Citroen C3 review: quietly improved supermini

Citroen C3 engines and prices

Going through the specifications for the new Citroen C3 is roughly as rewarding as watching a bouquet gradually wither on the grave of a much-loved family pet. I can confirm this, having just done precisely that. Here are the essentials: the new C3 is a small Citroen hatchback offered with several four-cylinder engines, beginning with a food-mixer-like 61bhp 1.1 petrol. Above that sit two 1.4-litre units producing either 75 or 95hp, followed by a livelier 120bhp 1.6VTi borrowed from the Mini. Diesel choices are a 1.4 or 1.6, with outputs of 70, 90 or 110bhp.

The range starts at £10,800 for the entry-level 1.1 VT petrol and rises to £16,200 for the range-topping ‘Exclusive' specification with the 110bhp 1.6HDi. There: the practical information is dealt with. You may now find a more engaging activity, such as shutting your fingers in a door.

Wait, though. The C3 has no obvious technological Big Idea, and its chassis has not been set up to encourage a dab of oppo as you crest an apex at your local track day. Yet when you stand in front of it, the new C3 is genuinely rather pleasant. Honestly.

Citroen C3 exterior design

At first glance, at least from outside, Citroen has come very close to getting this right. The new C3 is more artful than its predecessor, wearing more of the C3 Picasso's influence and less of that rather dispiriting flabbiness. It will not make you look twice, but it is crisp and full of character. Next to it, the Polo appears rather drab and the Fiesta seems a little Focus-lite. Predictably, the C3 is at its best in a vivid paint colour with 17in wheels. Choose powder blue or bright green and it has presence; select black or grey over small wheels and it recedes into understated anonymity.

Citroen has also managed the fine line between being distinctive and quirky, or merely arbitrary and silly, rather well. The front end is neatly styled, with the side strakes either side of the front bumper carrying slight echoes of the DS3 and GT. Its headlights feature the now-ubiquitous jingle-jangle LED running lights, while the rear lamps are tidy boomerang shapes that suit the bodywork's curves. The whole thing is cohesive, clean and well resolved. It makes the previous model look dated and, if we are being unkind, inexpensive.

There are some appealing touches, too, not least the fact that the C3 seems to be going bald. Its new panoramic windscreen extends far back into a substantial section of roof, creating the impression of a receding hairline. It is fitted to every model apart from the most basic versions, and gives the C3 a distinctly strange head-on appearance. In profile it is slightly peculiar as well: the A-pillar sweeps down to meet the front of the car just behind the bonnet, making it seem a touch fractured. Overall, however, it is very agreeable. Rounded. Unoffensive. Some may even call it mildly quirky.

Cabin space and comfort

The cabin does not share quite as much of the exterior's playfulness, but the C3 at least feels as if it has been assembled by attentive, sober people. That is worth mentioning because, at the launch of the previous C3, the glovebox dropped into the footwell when I opened it. Then, while I went around two roundabouts, the central instrument binnacle sprang from the top of the dashboard in a doomed escape attempt.

Citroen builds decent cars nowadays, though, and this C3 receives a T-shaped dashboard, a restrained centre console and plenty of thoughtful detailing. The cheap-looking digital displays have disappeared, replaced by analogue instruments that look considerably classier. Better still, the materials join together naturally: from the matte upper dashboard, through the graphite plastic fascia and into the door cards, nothing appears to have been added as an afterthought. The colours are subdued, with small touches of chrome providing contrast.

The seats are broad, comfortable and simple to adjust, while the windscreen is a genuine delight. Daylight can transform a cabin, particularly when the weather is grey, and the C3 is awash with it. The only detail that threatens the convertible-like impression is the rear-view mirror, which seems isolated and rather lost amid such an enormous expanse of glass. Space is particularly welcome in a supermini. The rear seats are not especially vast, despite claimed rear legroom being 30mm greater than before, but the huge windscreen helps stop the back of the C3 feeling as confined as most superminis do.

Citroen C3 driving impressions

On the road, the experience continues in much the same manner. It is quietly competent, substantially improved and sensibly conceived. We drove the likely high-volume 90bhp 1.6HDi with a five-speed manual gearbox, and there is little to fault. With 158lb ft of torque arriving early, it pulls strongly through the mid-range, is exceptionally quiet and delivers its performance without effort. It may not be an engine that relishes being revved, but it never leaves you feeling short-changed, even if 11seconds to 62mph and a 111mph top speed do not make it quick.

Both clutch and gearbox are light, relaxed and easy to use, although each feels a little vague. That is unlikely to trouble the sort of driver who would deliberately choose a diesel C3. The steering is precise and the ride is good, too. The roads around Rome where we tested the cars are far from smooth, yet the C3 stayed quiet and controlled even over the roughest sections, where the road edges seemed to have been bitten away, chewed up and glued back into place.

It will come as no surprise that razor-sharp handling is not on the agenda. Try to get enthusiastic and progressive understeer is all you will achieve. In almost every circumstance, however, it is perfectly capable. Is it fun? Not particularly. But it turns accurately, brakes effectively and absorbs bumps well. It is fine. Taken as a whole, then, this is an attractive little Citroen that looks smart, handles every task reasonably well and requires no excuses or explanations. It is a good car, vastly better than the old C3 and exactly the sort of car Citroen needs.

That may sound like faint praise, though, does it not? It is difficult to imagine Citroen's marketing department celebrating a slogan reading "Citroen: not as shit as it used to be." The C3 does, however, need to appeal to cautious buyers for whom the forthcoming DS3 may be slightly too avant garde. Ford's Fiesta is unquestionably the more rewarding car to drive, while the VW Polo has mastered its stern, austere persona, but the C3 occupies a small area outside the reach of either. Despite having no major USP, the C3 seems to have created a tidy niche for itself. It is not a driver's car, but for anyone wanting a car that covers the essentials while offering some character, the C3 brings a small, contented smile to your face.