Citroën C3
Citroën does not hide its ambition with a new letter (next to the three, of course) in the alphabet. Last but not least, the automotive B segment is also growing due to the crisis and environmental taxes, and sales are increasing with it. By 2012, the French are expected to take back up to 10 percent of this delicious cake in Europe, and they may even do well with the new C3, DS3, C3 Picasso and C1.
The new C3 is the first Citroën to feature the new logo. Luckily, the strategists did not enlarge the car, so it was left with a length of 3 meters, a width of 94 meters and a height of 1 meter among the smaller ones in the class.
Depending on the version, the novelty is 60-80 kilograms lighter than its predecessor, which, incidentally, remains on sale only until the shares are sold out, and then, unlike the old Clio (Storia), says goodbye along with its brother C2. Citroën has already sold over two million C3 models, so the "old turtle" says goodbye in style.
Main form it remained, perhaps with a coefficient of air resistance of only 0, 30, it is adapted to new times. While most men will probably like the look, we see mostly the fairer sex in it. It's a good strategy if we know who has the final say when buying a car.
They expect the new C3 to be the first car in many families, not just an alternative to city driving or city walks. The first impression we got at the international presentation is that, at least in the more equipped version, the new product is incomparably more mature than its predecessor.
Materials they are better, more spacious and there were no quality problems (yet). The novelty is made in France (Aulnay and Poissy) and boasts up to ten colors and tires from 15 to 17 inches.
The most unusual part of the car is, of course, the Zenith windshield, which is 1 meter long and cuts far into the roof. This, according to the French, increases the field of view from 35 to 28 percent, which greatly increases the feeling of spaciousness in the car.
When the sun becomes bothersome, you can look forward to a darkening of the top edge (and therefore better thermal insulation, which only allows a fifth of the energy to pass through compared to the classic solution) and a sliding surface that covers an additional portion of the glass. ... The novelty we've already seen with other Citroën and Opel models is nice, but we know from experience that the extra sliding surface increases the possibility of additional crickets inside.
The Zenith windshield is an accessory, so most new C3s will likely leave the factory with a classic windshield. There is no need to waste a lot of words about the interior, as you can see in the photo that they have mixed classic (round) shapes with newer digital prints.
In front of the front passenger is a 13-liter closed box that slides out towards the engine, so the front passenger can adjust their position to provide more space in the rear right seat. Citroën boasted that it was trunk 300 liters among the large ones, but there is less space in the back seat, despite the narrower backrests (especially the front ones).
Information that may be of interest to owners of the old C3: passengers on rear seats they can count on three centimeters more legroom than their predecessors, and to that space we can add the aforementioned eight centimeters of the right seat offset.
Three adults will ride relatively comfortably, and four just for the sake of power, though there's little room on the back bench. However, we can confirm in good conscience that the materials used (at least in the more equipped versions) are unnecessarily better both in appearance and feel.
Steering gear it remains electrically controlled and allows you to ski tirelessly through the urban jungle – also thanks to a turning radius of just 10 meters. In the new C2, you may remember ESP (which is standard in Germany and Italy, but in our country it will be similar to France, at least in the basic equipment in the list of accessories), six airbags, cruise control, speed limiter , perfect gear display, ISOFIX mounts in the back seat, Bluetooth, iPod and USB port, excellent audio system with an additional speaker in the middle of the armature and a subwoofer in the trunk. .
Engines are listed in a special table, and in 2011 there will be a second generation Start-Stop system, a new 5- and 6-speed robotic manual transmission and new three-cylinder petrol engines, which will reduce CO2 emissions to less than 100 grams per kilometer traveled.
The new C3 has McPherson struts at the front and a semi-rigid axle at the rear, which primarily provide driving comfort and less sporty enjoyment. The Fiesta and Polo feel better in corners, although due to the lighter weight (only the rear axle has lost 13 kg!) The C3 is very maneuverable.
The car's weight loss was dramatic, assuming it was much better soundproofed. In the engine compartment alone, instead of 48, now 155 dm? absorbent material, as well as in the door area, the noise is lower.
The Slovenian representative is still in serious negotiations with the parent company on Price, so the price in the circle is only the forecast of the Autoshop. Since its main competitors in our country are the domestic Clio and the well-equipped Polo (ESP!), the price is likely to be lower than the Polo, which is 10.336 euros.
There is nothing we can do about the French price (over 12.000 3 euros), as we have to dig deeper into our pockets in search of new cars. However, the DS3 will hit our roads in April, just a month after the arrival of the CXNUMX brother.
Alyosha Mrak, photo: Tovarna
