‘I hope the chair in the living room is better’
The current generation Citroën C3 has been around for seven years. Although sales figures decline every year, the brand sold 2,321 copies last year, which is certainly not bad for an older model. Are you considering buying a used C3, or maybe even a new one? We list practical experiences of owners for you.
We already looked ahead to the new Citroën C3, which will probably always be electric. It looks like the current generation C3 is the last ‘normal’ hatchback, while its successor takes on a more SUV-like look. It is not that far yet, for the time being the C3 is one of the eight cheapest new cars in our country.
C3: Interior and space
With its position in this top 8, the Citroën C3, together with the Dacia Sandero, is the only B-segmenter. That automatically means quite a bit more room for your money. But how much space? “Although I have driven only once with 3 passengers in one month, I dare say that the C3 makes a very spacious impression. Of course, you don’t buy such a car to pick up Billy cabinets at the local Ikea every week, but it’s not tight at all,” the owner writes about his 110 hp C3 from 2016. He continues: “The contents of the trunk is not enough, but the C3 is especially a space miracle in the passenger compartment.”
“Space in the car is certainly sufficient for me,” adds the driver of a C3 PureTech 82. “We recently went to the landfill to take away stuff, benches flat and everything went in fine. Legroom is also sufficient, although it could be a bit more of a problem for taller people.” A fanatical handyman agrees: “I’ve had quite a few ‘job transport’ lately. If I compare it to the previous car, the Fiesta, it can fit more and the ‘stow’ is more accessible.” Another driver points out a point of criticism: “High tildrempel trunk space.”
Owners are clear about the dashboard: “It is clear and calming. A lot of hard plastic has been used in the interior, but that doesn’t bother me,” said the owner of a used C3 from 2017. We read that more often, although drivers in turn indicate that they are not bothered by crackling noises.
Seating comfort C3
With the current generation Citroën C3, the French prided themselves on comfort. If we look at the reviews, the brand seems to have gone too far, because there is a lot of criticism on the soft seats. “Real armchairs, those chairs in the C3, although I sincerely hope that a chair in the living room is better than this creation. After about half an hour my lower back started to complain about a lack of support and after an hour my (relatively long) legs also started to complain about the short seats,” writes the owner who was previously positive about the interior space.
“I am actually quite satisfied,” writes another. “If it weren’t for the fact that the driver’s seat is far too soft in the seat and backrest. The co-driver’s seat is of much better quality and sits well, it seems like two completely different seats in terms of hardness.” His dealer agreed. The process took some doing, but after installing a new driver’s seat, the seating comfort is satisfactory.
How personal seating comfort is becomes clear when we read the following response: “The chair is comfortable and with my height of 1.93 meters I have plenty of room,” he writes. He also spends space in the back seat: “In the back, the space is sufficient for two people of about 1.75 meters. Third place is more for a child, but in need it can also be an adult.”
Also a comfortable base?
As said, comfort would be the magic word for this generation of Citroën C3. How does that work out? “The comfort of the C3 is generally more than okay. As a former driver of a Ford Fiesta, the chassis took some getting used to for me. The chassis is clearly focused on comfort, which is negatively noticeable especially in fast corners. The car has a tendency to ‘get out of the feathers’, which remains within a safe margin. For the rest, the chassis is a beacon of peace and conviviality.” Sounds good, but there’s another paragraph. “The only serious negative is the hard hit the rear gives when taking short bumps, regardless of speed. A somewhat steep traffic hill or ‘bump’ on the highway is perfectly processed by the front, after which the rear gives a mercilessly hard blow ‘after’. This driver of a 2017 model also experiences this: “Rear suspension is a bit lumpy at high speed bumps, that seems to have been adjusted with the new models.”
“This C3 is ‘of the second leg’”, writes the owner of such a newer model. He continues: “And so the first teething problems have been resolved. Contrary to all the reviews I read, the steering/handling is also adjusted to sporty rather than comfortable. It doesn’t have the ‘go-kart-like’ handling of the Fiesta, which is simply unsurpassed, but it reacts nimbly through corners and sudden steering corrections. And irregularities are passed on immediately, the 17-inch rubber will also contribute to that.” Incidentally, not every driver of an earlier model reports the behavior of the rear axle: one driver may be more sensitive to it than the other. If you consider the C3 as an occasion, it is in any case a point of attention during the test drive. There remains enough positive about it, so people generally experience the C3 as soothing and quiet.
Engines and consumption
Under the hood of the Citroën C3 we only find three cylinders, the turboless PureTech 82 and the blown PureTech 110, whose names betray the power. This owner writes about the entry-level motor: “As soon as you start the motor, it runs smoothly. If you go through the gears you can hear the three-cylinder a bit. When you are up to speed, there is silence inside.” The performance does not disappoint. “Not a stripper, but works fine for us. On the motorway (especially with the current 100 as the maximum speed) the car comes along fairly smoothly,” another person shares his experience.
“It’s not a fast car, but it has enough power to keep up with traffic,” adds the owner of a young 2021 C3. “I regularly work in Germany and on the highway with 130 km/h on the clock, it brings home with all comfort, with a pleasant consumption of 1 in 18.”
The driver of a 110 hp version also contributes: “Great engine with high torque at low revs. You do not notice in practice that it is a three-cylinder. The engine is also quite silent at higher speeds.”
Problems and irritations
Under this intermediate heading, the Citroën C3 remains pretty quiet, although the C3 is not flawless. The first models still seem to have leakage at the rear lights. “A rear light has been replaced preventively because moisture can occur in it,” reports an owner, adding: “I have not noticed this myself.” He indicates that a display was also replaced during this maintenance ‘due to a malfunction’, but it is not clear which screen this is.
“The services have been standard so far at no extra cost,” says another rider. “The 100,000-kilometre service was more expensive, because the timing belt had to be replaced. We have not had any bad luck along the way.” The aforementioned timing belt of these engines turned out to be a point of attention, although none of the C3 reviewers report problems in this area. Other reported problems also do not appear to be structural. Incidentally, a single door lock and a horn were killed, among other things, one driver indicated that he was struggling with noises from the steering and the chassis.
Apart from some incidental matters, the C3 turns out to be a nice, friendly and reliable companion. An important condition is that you are good at it, which is not the case for every driver. This is mainly due to the soft seats, because people are almost unanimously positive about the space on board. That does not apply to the chassis, especially drivers of the first hour complain about an uncomfortably responsive rear axle, which seems to have been adjusted on later versions. Judging by owners’ reactions, the Citroën C3 seems to be quite a good offer, especially given its relatively low new price.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl