Citroen resurrects C3

THE revised Citroen C3 light-hatch has returned to the Australian market with an expanded line-up and more competitive pricing than when it slipped off the radar 11 months ago.

Citroen’s re-born hatch features a number of improvements over the previous model that launched in Australia in late 2010, including updated styling, improved fuel consumption and the introduction of a new flagship Exclusive variant.

Pricing for the new C3 starts at $19,990 drive-away for the base Seduction manual, but the drive-away price is limited to vehicles purchased to December 31 this year.

The Seduction auto is $22,990 plus on-road costs and the Exclusive auto tops the range at $25,990 plus on-roads.

This entry price makes the C3 slightly more expensive than European rivals such as the just-released Renault Clio ($16,790 - $23,290) and the Volkswagen Polo ($16,990 - $29,190), but places it in the realm of sister company Peugeot’s 208 ($18,490 – $29,990).

At the time the C3 was discontinued earlier this year, it was priced at $23,990 for the Seduction manual and $24,990 for the same specification but with an auto.

This marks a $4000 drop over the previous base model and $2000 cut for the auto.

Citroen has improved the styling for the French-built hatch, with the major difference being the restyled front end with bumper-mounted LED daytime running lights and a new grille as well as a re-designed tail-light cluster.

A new ‘Blue Encre’ body paint brings the palette to seven colours for the C3.

In the cabin, the C3 gains a backlit instrument cluster, chrome surrounds, matte black panels on the dash and new upholstery that matches the dashboard strips.

The main event in the improved cabin, however, is the inclusion of the ‘Zenith’ windscreen that stretches from the bonnet to just behind the front passenger seats, providing what Citroen claims is “best-in-segment visibility.” The Zenith windscreen enhances upward vision for front passengers by 80 degrees and includes strong solar protection to keep the UV rays at bay.

Semi-high seats give occupants the feeling of a higher ride and the C3 features a number of storage compartments throughout the cabin. Boot capacity is 300 litres, matching the Renault Clio and bettering the Volkswagen Polo’s 280-litre boot.

Citroen is offering a choice of either a three- or four-cylinder 1.2-litre engine in the refreshed C3 range, part of what it calls its new-generation ‘PureTech’ range of light-weight, economical petrol engines.

The three-cylinder 1.2-litre unit produces 60kW and achieves fuel consumption of just 4.5 litre per 100 kilometres on the combined cycle when matched with the five-speed manual gearbox.

A more powerful 88kW engine is capable of fuel consumption of 6.6L/100km when coupled with the four-speed automatic transmission.

Citroen claims improvements to fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions of 25 per cent from the new-generation engines, with the 60kW unit producing 107g/km of CO2 emissions, while the 88kW engine pumps out 150g/km.

Standard gear on entry-level Seduction variants includes cloth trim, the Zenith windscreen, LED daytime running lights, 15-inch wheels, leather steering wheel, cruise control, Bluetooth with USB and auxiliary jack, an electric pack with power folding and heated door mirrors and electric windows.

The top-spec Exclusive is available in automatic guise only and adds upgraded cloth trim, automatic digital air conditioning, reversing camera, rear parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers, automatically dimming rear-view mirror, sat-nav and 17-inch alloy wheels.

All variants feature six airbags and a seatbelt warning light and a Euro NCAP crash test in 2012 gave the C3 a five-star rating.

Citroen C3 pricing*

Seduction**	$19,990
Seduction (a)	$22,990
Exclusive (a)	$25,990

*Excludes on-road costs.
**Drive-away price until December 31 2013.