- News
- Cars
- Bikes
- Features
- Motorsport
- Tuned
- GBNF
- Tried and Tested
- Tech
- Magazine
- About UsAbout Us
Citroen has launched its first mass market car for the Indian market, the C3, at a price of Rs 5.70 lakh. Based on the CMP platform, the C3 gets can be equipped with either a 1.2-litre turbo-petrol or a 1.2-litre nat-asp petrol engine. The former comes mated to a 6-speed manual, while the latter gets a 5-speed manual. There's no automatic on offer, currently. It will rival the likes of the Hyundai i20, Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Tata Altroz, Tata Punch, Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger. Here’s a deep dive into this new C-SUV, errrmm, hatchback, the Citroen C3.
Citroen says that the C3 is a 'hatch with an SUV attitude' and that is evident the moment you lay your eyes on it. It borrows styling cues from its elder sibling, the Citroen C5, and gets the quintessential Citroen face. The brand's iconic dual chevrons are high-set and they flow into the LED DRLs and the main halogen headlamps. The raised bonnet gives the C3 a butch look and if you see it in your RVMs, you'll definitely know that it's a Citroen. The C3 has black cladding all around for a rugged look and it rides in 15-inch wheels. Steelies with hubcaps are standard, while alloys are an optional accessory. The back of the C3 features rectangular tail lights with a dual-tone bumper. The C3 gets a 315-litre boot and a respectable 180mm ground clearance figure.
The C3 also gets three 'styling packs'. The factory-fitted 'Vibe' pack comes with either the black contrasting roof or a bright orange roof with matching orange wing mirror caps and elements in the bumpers. Then there are the 'Elegance' or 'Energy' styling packs which give you the option to choose between 56 customisation options and over 70 accessories. In total, there are 10 exterior colour combo options available with the C3. Shot by Abhishek Benny for evo India
The funky and hip theme continues on the inside of the Citroen C3, where you'll find that taking centre stage is a high-set 10-inch infotainment touchscreen. It gets wireless CarPlay along with Android Auto and in true Citroen fashion clever touches like the ‘wire guides’ which don't let the charging cable for your phone dangle around in the cabin. The burnt orange colour is carried inside if you opt for the two tone colour. While the cabin feels solid, well built and rather cool because of its design, there’s no arguing over the fact that the C3 misses out on a lot of kit, in a bid to keep the costs down.
For example, the RVMs are manually adjusted only, the inside RVM doesn’t get day-night adjustment and the power window switches for the rear passenger are behind the handbrake and not on the doors. Moreover, no variant of the C3 gets ESP and the steering adjusts only for height, not reach. And the C3 also misses out on a sunroof and a reverse parking camera.Shot by Abhishek Benny for evo India
The Citroen C3 can be optioned with either a 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine or a 1.2-litre nat-asp petrol engine. The former produces 109bhp and 190Nm while the latter, less-powerful, engine pushes out 81bhp and 119Nm. Both the engines come mated to a manual transmission only, with the turbo-petrol getting a 6-speed unit, while the nat-asp petrol is paired to a 5-speed version of the same.
If you ask us, Citroen has absolutely hit the mark with the pricing of the C3.
Prices for the Citroen C3 start from Rs 5.70 lakh (ex-showroom) and it rivals the likes of hatchbacks on one side like the Hyundai i20, Maruti Suzuki Baleno and Tata Altroz and compact SUVs on the other side such as the Tata Nexon, Nissan Magnite, Renault Kiger and even the Hyundai Venue / Kia Sonet. With its aggressive pricing, the Citroen C3 has all the makings of a good seller. Sure it misses out on a lot of kit, but it has all the things that you’ll ever need backed by Citroen’s USP, the ride comfort that it offers with unique styling. We can't wait to put the Citroen C3 against its rivals, which is on the charts, but till then watch the Ed’s take on the C3 down below!
