Citroen C1 review
by David Morgan (7 June 2005)
Typical. You wait ages for a low-cost four-seat supermini to come along, then three turn up at once! Toyota, Peugeot and Citroen are each punting their own take on what urban dwellers ought to be driving. But if you are looking for basic, entry-level motoring there's no doubt about which of these identical hatches to catch. You might consider the Toyota Aygo for reliability or the Peugeot 107 for style - but you'd be a mug if you didn't pick the Citroen C1.
There's nothing wrong with the Czech-built Toyota or Peugeot - they're every bit as good as the Citroen. And so they should be; they flow from the same production line at the combined rate of 300,000 a year. But the entry-level C1 has something its Aygo and 107 cradle-mates lack: value. The Citroen wins here simply because it is the cheapest in basic guise. It was the first to reach showrooms on June 1. At £6495 for the one-litre, three-cylinder, three-door entry-level Vibe, it costs less than the cheapest models from Peugeot or Toyota.
All-important running costs were high on Citroen's priority list. Petrol C1s fall into lowly Group 1E while the 1.4 HDi is a Group 2E. Both mean cheap insurance bills and are vital marketing pegs for Citroen's three categories of budget-conscious owners - young drivers, families looking for a second car and older people downsizing their transport.
But just how good is C1? It's brilliant. Apart from the incredible value offered by Kia's superbly-built and low-cost Picanto five-door supermini, there's nothing on the market to challenge the C1 and its siblings. Even Ford's ageing Ka is left in the shade. It costs £600 more than the C1 in basic form and cannot match the Citroen's agility, equipment level and streetwise design.
The C1 comes with three or five doors in two trim levels - entry-level Vibe and better-equipped Rhythm. You can have a lively 998cc three-cylinder 68bhp petrol engine built by Toyota or a fine PSA-built 1398cc four-cylinder 55bhp diesel. Both use a five-speed manual gearbox and, for the time being, there is no plan to offer the C1 with the sequential MMT (Multi-mode Manual Transmission) available on the Toyota Aygo.
The petrol unit generates a useful 69lb/ft of torque at 3600rpm. It's perfect for the urban jungle and has a pleasantly gruff three-cylinder beat under power. In-town acceleration is brisk and it maintains an acceptable 70mph without too much strain. Top speed is a breathless 98mph, while 0-62mph is a middle-aged 13.7 seconds. It averages 61mpg on the combined cycle and exhaust emissions of 109g/km qualify it for the cheapest road tax in the UK.
Petrol models come as a three or five-door Vibe for £6495 and £6845 respectively or as a five-door Rhythm for £7345. The diesel arrives in July only as a five-door Rhythm and costs a rather expensive £8445. Air-conditioning is another Rhythm-only feature and costs £500.
Compared to the petrol three-potter the HDi makes little economic sense. Small cars and small diesels are unhappy bedfellows - especially when petrol alternatives like the C1 unit are so good. At £1100 more than its petrol sister the extra cost of the 1.4 HDi is hard to justify. It produces 55bhp and excellent torque of 96lb/ft at only 1750rpm - but I'd only recommend an oil-burning C1 if you plan doing an annual mileage of more than 15,000 miles. And in a C1, or any other supermini, that is a route not to be advised, even when the car returns a combined average of 69mpg.
I spent most of my time in the C1's natural habitat - deepest East End London and urban Kent. My mount was a £7345 1.0 Rhythm five-door and it was great in traffic, easy to drive and brisk - except when accelerating hard to join fast-moving motorway flows. Handling is predictably safe like most front-drive cars and the disc/drum brakes cope well with stop/start urban life.
Differing from Aygo and 107 only in front and rear styling, the C1 is arguably the best-looking of the trio. Its chunky front end has a cheeky look with sensibly high-set lights at the front and back to keep them clear of traffic knocks. The single-arm wiper clears a big area of windscreen and the all-glass tailgate offers good reversing visibility, but heavy C pillars severely restrict three-quarter reaward vision. Boot space is understandably limited and there's an awkwardly high boot lip, but the rear seats offer reasonable comfort for two adults and the cabin is airy and well trimmed.
The driving position is excellent and the dash easy to read and use. At night it's backlit and glows an eerie orange colour. My only complaints are the heater/ventilation controls which feel flimsy and cheap and the rear door glazing which can't be wound down. For additional ventilation they hinge at their forward end and can be propped open to boost air flow.
Only at motorway speed does the C1 get noisy as its narrow tyres begin to sing. But that's minor criticism for a car which is cheap to buy and run and comes in standard Vibe trim with twin airbags, ABS, EBD, CSC (Cornering Stability Control) and front belt pretensioners.
You also get a full-size spare wheel, variable power steering, adjustable steering column, pollen filter, lots of storage compartments and a stereo radio with single-slot CD. The Rhythm adds side airbags, a stalk-mounted revcounter, electric windows, 50/50 split rear seat, rear head restraints, velour trim, remote central locking, side strips, colour coding and ISOFIX anchor points.
Citroen expects to sell 10,000 C1s a year in the UK. That should be easy, especially if it maintains its price advantage over its clones.
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