The completely new Citroen C3 has arrived – it’s the latest challenger to the excellent Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo.

Can its quirky features, family functionality and Gallic charm win us over? Andy Goodwin drove the Citroen C3 on UK roads for the first time.

While Ford’s Fiesta particularly excels in the handling and dynamics department and the Polo has the prestige-supermini angle sewn-up, the Citroen C3 adheres to its maker’s ‘Creative Technology’ strap line.

The embodiment of this is an optional panoramic ‘Zenith’ front windscreen which offers a unique driving and passenger experience in the supermini class.

Stretching back above the top of your head it lets in a huge amount of light and makes for great views out of the car. Plane spotters and twitchers will love it.

A big step for the C3

The cabin is a huge leap forward from the previous C3, feeling much more solid and luxurious. There’s a soft-touch and nicely textured dash top and a silver swathe spanning the width of the cockpit.

Citroen has steered away from digital LCD readouts and there are three attractive and upmarket dials nestled behind the flat-bottomed steering wheel.

Choose the ‘MyWay’ satellite navigation, media and Bluetooth system and the colour screen is slickly integrated into the dash too, as befitting a more expensive model.

Refinement has been top of the hit list and the latest model now has roughly three-times the amount of sound deadening material fitted to the outgoing model. Even at motorway speeds the car is impressively hushed for a supermini.

Citroen is making a big noise about space in the C3, and there is an impressive amount of it. Despite being one of the shortest superminis (5cm less than a Vauxhall Corsa) it has a spacious 300 litre boot, which pips the Fiesta by 5 litres and the Polo by 20 litres.

Family-friendly

There’s plenty of room for front occupants, and the front passenger has the option of sitting further forwards than the driver thanks to a shallow dashboard; giving more room to the person sat behind.

Rear legroom is generous for a supermini and the ‘Zenith’ panoramic windscreen is arguably even more impressive from the back seats, letting light flood in.

From the outside the C3 is something of a grower. Its boomerang-shaped lights, door-mounted side mirrors and curvy roofline don’t shout sex appeal, but it does look cohesive and much more expensive than the old car.

We drove two Citroen C3’s fitted with the bigger, more powerful petrol and diesel engines and were impressed with their grown-up performance.

The 1.6 VTi 120bhp petrol engine can also be found in a Mini Cooper and it’s a sprightly motor which picks up well from low revs and makes the C3 a nippy performer.

While not as sporty as the petrol, the 1.6 HDi 90bhp uses its pulling power to accelerate well and it’s the pick of the bunch for motorway driving.

But, often with superminis it’s the smaller engines which come as a pleasant surprise. The 1.4 HDi 70bhp has plenty of get-up-and-go and it’s noticeably quieter too.

Equally the 1.4 VTi 95 impressed us with its peppy performance and slightly rorty exhaust note, and actually proved to be the most-fun C3 to drive.

Emissions of all C3s (bar the thirstier petrol automatic) stay below 140g/km and the diesels are particularly cheap to tax.

Citroen’s lowest-emission model is dubbed ‘Airdream’ and its 1.6 HDi 90bhp engine emits 99g/km, making its road tax free. Stop and start technology is expected next year.

Light controls

The Citroen C3 might be very good indeed, but handling isn’t its strongest point. Compared to a Fiesta or Polo its suspension is very soft and it will lean on its outside wheels when cornering.

With one of the lightest steering setups and gear changes we’ve ever sampled, it’s easy to make overenthusiastic inputs if you’re used to driving other cars and it takes a while to adjust. Once used to it the C3 is easy to drive and a sinch to manoeuvre, but with little feel of the road below.

The C3 has been designed less with the driver in mind than the Fiesta, and more for the family. Its interior and refinement are a huge improvement over the outgoing model and its big boot, funky looks and panoramic windscreen are likely to attract plenty of admirers.

Key facts:

Models tested: Citroen C3 5dr 1.6 VTi 120 Exclusive,
Citroen C3 5dr 1.6 HDi 90 Exclusive,
Citroen C3 5dr 1.4 HDi 70
Citroen C3 5dr 1.4 VTi 95 VTR+
On the road price: £14,590, £15,190, £13,790, £13,190
Date tested: December 2009
Road tester: Andy Goodwin