Citroën C3 1.6 SensoDrive

Thanks to its new distributor, owning a Citroën C3 doesn't need to be a leap of faith anymore.

What's New
The importer for starters. In case you didn't already know, Citroën is now under the local care of noted car distributor, Cycle & Carriage. C&C sees great potential in the French marque and is throwing the full weight of its resources and experience into the task of getting the brand back on track and on everyone's shopping lists.

The product line-up at the moment consists of the C3, C4 and C5, with more to follow. For now, entry to Citroën ownership begins with its compact hatchback, the C3 1.6 SensoDrive.

Although the C3 has been available for some time, the model that's just been re-introduced is the latest facelifted version and the changes wrought by the makeover include some subtly resculpted bumpers and headlamps.

The car's proportions are very well balanced, with minimal front and rear overhangs. You can try, but you won't really find any right angles on the car at all.

Contrastingly, the interior is surprisingly soberly rendered, with a predominantly dark colour scheme broken only by the occasional flash of sliver trim. The instrument panel is a neat item, though, with an LED weighing scale-type tachometer that echoes the rev counters of classic Citroëns.

There's plenty of room up front, but if you're a bit tall, getting stuck in the rear will present some hardship. The C3's sloping roofline doesn't cut into rear headroom as much as you'd expect, but legroom is in short supply.

Storage space is generally decent, the door pockets are nice and deep for instance, but the glovebox is tiny.

The C3's variable-assist power steering system has been tweaked for a more direct feel, and the semi-automatic gearbox has been substantially revised to improve the quality of the gearshifts.

How it Performs
Bumps and ruts are authoritatively dealt with, apart from an occasional buzziness that filters through over really rough surfaces.

The revised steering setup is a big improvement over the old car's. Turn-in is very sharp, and there's much more accuracy to the steering as a whole. The 1.6-litre four-cylinder unit under the C3's bonnet pulls duty in a variety of Citroën and Peugeot products and it goes about its business in reasonably quiet fashion, with raucousness only really becoming apparent in the higher reaches of the rev range

The improved semi-automatic SensoDrive gearbox works quite well, even when left in automatic mode. Gearshifts are effected with commendable smoothness, and you can also control them via steering column-mounted shift paddles. There is a fair bit of transmission whine, but that's a small price to pay for the smoothness.

How it Stacks Up
The C3 1.6 SensoDrive lists for $59,988 with COE, for an extra $5,000, there is a version equipped with a conventional automatic gearbox on offer, too. In the SensoDrive version, you get four airbags, but no rear electric windows.

If the things that were putting you off from getting a Citroën previously included a dog-eared showroom and after sales concerns, you don't really have any excuse now. With Cycle & Carriage firmly ensconced in the driver's seat, Citroën looks set for a proper renaissance.

Technical Specifications

MODEL Citroën C3 1.6 SensoDrive ENGINE Engine: 1,587cc 16V in-line 4 Max Power: 110bhp at 5,750rpm Max Torque: 108Nm at 4,000rpm TRANSMISSION 5-speed semi-automatic TOP SPEED 190km/h 0-100km/h 12.6s