What is it?
It’s a proper little car that’s what. Pretty basic, manual transmission, no frills and a lot of fun to drive at a great price. The Citroën C3 YOU! is the brand’s new lead-in model that offers good levels of standard equipment and safety features, yet is priced from only £12,995 MRRP OTR.
Following the removal of the Citroën C1 city car from the range, C3 YOU! offers buyers – who may have previously considered C1 – an alternative Citroën model that delivers additional benefits, including space for five occupants, a larger boot and a more powerful engine.
It’s available exclusively via the online Citroën Store and is good example of Citroën’s ‘Fair Pricing’ policy, which aims to provide more transparent pricing and convenient ways of buying a new car.
All C3 YOU! models come equipped with key features for drivers and passengers. Standard equipment includes LED headlights, body-coloured bumpers and door handles, Bluetooth connectivity, a five-inch central touchscreen and DAB digital radio.
Standard safety equipment includes Hill Start Assist, tyre pressure monitoring, a video-based lane departure warning system and speed sign recognition and recommendation. C3 YOU! also comes with cruise control and speed limiter, as well as a ‘Coffee Break Alert’ feature to ensure the safety and comfort of everyone on-board on longer journeys.
The car maintains the distinctive look of a Citroën C3, in this case with a White Colour Pack, a matt black finish on the B-pillars and chrome around the LED daytime running lights. It comes as standard with Soft Sand metallic paint included in the price. Five additional body colours are available at additional cost. There is also the cost option of an Opal White bi-tone roof.
The Citroën C3 model range in the UK now consists of five trim levels: YOU!, Sense, C-Series, Saint James and Shine Plus. Previously, the most affordable C3 in the UK range was in ‘Sense’ trim with the same PureTech 83 petrol engine – priced from £16,260 MRRP OTR.
Citroën UK has revealed updates to its C3 supermini line-up, with a rationalised and re-structured range available from October 2021 production. With prices starting from £14,180 OTR, Citroën C3 now provides customers with a more streamlined series of trim and engine variants.
Citroën updated the C3 range in late 2021 aimed at strengthening its international scope with a versatile hatchback measuring less than 4m in length that will enable the brand to expand into other countries such as India and consolidate its presence in South America.
It’s the first model in a family of three vehicles aimed at selected international markets, developed and produced in India and South America and sold in both regions. New C3 is a modern hatchback designed to meet the needs and road conditions in all markets, offering comfort and connectivity to a growing customer base.
In the UK there are six trim levels currently available with the Shine at £16,995 and the Sense at £16,630. bells and whistles come with the C-Series Edition at £17,330, the Elle at £18,480 and the Shine Plus at £19,280. Standard equipment across most trims includes a seven-inch touchscreen.
What do we think?
A very likeable little car and we asked a lot of it. A week taking in almost 600 miles of motorway, country road and cithy driving but the 1.2-litre three-cylinder PureTech 83 petrol engine proved up to the job returning 52.6mpg for good measure.
Ride is smooth enough although you might want to steer clear of the bigger lumps and bumps and you won’t find much feel through the steering wheel. But it is light and easy to manoeuvre which is great in the city. Wind and tyre noise is pretty well damped and it’s fun these days to find a car with a manual transmission.
It’s a five-speed and not the most sophisticated of ‘boxes and on some roads in does take a bit of ‘twiddling’ to keep the 3-cylinder engine on the pace.
The interior is fairly basis, but practical. There’s a 7-inch touch screen which is in black and white – so no distractions there – and you need to turn it on every time you start the engine. Don’t expect to find such exotic things as sat-nav or Apple CarPlay etc. This is base spec remember.
But it’s comfortable enough, you can get five adults in with a bit of a squeeze width-wise but there’s plenty of head room and the cargo is surprisingly roomy as well with a 300-litre boot, which extends to 992-litres with the rear bench folded down.
The driving position is particularly accommodating for those of us who are 6ft plus and there were one or two leg cramp situations during the long runs – but I can’t say that distracted from the fun.
Citroën C3 YOU PureTech 83 S&S Manual
Engine: 1199cc 3-cylinder In line
Maximum power (kW/rpm): 61 / 5750
Maximum torque (Nm/rpm): 118 / 2750
Top speed: 103mph
0-62mph: 12.5 seconds
Fuel economy (on test) 52.6mpg
CO2 emissions: 123g/km (WLTP)
Warranty: 3 years or 60,000
Service intervals: miles 1 year / 12,500 miles
Annual VED: £190 (First Year)
BiK banding: 29%
Insurance group: 14E
