Citroen C3 First Look

Looks like the monsoon has started in earnest and along with it, we are expecting a plethora of cars to rain down upon us in the coming few weeks. And here we are talking about one of those cars – the Citroen C3. It’s the second car from Citroen after the C5 Aircross and will go on sale next month. Read on to find out all the details about the upcoming C3, such as its dimensions, features, variants, powertrain details, and, of course, the availability and pricing.

In terms of dimensions, the C3 sits way under the four-metre mark. According to the French carmaker – it’s a hatchback with SUV styling. If you look at the measurements, the C3 is 3,981mm in length, it is 1,733mm wide, and stands 1,604mm in height. The wheelbase is 2,540mm and the ground clearance is 180mm. In comparison, the C3 is longer than the Tata Punch, with a longer wheelbase as well. But the Punch is wider and taller than the C3.

Adding funk to the C3’s tale are its paint schemes. There are four basic monotone exterior paint options, namely Polar White, Zesty Orange, Platinum Grey, and Steel Grey. Then there are six dual-tone schemes which can be created by mixing any two of these four colours. So, the Platinum Grey can be had with a Zesty Orange roof or Polar White with a Platinum Grey roof, and so on. Apart from this, there are three customisation packs as well – Zesty Orange, Platinum Grey, and Chrome.

As for the styling, the India-spec C3 looks a lot different from the one sold in the international markets. The C3 carries the quintessential French styling seen on all the modern-day Citroens. There’s a split headlamp cluster with sleek LEDs on the top tier and larger halogen housings for the lower tier. They are joined by a double-louvre chrome strip which also forms the Citroen logo in the middle. Lower down the fascia, there’s a large blacked-out cut-out for the grille with a silver-finished faux-skid plate at its bottom flanked by circular fog lamps. These fog lamps also get contrast inserts around them.

Move to the side and there’s black cladding around and a tall-boyish profile. Like the C5, the C3 also gets a floating effect on the C-pillar. Adding a bit of character are the two recesses extending from the headlamps onto the front fender and from the tail lamps onto the rear doors. The C3 sits on 15-inch wheels which are steel ones, but alloys might be part of a styling package. At the back, the stylish cues continue with a petite rear windshield, high-placed tail lamps with intricate cuts, and blacked-out bumpers for the SUV-ish stance.

On the inside, there are two choices for the dashboard finishes on the C3. You can have it either in a funky orange finish or a dark grey theme. It gets an all-digital driver’s display with the same square-ish layout as the one seen on the C5. Then, the air vents have a chain-interlink-like design.

The gearshift also has a distinct shape and design with a hollow cut-out in it. Further, there are spaces in the centre console below the rotary dials for the air-con. The floating touchscreen also has a new interface. As for the steering, it looks directly scrounged from the C5 Aircross in terms of design. There’s a tweeter mounted on the A-pillar and the mirror adjustment gets a manual stalk.

The C3 gets fixed headrests on seats, both front and back. And the rear bench has a contour in the seat base for the middle passenger. In fact, the rear passengers get a bottle holder and USB port placed between the front two seats along with storage in the door pads. Meanwhile, the available boot space is 315 litre.

Upon launch, the Citroen C3 will be available in two trims – Live and Feel. The entry-level Live will only get one engine option and won’t be available with a dual-tone paint scheme either.

The standard safety features on the C3 include dual front airbags, rear parking sensors, seat belts, and a high-speed alert system. Meanwhile, the Feel gets speed-sensing door locks. Moreover, both the Live and Feel trim will get manual AC, manually adjustable ORVMs, a digital driver’s display, and halogen headlamps.

Over to the Feel trim, you’ll get additional features like wheel arch cladding, LED DRLs, front skid plates and roof rails, chrome highlights inside the cabin, remote keyless entry, manually adjustable driver’s seat, tilt adjustment for steering, all four power windows, USB fast charging port, and a 10-inch infotainment system. This floating infotainment touchscreen gets Bluetooth connectivity, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, four speakers, and controls on the steering wheel.

With the C3, Citroen will be offering just one 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine option but in two states of tune. First, the Puretech 82 — its power output, as the name suggests, is 82 PS or around 80bhp and 115Nm. It is paired with a five-speed manual gearbox. The other one is called Puretech 110 and produces close to 108bhp and 190Nm of torque.

It can be had with a six-speed manual gearbox. As for the fuel efficiency, the claimed figures are 19.8kmpl and 19.4kmpl, respectively. There will be no automatic option for the C3 at the launch, but we could expect one to be added at a later date.

With the C3, Citroen will offer a standard warranty of two years or 40,000km (whichever is earlier). The India launch of the new C3 is scheduled for 20 July, wherein pre-bookings will commence on 1 July. We expect aggressive pricing for the C3 upon launch which should be a little over Rs 5 lakh for the entry-level naturally aspirated version. Meanwhile, the turbo C3 is expected to retail around Rs 6-7 lakh, ex-showroom. In terms of competition, the C3 will compete with the likes of Maruti Suzuki Celerio and Wagon R apart from some versions of the Swift and Tata Punch.

A detailed first drive review of the Citroen C3 will be published on 15 June at 12:00 noon. Stay tuned.

Pictures by Citroen India