Citroen C-Elysee - a way to save money?
In difficult times, every penny counts. When home budget cuts are needed, we don't have to give up on enjoyment right away. It is enough to choose cheaper substitutes - the cold Baltic Sea instead of the warm Adriatic Sea, skiing under the Tatras instead of the Dolomites, a used car instead of a new one. But wait, there is another way. New, big but cheap four wheels, known as "budget" wheels. Does this inexpensive product still taste good? Here is a Citroen C-Elysee with a 1.6-liter petrol engine in the Exclusive version.
At the beginning of 2013, the Citroen C-Elysee went to Polish showrooms and threw down the gauntlet to the Skoda Rapid, released a few months earlier. The French are proud that their car is cheaper and more beautiful. They are right? We'll do some cool calculations later. Now it's time to take a look at the exterior of the C-Elysee. At first glance, no one will say that this car can belong to the class of "budget" cars. By the way, I don't like this term. The market just needs big, simple, cheap and unnecessary cars. Dacia proved the existence of such a niche. Others were jealous. And as you can see, there are customers for whom the smell of new products and a guarantee are more important than the quality of workmanship. This approach must be respected.
Citroen C-Elysee is a car with a three-volume body, but the lines of the classic sedan are somewhat distorted. Why? C-Elysee is, first of all, a large passenger compartment with a short front and rear. From the long mask, which other manufacturers are accustomed to when designing a body of this type, there is no trace left. The body has the right dimensions for the compact class: 442 centimeters long, 1,71 meters wide and 147 centimeters high. A lot of? The lemon is taller and longer than the average compact. The whole style of this model corresponds to the Citroen brand. From the side, a large sheet of metal on the doors and fenders, as well as small wheels, make the C-Elysee a little heavy. The situation is not saved by front and rear lights crashing into the body, as well as complex embossing connecting them. Of course, the Citroen doesn't look like a rhinoceros among the gazelles in the parking lot, but I can't help but feel that gravity is working harder on it. C-Elysee's face is much better. From this point of view, the lemon may not be as beautiful as the model from the Paris catwalk, but the aggressively designed headlights, combined with the Citroen grille that forms the brand's logo, make the front of the body the most beautiful element of its body. Behind? Classic trunk with interestingly contoured headlights and a large manufacturer's badge. The C-Elysee doesn't bring you to your knees or sighs with its design, but remember that this is not a task.
And what should the Citroen C-Elysee do? Transport passengers cheaply and comfortably. The long wheelbase of 265 centimeters (5 more than the Rapida, 2 more than the Golf VII and just 3 less than the new Octavia) allowed for a huge amount of space inside. I checked every seat that could be taken in the cabin (I just didn’t dare to get into the trunk) and, despite the necessary height, which allows me to play volleyball without complexes, I sat comfortably everywhere. The car is just right for a family of several people. Or simply? When the shady and gangster business becomes less profitable, this Citroen will be able to successfully replace the expensive limousines used by the mafia. This cabin will easily fit the driver, the "boss" and two "gorillas", as well as a few criminals who are lagging behind with tribute. Of course, the latter can shove the mischievous into the trunk of the correct form and a capacity of 506 liters. You just have to watch out for the hinges that cut inwards.
Following the trail of gangster life, it would be nice to work hard so that the car quickly leaves suspicious places. In this, unfortunately, Citroen is not so good. Under the hood is a 1.6-liter gasoline engine with 115 horsepower. Spectacular rallies around the city are not his forte, but due to the fact that the car is light (1090 kg), the unit copes well with the movement of the C-Elysee. The motor is quite flexible and you don't have to twist it a lot to move efficiently. The crush on urban adventures is also short gear ratios. At 60 km / h, you can easily get a "high five" without fear of stalling the engine. This negatively affects driving on the road. At highway speeds, the top gear revs well above 3000 rpm, drowning out our favorite song on the radio. The gearbox is the weak point of the C-Elysee. Shifting gears is like mixing a ladleful of bigos in a big pot. The stroke of the jack is long, the gears are inaccurate, each shift is accompanied by a loud noise. Before I got used to it, I looked in the rear mirror to see if the moving Citroen had missed anything along the way.
