Citroen C3 C-Series isn’t rock ‘n’ roll but it’s cheap and cheerful

THE Citroen C3 has been rocking residential driveways up and down the country for 19 years.

If the C3 was a rock band, it would have already cashed in with a Greatest Hits compilation or two.

But it’s not remotely rock ’n’ roll, in any way, shape or form.

This accessible little French car gets used and abused by us only to end up being a hit on the scrappage scheme.

The latest iteration of the budget bestseller is badged C-Series. The name suggests some kind of Mercedes-BMW mash-up. But what it actually represents is the C3’s Best Of album.

It packages together the most popular cost options people choose, in an exclusively online special edition.

It is aimed squarely at the growing number of buyers happy to click-and-collect their new cars via a website like they do their food shop.

It even comes with a 14-day free-return guarantee.

So what are these most-wanted options that now come as standard, ensuring your £14,000 price tag stays at £14k?

You get one rather charming colour, Soft Sand, complete with satin-red contrasting accents, 16in bi-tone alloy wheels, a glossy black roof and matching wing mirrors.

Sharp new LED-encrusted automatic headlights and very dark tinted windows are also thrown into the mix, giving this budget box more premium visual panache.

Inside, you get the all-important Apple CarPlay/Android Auto-compatible 7in touchscreen and six speakers — but a rather lonely singular USB port.

Standardised safety tech includes lane-departure warning, coffee-break alert, cruise control and reverse-parking sensors (but no reverse camera).

For an economical urban runabout with five doors and nearly the capacity for the same number of people, it does feel like all the important boxes have been ticked for you — while it looks pricier than it is.

And, as with all Citroens these days, it’s crazy-comfy too.

The two-tone seats feel more like that expensive WFH office chair you didn’t buy — because you ended up getting a cheaper one and swiftly regretted it.

A bunch of C-Series logos are spattered about the funky but largely plastic cabin, which help to bolster its non-standard positioning.

In terms of a driving experience, there is less to talk about, although some notably soft suspension complements the soft seating.

While that will please some, if pushed it can lead to a spot of sea-sickness for those in the back.

The best way to drive this is as if you are about to run out of petrol, feathering the throttle instead of stamping on it.

Power comes courtesy of the normally aspirated three-cylinder, 1.2-litre petrol engine, which is well proportioned for this compact car and is mated to a five-speed manual transmission.

While I believe an automatic would be a more popular choice, the short stick-shift does suit this rorty little ride nicely.

Cheap and cheerful with funky, chunky styling, this Citroen is very easy to live with.

Now That’s What I Call A Citroen C3, 2021.