Citroen C3 1.6 VTI Review: Room with a view

What we like:

Quirky styling and character

panoramic windscreen

more spacious than the Polo and Fiesta on the inside

excellent ride

What we dislike:

Auto box only has four speeds

gruff engine note when worked hard

lack of body control

The C3 shares its basic interior architecture with the DS3 albeit with some minor differences. The dashboard is similar in layout and look as the DS3's but the big talking point in the C3 is its generous glass area that is further exacerbated by the Zenith windscreen design, quite possibly the biggest windscreen area in the class.

The Zenith windscreen design is basically a one-piece windscreen that extends all the way up to the roof to just above the front occupants' heads, thus there is no windscreen frame to interrupt the panoramic view out. The design does give the front occupants a good view of the sky, tall buildings as well as er... trees. For those afraid of the sun, a full length visor can slide forward with just a pull of a lever and easy effort to reduce the windscreen's aperture.

At the rear, the C3 offers more knee room than both the Polo and Fiesta while offering a more comfortable seat bench. Headroom isn't shabby as well and the boot is also more generously sized than its abovementioned rivals.

The C3 offers a fresh alternative in the supermini segment for those who are looking for something unique and quirky as well as a comfortable riding car, which incidentally are the traditional virtues of Citroen models. It might not be 2CV iconic but the C3 is certainly worthy of the Double Chevron badge.

Credits: Story by William Whey Photos by Raymond Lai