How long does a lemon smoke? On the highway, it can go down to 5,5 liters, but harsher city driving will raise this figure to 9 liters. An average of 7,5 liters of gasoline per hundred kilometers is an acceptable result. The car accelerates to the first hundred in 10,6 seconds and can reach speeds of almost 190 km / h. Sounds good, and actually it is quite enough. This engine is the optimal source of propulsion for the C-Elysee.
What is it like to be behind the wheel? The large and bulky steering wheel (which looks disproportionate to the tiny watch) has no fore/aft adjustment, making it difficult to get into a comfortable position. The dashboard looks neat at first glance, and the ergonomics are at a good level. However, with the help of sight and touch, I found many shortcomings in this interior. Savings are visible in the materials used. From the plastic of which the turn signals and wiper arms are made, to the materials used on the central tunnel, all these elements are made of plastic, which can only be compared with a cheap Chinese toy. The rest of the board is slightly better, though the materials are solid. Take my word for it - my ankles hurt from tapping on individual elements of the interior. Surprisingly, there are no gnashing and rumbling demons in the cabin. The effect is enhanced by the bright upholstery of the cabin, which, unfortunately, gets dirty at an alarming rate. It is better to choose a dark option, less glamorous, but much more practical. Finally, return to the chest - you don't have to lie down in it to see a sheet of metal not painted in body color. The manufacturer wrapped graphite metallic varnish. Low quality plastics are acceptable, but cost savings in this way are beyond my comprehension.
It's good that the manufacturer did not save on the suspension. Everything is in its place, everything is perfectly adapted to Polish roads. Intended effect? I doubt it, but it works very well on our leaky asphalts, effectively dampens bumps without making suspicious noises. The car is quite soft, but does not rock like a Spanish galley in rough seas. When cornering, you just need to remember that an unloaded C-Elysee can sometimes understeer, and when fully loaded it can oversteer. Fortunately, such driving schizophrenia only appears when entering corners at really high speeds.
The equipment of the C-Elysee does not remind me of budget compromises. We find here air conditioning, an mp3 radio, power windows, aluminum rims, ABS with traction control, power windows and mirrors, heated seats and even parking sensors. What is missing? No useful engine temperature gauge, few handles and storage compartments. There is only one place for drinks. Citroen says that only the driver is allowed to drink coffee at the train station? The situation is saved by large pockets in the doors and a small storage compartment in the armrest. No small disappointment, because Citroen taught us better solutions in terms of space management.
Time to get out the calculator. Everything starts well, because the basic version of the Attraction package with a 1.2 petrol engine costs only PLN 38900 1.6 (promotional price until the end of February). The tested unit with a 54 engine in the Exclusive version costs 600 58 - sounds attractive for such a large car. We will get the best equipment, but buying a few extras that the test car has (metallic paint, heated seats or parking sensors) raises the price to 400 PLN 1.6. And this is the amount for which we will buy an equally well-equipped small car. Example? A competitor of the French shipyard Renault Megane 16 60 V with similar equipment was also priced below PLN 1.2. On the other hand, it will not have much space inside. Exactly, something for something. What does the main rival of "Rapid" say? Comparable to the tested Citroen Skoda 105 TSI 64 KM Elegance costs PLN 950. After buying metallic paint and heated seats, its price increases to PLN 67. Skoda offers cruise control, an upgraded audio system and passenger seat height adjustment as standard. The Czechs offer a discount of PLN 750, but despite this promotion, the Czech will be more than PLN 4700 more expensive. The TSI engine paired with a six-speed transmission offers a more modern drive and lower insurance premiums, but a turbocharged engine can be more prone to breakdowns than a naturally aspirated Citroen -litre. C-Elysee is cheaper than Rapid, the French did not particularly boast.
The budget class of cars forces buyers to make compromises. The same goes for the C-Elysse, which doesn't look like a cheap car from the outside. Saved on interior decoration, and some are hard to put up with. With the lowest engine and equipment configuration, C-Elysee has an unbeatable price. Better equipped, with a more powerful engine, Citroen loses this advantage. What is left for him? Beautiful appearance, plenty of room in the cabin and good suspension. Should I bet on cheaper substitutes? I leave the decision up to you.
