Journalists sometimes get it wrong. When Citroën first announced its C3 supermini, some of them were hailing it as a modern representation of the famous 2CV. But the car that has just gone on sale here is nothing of the sort, writes Andrew Hamilton
Like the 2CV, it stands out from the crowd but there's nothing quirky or frugal about it. It is the total antithesis too, of the car it will eventually replace, the ever-so-bland Saxo.
Citroën sees the C3 as its most innovative small car offering, particularly in its space and packaging. It also looks attractively different from most of the supermini ilk, with a curvy bonnet, large crystal lens headlamps, a huge windscreen and a high roofline.
The boot is one of the biggest and tallest in the supermini class. Citroën has developed a clever system called Moduboard, available on some versions, which separates the boot into compartments. It means that muddy wellington boots can be kept separate from shopping bags.
The C3 comes with a huge glass area and elevated seating positions, sustaining its claim to give excellent all-round vision. Later this year it will be possible to order it with a full-length electric sunroof which will retail for €750.
Biggest seller on the Irish market will be the 61 bhp 1.1 litre version with LX and SX specifications with ex-works prices of €14,800 and €15,520. The line-up also includes a 75 bhp 1.4 litre at €15,820 ex-works and €16,920 ex-works in automatic form. The top engined model is the 110 bhp 1.6, retailing at $18,200 ex-works.
In the autumn we will see diesel derivatives. The star performer here is the new 70 bhp 1.4 litre common-rail HDi unit that PSA (Peugeot-Citroën) shares with Ford. Citroën claims that with 110g/km, it has the lowest CO2 emissions for any conventional engined car. It's also both fast and frugal, offering a top speed of 123 mph and 67 mpg in combined modes.
Standard equipment on all models include power steering, a six speaker RDS stereo radio and CD player, electric front windows and four airbags. Options include metallic paint at €320 and manual air conditioning at €750.
Citroën here expects to sell at least 1,000 C3s in the remaining seven months of 2002 and 3,000 cars next year. "We see it as an exceptionally charismatic car with looks that stand out and we think it wins appeal too for its spaciousness and practicality."