Alternative review of Citroen C3

Citroen's supermini, the C3, is a mass of appealing contradictions. It's compact, yet practical and roomy. It's affordable, yet feels of high quality. It's refined on longer journeys, yet well-suited to the town. Other small cars may be more engaging to drive but you could well find this one to be more engaging to own.

Every modern car ought to have a unique selling point but sadly so few of them do. This one's USP is clear, from the moment you look up when seated at the wheel. A 'Zenith' extended windscreen that doesn't stop until it's well above your head. Citroen calls it 'Visiodrive' and this 'touch of glass' is standard on all but entry-level C3s, increasing your normal 28-degree angle of vision to a massive 108-degrees. Practically, it means you don't have to crane your neck up when, for example, you're first in the queue at the traffic lights. Subjectively, it does wonders in increasing the light, airy feeling of the cabin. The extended glass section is progressively tinted so that the top of your head won't be but if you really don't like it, you can pull the sunvisor down to the point where the top of the roof would normally be. This feature gives the car a welcome feeling of spaciousness that isn't borne out by the tape measure. In fact, at under 13 foot, it's one of the shortest superminis out there, yet manages to offer impressive interior space. So at the back here, there's 30mm more legroom than the old C3 could offer and impressive headroom thanks to the domed roofline, which means that there's space for two adults or three children to sit comfortably. Behind them, rather astonishingly given the tight exterior dimensions, resides the largest boot in the class, at 300-litres, though it's a pity the rear seats don't fold completely flat when you extend it. It's at the wheel that the French designers' efforts to improve the quality of this car are most obvious. Gone is the cheap tackiness of previous small Citroens, with classy analogue instruments, solid expensive-looking plastics and flashes of chrome to liven things up. Everything flows together - nothing looks like an afterthought. So solid does it all feel and so few are the kind of giveaway rattles that often plagued the MK1 model that it's something of a surprise to learn that this C3 is 50kg lighter than the old one. And better looking too, though it shares its predecessor's bulbous roofline, short steeply rising bonnet and side windows that fall lower than the bonnetline.

Small French cars used to ride beautifully, grip tenaciously and flow from corner to corner with relaxed, unflustered motion. As this one does. It may come as news to some motoring journalists but most supermini buyers don't routinely want to throw their cars about as if they were on stage from the RAC Rally. What most of them would prefer is a car that rolls the red carpet over the average appallingly surfaced British road. As this one does. The trick, which Citroen hasn't always mastered, is to offer this without inducing the kind of bodyroll and handling woollyness that removes any element of enjoyment from the driving experience altogether. In this respect, this impressively refined C3 is a world away from its predecessor: a Fiesta rolls less and will still offer more fun, but this is the car I'd prefer to live with day-in, day-out, though on longer trips, the seats could do with a little more support. On the open road, you might also wish the power steering had a bit more feel, but it comes into its own around town, where you appreciate the light gearbox and clutch as much as the tight 10.2m turning circle that will help owners out of many a tight spot, as will a good field of vision around the car helped by the low window line. On the engine front, the 1.4 and 1.6-litre HDi diesels are the most appealing, particularly if you can stretch to the rapid 110bhp version which makes sixty in 9.9s on the way to 119mph. If you can't justify their premium over comparable petrol power, then try if you can to ignore the aging and somewhat inefficient entry-level 61bhp 1.1 and 75bhp 1.4-litre entry-level petrol units in favour of the 1.4 and 1.6-litre 95 and 120bhp VTi powerplants developed with BMW.

As superminis go, the C3 isn't an orthodox one. In time honoured Citroen fashion, it's just that little bit different, with smart, slightly quirky looks and that uniquely clever extended windscreen. Best of all, instead of adopting the 'little big car' approach favoured by many rivals and ending up feeling like a scaled down family hatchback, the C3 manages the same thing in a cleverer, more compact package by simply making better use of the space it has to offer. Citroen's MPV expertise doubtless helps here. What it lacks in driving dynamism, it makes up for in quality, refinement and a cosseting ride. Indeed, I can think of few sensibly-sized small cars better suited to urban motoring than this one. Overall then, the C3 is at last a strong contender in the supermini marketplace. Best of all perhaps, it's a car that's distinctively Citroen.

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Citroen C3 1.4i VTR+ 5dr Hatchback
Price £11,193 Read C3 Reviews	Save £2,192
Citroen C3 1.4 HDi VT 5dr Diesel Hatchback
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Citroen C3 1.4 HDi VTR+ 5dr Diesel Hatchback
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Citroen C3 1.6 e-HDi Airdream VTR+ 5dr Diesel Hatchback
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