Citroen’s much awaited made for India car is here – And is ready to take on segment leader, Tata Punch
The Indian hatchback segment is a highly cluttered place. Customers are spoilt with choice as with every additional INR 10K, options on offer increase. While the overall sales numbers might look lucrative from outside, many international OEMs have tried their luck in the segment and haven’t had very pleasant experiences.
Some of these have in-fact shut shops and moved out of the country while others have moved on to different segments. Interestingly, French automaker, Citroen has now planned to enter this highly competitive space with its all new Citroen C3. For the uninitiated, Citroen is a French automaker which is part of the Stellantis group.
As of now, the company sells the C5 Aircross, which you might or might not have spotted on Indian roads. However, with the introduction of C3, Citroen intends to widen its presence considerably, both on the sales charts and in terms of geographical foot-print. We were recently invited for C3’s Media Drive in Goa, and here is our first-drive review!
Citroen C3 Review – Looks
Thanks to its unique styling, C3 is a car which cannot go unnoticed, not even in its blandest color schemes. In case you spot the white and orange combination, there is absolutely no possibility of you not noticing the car. C3 has a quirky micro SUVish styling, though it still manages to marginally stay away from the ‘love it or hate it’ group.
Talking about specifics, some of its highlights include a large Citroen Logo at the front, well finished in chrome, accentuated chrome highlights – which run across the front in typical Citroen fashion, split headlamps, large wheel arches, faux skid plate and thick plastic claddings. While the design gives the car a SUV’ish stance, it is the color combinations on offer which help C3 to stand out from the rest.
The design theme isn’t limited to just the exteriors and in-fact carries on in the cabin too. In case you are not satisfied with the factory-made product, Citroen intends to provide 70 accessories and 56 customization options, just so that you can Express Your Style (which in-fact happens to be C3’s tag-line too).
What is on Offer?
Citroen has planned to launch the C3 in 2 different powertrain options, both of which use the same engine, however the difference is between presence and absence of a turbocharger. The 1.2 naturally aspirated engine dishes out 82 PS and comes mated to a 5-speed MT as standard. The turbo-charged version of this engine churns out 110 PS and is paired to a 6-speed MT as standard.
Fuel efficiency figures for the non-turbo variant stands at 19.8 kmpl while for the turbo, the numbers stand at 19.4 kmpl. Citroen is not offering any automatic option as of now, however our guess is that in the future, we can expect either an AMT or a CVT on offer from Citroen’s end.
In terms of equipment, Citroen is offering a limited set of goodies but it has ensured that they function really well. Highlight of the features list is a 10-inch infotainment unit, which has a very fluid and self intuitive interface.
In our experience, some of the cars which are one segment above the Citroen C3, don’t offer the same level of fluid experience with their infotainment. While the cabin is filled with hard-touch plastics, quality of materials is decent for a car of its segment.
Interior space is good, both for front and rear occupants. Having a tall-boy stance has further aided in increasing leg room and head room. Some of the cost-cutting or rather we may say, cost-optimization actions are good, for example, offering traditional AC controls instead of a fancy HVAC.
However, there are other areas where maybe the Citroen team could have been a little more generous, for example we did miss out on the presence of a rear wiper or a day-night IRVM. The instrument cluster too seems to be extremely basic, which could have displayed a lot more information, if Citroen wanted.
How is it to Drive?
We got to spend time with both, turbo and non-turbo variants of the C3. As per the claims in the Media briefing, one thing which stood out in both the cars was their suspension setup. Citroen officials had claimed that they had tried to bring in a ‘Flying Carpet’ feel to the C3 and they weren’t exaggerating.
In the segment, C3 offers the most relaxed in-cabin experience, thanks to its suspension. However, if you were to throw the C3 around corners, you will experience body roll, thanks to its SUVish/tall-boy stance. A softer suspension which helps to absorb most undulations doesn’t really support aggressive driving, something which even the C3 isn’t made to do.
The naturally aspirated unit happens to be a good machine for regular city drives and doesn’t feel underpowered. However, if you want your daily runner to have some additional firepower, it is the turbo version which you should eye for.
Power delivery on the turbo trim is linear and smooth. Addition of a turbo makes you really feel what 30 PS of power difference translates into on-road. Steering of the C3 isn’t very lively and doesn’t offer great response. Thankfully, it is light and makes city driving easy and comfortable.
Verdict
The C3 is an extremely Brave attempt from Citroen’s end to enter into the highly competitive Indian hatchback market. The hatchback is a good product and brings in considerable freshness, through its design and practicality. However, it is majorly the pricing, which will define the success of the C3.
Citroen seems to be aware of the same and hence has tried to optimize costs, bring in close to 95% localization and is hopeful of providing an aggressive introductory price for the C3. The French carmaker also understands the fact that its current limited footprint of around 11 showrooms will pose a challenge if it wants to access the larger Indian car-market.
Hence, it plans on increasing its dealer network to around 20 cities by July’22 and has invested heavily on providing a seamless phygital experience to interested buyers. For the post-purchase customer journey, it is committing to provide service at customer’s doorsteps, across the country, without any additional costs.
Broadly speaking, Citroen seems to be honest and aware about their standing and practical challenges in the Indian mass-market segment. They have a good product offering in the form of C3 and with a right pricing strategy, they can hopefully let more Indians experience French engineering marvels. Rivals of Citroen C3 will include the likes of Tata Punch, Renault Kiger, Nissan Magnite, etc.
