IT is amazing how, from what is effectively the same car, Citroen, Peugeot and Toyota have come up with three very different looking city models.
Out has gone the safe look of the old C1, replaced with what I believe is the most youthfully-styled version of the three. So the new Citroen C1 is a distinctive looker and I like that.
The split headlights and the wide lower grille almost give the C1 a Cheshire Cat like grin – it looks like a happy car.
As a business buyer there’s much to put a smile on your face too, with 60+mpg economy and company car tax from as little as £22 a month.
If your small business wants to reduce its tax burden, then you can buy this outright and get 100% of the purchase price as a first year tax allowance against your corporation tax thanks to its 99g/km CO2 emissions.
Sadly, it’s not all good news with the baby Citroen. The cheap feel to the interior is the fist thing you’ll notice when sitting in the cabin.
Then on the move, the thrashy, unrefined nature of the 1.2-litre petrol becomes immediately obvious when you work the engine – which you’ll need to do, to make decent progress. Body roll is well-contained in corners, but the woolly steering makes it hard to tell exactly what the front wheels are doing.
To sum up, whilst this is a lot of city car for the money, rivals offer better interior quality, plus are more fun and refined to drive.
More on the Citroen C1
Read our review here