will the move away from absolute austerity further the quirky but enjoyable charm of the C3? We try to find that out.
Personalisation
Citröen never gave the C3 an SUV tag, focussing more on how it’s got SUV-like styling, unmatched comfort and space, and some neat touches inside which up the liveability quotient of the car. We’ll come to all that, but first, let’s recapitulate how the Shine variant distinguishes itself. It’s the fully loaded iteration of the C3, which means in addition to whatever the standard car gets, this has front fog lamps, electrically adjustable outside rear-view mirrors, a day+night in-cabin mirror, reverse parking camera and a rear washer+wiper. Like before, personalisation is still very much a thing when you buy a new C3, with more than 10 colour choices and a total of 56 customisation combinations. While that might not completely guarantee that your C3 looks unlike any other, it’s still nice to add some personal touch to your car, despite being a budget offering.
The bold design is further exemplified by the sculpted headlamps, the rather unique grille, the new skid plate and obviously the 15-inch alloy wheels. The interior, which now feels better equipped than before, has comfortable seats, decent room and a large 10.2-inch touchscreen. There’s a neat way to route the phone cables so as to keep the dashboard free of clutter, although both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are said to be available wirelessly, and the AC is pretty strong, too. The only grouse is that the digital instrument display is a touch too small and the updated unit from the C3 Aircross would definitely add value here.
We have the turbocharged version of the Citröen C3 on test. It is powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine which makes 109 bhp and 19.38 kg-m. Some respectable figures, those, and you can feel all that power on the move. A six-speed manual gearbox is the only transmission choice here, unlike on the C3 Aircross, but there’s not much to complain about the three-cylinder engine. The gearbox felt smooth, while the overall refinement wasn’t bad, either. The clutch operation is light and the added tractability of the turbocharged engine is noticeable. To make things even better, during our testing, the car returned 14 km/l in the city and 22 km/l on the highway. This strengthens its use case as a daily runabout, while the added power ensures that the car doesn’t disappoint the more enthusiastic of drivers.
Ride quality
Where the brand has focussed even more on the C3 is the ride quality. The suspension is set up to offer a supple ride quality, enabling driving over bad roads more comfortable than it is even in some of the more expensive cars. Tackling potholes is a breeze and the C3 chugs along unabated, without troubling the occupants. To ensure the smooth drive is complemented by safe progress, the C3 Shine gets features like ESC and Hill Assist (both only in the Turbo iteration), while dual airbags and ABS are standard, although it must be noted that when Global NCAP tested the all-electric version of the India-made C3, the results were far from satisfactory.
To round it up, the Citröen C3 Turbo Shine offers great ride comfort, appreciable power from its turbocharged engine, and respectable fuel economy. The space inside isn’t bad and with the updated feature set, it looks even more appealing than before. While the C3 is priced at ₹6.16 lakh onwards, the turbocharged version’s prices begin at ₹8.47 lakh. The Shine variant is priced at ₹9.12 lakh, ex-showroom, which gets a dual-tone paint combination and ‘Vibe’ pack. This places the car close to the higher versions of the Tata Punch and Maruti Suzuki Ignis and the lower trims of compact SUVs like the Venue, Magnite, Kiger, etc. In this highly competitive segment and despite being a new entrant on the market, the Citröen C3 shows that it has some potential and it definitely deserves a second look.