C3 Overview

Beautiful. Young. Intelligent! The all-new Citroën C3 has arrived.

CITROËN’S ambitious objective with the new C3 is to renew a best-selling car that has sold in more than 2 million units. Frédéric Banzet, Managing Director of CITROËN, said, “This is a major launch for the Marque and gives us the means to achieve our ambition of increasing market share, with both private and professional customers.”

To make this happen, CITROËN has taken the best of the C3 and moved it up a notch. The brand’s new ‘Visiodrive’ has what it takes to succeed: a unique, prestigious personality, with curvaceous yet taut styling and a cabin that sets a new standard in the segment on materials, design and finish quality, intelligent architecture for outstanding roominess, responsive and responsible road behaviour with controlled fuel consumption for all powertrains and an ambitious CO2 reduction programme.

But the new C3 does more than that. With its Zenith windscreen, it is unique. Boosting brightness and visibility, it brings Visiodrive passengers an all-new motoring experience.

C3 Features

The new Citroën C3 is a smart, sophisticated, low emissions and unique 5-door small car, designed for modern transport needs, both in the city and on the open road.

Boasting contemporary and dynamic styling, a sleek profile, refined quality throughout and an optional massive panoramic ‘Zenith’ windscreen, this is a car that sets a new benchmark in the small car segment - and is a bold reinvention of its popular predecessor, which sold more than two million examples worldwide.

The unique Zenith windscreen, which is standard on the top versions, provides a unique driving experience and makes every journey special. Much more than just a larger area of glass, it is also technically advanced, letting in light in differing amounts at different angles and stopping heat and UV rays. It is another example of Citroen’s advanced technical know-how producing a solution and a better car.

With a focus on four main areas - STYLE, QUALITY, SPACE and EFFICIENT PERFORMANCE - Citroën’s design team have created one of the most appealing and rewarding models to own in its class.

In addition, thanks to the availability of the unique panoramic Zenith windscreen, new C3 provides something extra - a totally new motoring sensation. Just one of the stand-out design features of this new car, the vast and flowing glass area is a quintessential application of Citroën’s ‘Créative Technologie’, a feat of vehicle engineering and an unparalleled offering in the small car market.

Engine

The range of available engines meets every requirement. New C3 offers a choice of two petrol power-plants – one of which was co-developed with BMW – plus Citroën’s critically acclaimed HDi turbo diesel. With combined cycle fuel economy of as little as 6.1 l/km for petrol models, and from 4.3 l/km on the Turbo Diesel version and a remarkable open road figure of just 3.7 l/100 km for the Turbo Diesel, the new Citroën C3 offers a combination of stylish and economical motoring. The all important carbon dioxide rating is from as little as 110 g/km.

Performance

One of Citroën’s key objectives in the development of new C3 was to maximise efficiency. A design emphasis was placed on minimising the car’s overall weight and optimising the aerodynamic performance – new C3 boasts a Cd of 0.30 – helping the model to deliver excellent fuel economy and low CO2 emissions.

With its agile frame and optimised aerodynamic profile, new C3 is effortless to manoeuvre with a responsive feel. Utilising Citroën’s extensive knowledge of combining smooth road manners with precise handling, new C3’s MacPherson-type front suspension, new rear axle with flexible traverse beam and variable electric power steering, all combine to strike the best balance between ride comfort and road holding. The refined running gear benefits from a range of suspension settings adapted to the power and torque of each engine. Light steering at low speeds and the 10.2m turning circle make the new C3 an ideal vehicle for city driving.

Citroen’s acclaimed HDi turbo diesel 1.6 16V 66 kW effortlessly blends performance with economy and low emissions.
The two petrol engines – Citroen’s 1.4 16V 54 kW and the Citroen/BMW joint venture 1.6 16V VTi 88 kW – offer refined and economical performance.

For drivers keeping a close eye on their fuel costs, the new C3 delivers excellent combined cycle fuel economy of as little as 6.1 l/100 km for petrol models and 4.3 l/100 km for the diesel-powered versions.

Driver aids

New C3 has a range of convenient driver aids, including cruise control with speed limiter on the top four variants and the new Gear Efficiency Indicator (GEI) that helps drivers maximise fuel economy.

Designed for those who like to travel with their music library, new C3 is always well connected with an auxiliary socket fitted as standard across the range – meaning portable music players can always be hooked up to the car’s audio system. Optional on the VT and VTR+ and standard on the Exclusive, the USB box that features an integrated socket on the central console. This allows users to connect, play and control portable media devices through the car’s audio system with the song title and information shown on the audio display.

The Bluetooth® hands-free equipment allows drivers to stay safely in contact on the road and conveniently enables music stored on mobile phones to be streamed wirelessly through the audio system – without the need for connective cabling.

