Refreshed and more customisable supermini feels bigger than it looks, which doesn’t always work in its favour
You will have noticed that the new Citroën C4 family hatchback - for all its bold design cues and nods to models of yore - does away with the protective and distinctive Airbumps that adorned its C4 Cactus predecessor.By CEO Vincent Cobée’s own admission, that’s in part due to an acknowledgement that Citroën’s designers “probably were a bit carried away with our innovation capabilities” when designing that crossover-cum-hatchback. Bad news for bump lovers everywhere, then. But there is salvation to be found in the form of the C3 supermini, which has made it through the mid-life facelift wringer relatively unscathed and is now said to be Citroën’s “most customisable car”.So the quirky plastic door protectors remain, and buyers can now paint the car in a whopping 97 colour combinations, up from a trifling 36 before. There are also new wheel designs, extra coloured inserts and interior trim packages to consider.It’s all part of Citroën’s Inspired by You marketing strategy, through which the brand is significantly enhancing its personalisation options just as several of its main rivals - including Ford, Renault and Seat - begin to streamline their offerings in the name of simplifying the buying process and cutting manufacturing costs.The C3 gets a subtly redesigned front end, too, claimed to be inspired by the radical Cxperience concept from 2016, with a new chrome grille surround and subtly reshaped headlight clusters.The engine line-up is unchanged, comprising two 1.2-litre turbo petrol options - one with 82bhp and the other 108bhp - and a 99bhp 1.5-litre diesel. The C3 also continues to offer five- and six-speed manual gearboxes, while gaining a new six-speed automatic for the more powerful petrol engine.Three trim levels are available: Feel, Flair and Flair Plus. All cars are equipped with LED headlights as standard, along with automatic air conditioning, cruise control, a 7.0in infotainment touchscreen and a DAB radio as standard, but top-rung models gain add-ons including a reversing camera, sat-nav, rear privacy glass and 17in alloys. Citroen C3 1.2 Puretech 110 Flair Plus 2020 UK review
2 months ago
3
Refreshed and more customisable supermini feels bigger than it looks, which doesn’t always work in its favour
You will have noticed that the new Citroën C4 family hatchback - for all its bold design cues and nods to models of yore - does away with the protective and distinctive Airbumps that adorned its C4 Cactus predecessor.By CEO Vincent Cobée’s own admission, that’s in part due to an acknowledgement that Citroën’s designers “probably were a bit carried away with our innovation capabilities” when designing that crossover-cum-hatchback. Bad news for bump lovers everywhere, then. But there is salvation to be found in the form of the C3 supermini, which has made it through the mid-life facelift wringer relatively unscathed and is now said to be Citroën’s “most customisable car”.So the quirky plastic door protectors remain, and buyers can now paint the car in a whopping 97 colour combinations, up from a trifling 36 before. There are also new wheel designs, extra coloured inserts and interior trim packages to consider.It’s all part of Citroën’s Inspired by You marketing strategy, through which the brand is significantly enhancing its personalisation options just as several of its main rivals - including Ford, Renault and Seat - begin to streamline their offerings in the name of simplifying the buying process and cutting manufacturing costs.The C3 gets a subtly redesigned front end, too, claimed to be inspired by the radical Cxperience concept from 2016, with a new chrome grille surround and subtly reshaped headlight clusters.The engine line-up is unchanged, comprising two 1.2-litre turbo petrol options - one with 82bhp and the other 108bhp - and a 99bhp 1.5-litre diesel. The C3 also continues to offer five- and six-speed manual gearboxes, while gaining a new six-speed automatic for the more powerful petrol engine.Three trim levels are available: Feel, Flair and Flair Plus. All cars are equipped with LED headlights as standard, along with automatic air conditioning, cruise control, a 7.0in infotainment touchscreen and a DAB radio as standard, but top-rung models gain add-ons including a reversing camera, sat-nav, rear privacy glass and 17in alloys. 
English (United States)