By IOL Motoring Staff
Paris, France - Citroens have always been different, a little quirky, and the new C3, revealed today, continues that tradition with its mix 'n match options list, Airbump protective panels and ConnectedCam - a built-in dashcam integrated with the car's infotainment systems so you can share on-the-road pictures and videos directly to the internet.
More importantly, however, it's a very compact (less than four metres long) B-segment five-door hatch with an airy, uncluttered cabin that's designed to look and feel more spacious than it is, offering a decent range of three petrol and two diesel engine options.
The three cylinder petrol engine will be available in Europe with 50, 60 and 81kW ratings and the choice of either manual or auto transmissions, while the diesel will come in either 55 or 74kW flavour, each with a manual 'box.
C's got the look
The new C3's soft lines are just saved from being blobby by some very strong horizontals (especially across the grille and along the sills) and striking colour schemes. These include a choice of three roof colours, reflected in the foglight surrounds, door mirrors, rear three-quarter panels and Airbump panels.
Inside, there's a huge glass roof, and a low, wide dashboard (both very French design features) and a choice of four different trim options.
The Standard style is finished in neutral colours with yellow top-stitching, the Metropolitan Grey has soft colours and fabrics on the dashboard as well as the seats, Urban Red combines bright and dark colours with red top-stitching and a red dashboard surround, and Hype Colorado comes with upmarket material, colour-contrasted upholstery and a leather-trimmed steering wheel.
Keyless entry and start is standard, while an 18cm central touch-screen combines the car's key functions, including voice-operated satnav with a tie-in to TomTom Traffic for real-time, real-world information on road conditions, Mirror Screen to duplicate your Apple or Android smartphone's screen display, and a reversing camera.
(Very) candid camera
The ConnectedCam is a two million pixel, full HD video camera with a 120 degree field of view, GPS and 16GB of internal memory, built into the back of the rearview mirror.
Always on while the car is switched on, it has two main uses:
At the click of a button, the driver can take a picture, either for an album or to share instantly on social media. A longer press on the button captures up to 20 seocnds of video, which can be shared once the car is stationary - and all your clicks are stored in the camera so you can access them at leisure.
If the car is crashed or crashed into, the camera automatically stores 90 seconds of video (30 seconds before the impact and a minute after it) for use as evidence, or to settle insurance disputes.
Sadly, there are no plans at present to release the new C3 in South Africa.
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