Quality trim

The new C3 will be offered in Citroën’s three core trim levels – VT, VTR+ and Exclusive. Representing outstanding value-for-money, the entry-level VT models features generous levels of standard equipment, including an MP3-compatible radio/CD player with steering mounted controls, air conditioning, electrically adjustable door mirrors, front electric windows and a multi-function on-board trip computer.

At the heart of the range, the VTR+ trim, front ‘one-touch’ electric windows, curtain airbags, front fog lights, leather steering wheel, cooled glove box, and cruise control with speed limiter.

The range-topping Exclusive models offers premium levels of design and comfort with additional equipment such as digital air-conditioning, front centre armrest, height and tilt adjustable front passenger seat, front and rear ‘one-touch’ electric windows, interior mood lighting, Bluetooth, USB connectivity, dark tint rear windows, electrically folding and heated door mirrors and 16” wheels.

Generously compact

The new C3 is one of the most compact models in the segment at just 3.94 m long, 1.73 m wide and 1.52 m high, and also offers one of the most generous cabin environments in its class for both occupant space and load volume.

The intelligent design of the car’s internal architecture utilises the best of Citroën creativity to generate the maximum amount of useable space. For example, the recessed lower dashboard frees legroom for the front passenger, which means they can sit further forward, creating more legroom for back seat passengers. The slim design of the front seat backs creates an additional three cm of legroom in the rear and the semi-raised front seating position also creates space under the seats for rear passenger’s feet.

The 300-litre boot, with its optimised design, is the biggest in the segment and offers easy loading – thanks to the lowered boot sill (only 22.7 cm from the floor of the boot to the top of the sill), and the increased width of the boot aperture (104 cm). For secure stowage, the boot also has four lashing rings and can be equipped with a removable load net. To increase rear load space, the 60:40 split-folding rear seats can be folded down with one hand in a single effortless movement using levers accessed from either the boot or the back seats. With the rear seats down it is possible to load boxes up to 1029 x 1189 x 689 mm in size.

Providing convenient storage throughout the cabin, the new C3 is fitted with front and rear door cubby holes, compartments in the central fascia and, on the Exclusive, a central armrest.

Style

Exterior style

The new C3 represents an upmarket shift by Citroën towards the highest levels of small car segment comfort and prestige. Retaining some of the familiar lines of its predecessor, the tauter and sleeker new C3 takes inspiration from small car premium models and from the sector above. The result is a stylish and contemporary design that places an emphasis on quality, sophistication and fun.

The design of the body is much more dynamic, with smooth lines flowing over chrome trimmed surfaces. There’s even chrome detailing at the top of the panoramic Zenith windscreen where it meets the roof. The new look is underpinned by the gaping front grill, the incisive boomerang-shaped headlights and emphatically drawn wings, which help to give new C3 its purposeful, low-slung stance.

Catering for a wide range of customer preferences, buyers can personalise their new C3 with a choice of eight elegant body colours. There is also a choice of optional stylish alloy wheels, with 15” alloys available on VT and VTR+ models and 16” alloys on Exclusive versions.

Interior style

Inside the cabin, the Citroën design team have focused on quality and comfort, with a stylish and sophisticated interior tailored with chrome and gloss black trim and a choice a leather seat option.

The flowing lines of the exterior are mirrored in the smooth horizontal dashboard design, which combines chic styling with high-tech appeal and is finished with either a brushed steel or chrome strip that runs the full width of the car.

The new C3 is designed for an enjoyable driving experience. From the comfort of the contoured seats, the driver looks through the sculpted steering wheel to a brand new instrument cluster design, which sports two analogue dials and an LED display.

Zenith windscreen

The Exclusive version of the new C3 is fitted as standard with the innovative panoramic Zenith windscreen, which dominates the car’s appearance from every forward angle. Unique to the market, this massive screen opens up new perspectives and sensations for all occupants.

Soaring 1.35 m from bonnet to roof, the panoramic Zenith windscreen is 36% bigger than a normal screen on an average five-door small car and the angle from the driver’s eye line to the top of the windscreen is a huge 108° instead of the segment average 28°.

Coupled with slim A-pillars, the curved glazed area offers unrivalled visibility – with obvious safety benefits – and gives occupants a truly panoramic view of the world. Progressive tinting across the top 25 cm of the screen ensures optimal protection from overhead sunlight. A sunblind, featuring two sun-visors, can easily be pulled forwards when driving in low-angle sun conditions.

Safety

With high levels of both active and passive safety, including a reinforced cabin structure, the new C3 is a reassuringly secure environment for both driver and passengers.

For confident stopping power, all models are fitted as standard with front ventilated disc brakes and ABS with EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution) and EBA (Emergency Braking Assistance). Providing even more assured handling in low-grip conditions ESP is also standard.

From the VTR+ trim level, all models are specified as standard with six airbags (driver, front passenger, front lateral and curtain), and for the secure fitment of child seats.