Review of the new Citroen C1 Splash

Citroen's C1 is a great example of simplicity in car manufacturing. Citroen makes no bones about the fact that this is a city car in a basic, pared down form. You can see and feel where corners have been cut and weight has been shaved to keep the vehicle economical and affordable but none of it matters because the C1 does what it needs to do in an area of the market where cost is king. It's hard not to admire the C1's honesty and in special edition Splash form, the little Citroen is at its most disarming.

The C1 is one of a trio of city cars that have resulted from a link up between Peugeot, Citroen and Toyota. Along with the Peugeot 107 and Toyota Aygo, the car has gone down a storm with buyers across Europe. Lightweight and low running costs are just part of the appeal because the designers have also managed to create cute looks, a vibrant interior and a nippy driving experience. What more can you really ask from an affordable urban runabout?

Citroen actually offers a 1.4-litre diesel engine with the C1 but that hoists the price up by a fair whack. Most buyers will find it best to stick with the feisty little 3-cylinder petrol engine and as luck would have it, this is the only unit offered with the Splash special edition model. The 1.0-litre petrol feels more alert and responsive than the oil-burner anyway and buzzes about the place emitting a surprisingly purposeful engine note. You won't be going particularly quickly in a straight line with a 13.7s increment required to get from a standing start to 60mph but there's definitely fun to be had in the C1's hot seat.

The steering is on the light side and gives very little feed back but it's fine for twirling your way into a parking space or executing that cheeky three-point turn. All C1 models come with a short-throw five-speed gearbox and visibility out of the cabin is generally good although the thick C-pillars can cause an obstruction.

"Cars don't need to be big heavy, complex things and the C1 proves I"

The C1's exterior has been given a smart upgrade in recent times, with changes to the car's front end, mimicking the looks of the updated C2. There are revised wheels and trims, whilst inside there is better quality upholstery and smarter materials. Unlike a number of its rival tiny runabouts, the C1 offers a choice of either three or five-door body styles and this option is also open to Splash special edition buyers. The glass tailgate looks good but unlike that on the C2, doesn't extend down to bumper level, which might be a pain if you're constantly wanting to load in heavy shopping. The wheelarches are surprisingly beefy and the rear set are sculpted a little further forward in the three-door body style. The five-door car sees its rear doors meet the rear light clusters in a very neat piece of packaging.

Citroen has been regaining its reputation for bold and exciting interiors of late and the C1 continues that trend. Headroom inside the car isn't at all bad, even for someone well over six feet tall and the big glass area up front gives an airy feel to the cabin. The rear of the three-door car is notably more claustrophobic and is really only suitable for kids and short journeys. Rear knee room in the five-door car is little better but at least the car's beltline is a little lower, making you feel a little less hemmed in. Bootspace is the same, whether you choose the three or the five-door - 139 litres with all the seats in place or 751 litres with the rear seat folded.

The Splash special edition is based on the VT model from the standard C1 range but it adds a series of extras. There's air-conditioning thrown in as standard as well as electric front windows (nobody should have to rely on elbow grease to lower a window in this day and age) and remote central locking. The Splash comes in metallic Electra Blue or Lipzian White paint but the door mirrors are finished in metallic black on the white model or white if you go for the blue one. These features come at a premium of £550 over the VT and many will view that as a deal worth doing.

Some buyers may have reservations about the safety of such a minute car. Nudge up against a behemoth 4x4 in a car of the C1's size and it's easy to feel rather threatened, but the C1 is likely to have better safety systems than some sizeable SUVs. As well as a specially developed body structure that incorporates crumple zones and impact absorbers at the front and rear, the C1 also boasts ISOFIX child seat anchor points, reinforced doors and up to six airbags.

Where the C1 scores an almost unbeatable mark is in the field of cost of ownership. The nippy 1.0i 68hp petrol engine emits less CO2 than any other petrol powerplant currently on sale in the UK, boasting lowered CO2 emissions of just 106g/km and a combined-cycle fuel consumption figure of 62.8mpg. At 22.0 pence per mile over a typical three-year ownership period, a C1 1.0 is one of the least expensive cars it's possible to run.

Cars don't need to be big heavy, complex things and the C1 proves it. Cheap to buy, cheap to run but not noticeably cheap in feel, Citroen's city car always looks good value and never more so than in Splash special edition guise. Its sizable haul of extra equipment for a reasonable sum is an offer that many buyers will be inclined to take up.

The C1's low running costs don't come at the expense of everything else. It's a fun car to drive with a cheeky personality and the no-nonsense approach to build quality means that there's not a whole lot to go wrong. On top of that, there's no safer car in the class, so if the price is right, you can understand its appeal.

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