Citroen C3 review: Trish Whelan, Irish Car

Citroën launched its fourth-generation C3 last summer, as a more modern, assertive design that resembles an SUV rather than the traditional hatchback. It is likely to attract a broader audience thanks to its spaciousness, affordability, comfort, and range of powertrains. The model is particularly significant for the French car manufacturer, accounting for 30 per cent of its sales - the previous version sold around 5.6 million units. C3 competes in the market space also occupied by the Hyundai i20, Toyota Yaris, Citroen’s own e-C3, Hyundai’s Inster and the Dacia Spring. 

While it maintains the same 4.01m footprint as before, the new model is almost 100mm taller at 1.57m, making it taller than rivals. The generous wheelbase allows for a roomy second row. Ground clearance has been increased from 135mm to 197mm. At the front, the fascia incorporates a large oval ‘chevron’ logo, new front and rear light designs, and new taillight clusters that extend into the corners. My car was in a nice shade of blue with a contrasting black roof and roof rails. Fun elements are the coloured strips that provide contrasting accents along the car's exterior. It’s a good looker, to be sure. 

The cabin of this five-seater is simple and welcoming, creating a pleasant space to spend time, especially on long journeys, with extra legroom, headroom, and elbow room. Seating is now significantly elevated, allowing everyone a better view and the driver a more commanding driving position. Citroën is renowned for comfort, and this C3 features progressive hydraulic cushion suspension. The car also has the brand's Advanced Comfort seats. 

The dashboard conveys a sense of width, while the absence of a traditional instrument cluster is quite a novelty. Instead, you find a display positioned between the top of the dashboard and the bottom of the windscreen. This allows the driver to easily view all key information without taking their eyes off the road. A well-sized 10.25-inch colour touchscreen infotainment system is user-friendly and compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Below are three large knobs for climate control, eliminating the need to navigate through screen menus. My car had a traditional pull-up hand brake and no front armrest. The cubbies included large front door bins - cheerful in white - a small glovebox, and two cupholders. In the back, passengers have wind-up rear windows and handy pockets on the front seat backs for small items. There's a high transmission tunnel for the person in the middle seat to work their feet around. 

Boot space is 310 litres, decent for the class, and can be expanded to over 900 litres with the 60/40 split rear seats folded down. My Plus version lacked a rearview camera or blind-spot monitors. But it did have front LED headlamps, 17-inch alloys, auto wipers, power-folding and heated door mirrors, rear parking sensors, air conditioning, C-type USBs at the front and rear, Hill Start Assist, a manual child lock and six airbags. 

If I were buying the car, I’d choose the higher Max grade for an extra €1,750, which includes LED rear lights, heated windscreen, front fog lights, navigation, heated steering wheel and front seats, wireless smartphone charger, and, most importantly, a reversing camera. Powertrains include petrol, hybrid, and all-electric (BEV) options. My car was fitted with a 1.2 turbo petrol engine producing 100hp, paired with a 6-speed manual gearbox. 

Accelerating from 0-100 km/h takes around 10.6 seconds, and the claimed combined fuel consumption of 5.6 L/100 km was accurate, as I averaged 5.5 L/100 km over various routes during my time with the car. This is a quiet and eager engine, and the car’s compact size makes it very nimble for parking in town. This new generation of the model hasn’t yet been tested by Euro NCAP. The C3 is built in Europe at the Stellantis plants in Serbia and Slovakia. 

The 100hp petrol is competitively priced at €23,900. The all-electric e:C3 has the same starting price.

 

Toyota Aygo Review: Trish Whelan, Irish Car

The Toyota Aygo X, introduced in March 2022, is the Japanese carmaker’s smallest car on sale in Europe replacing the previous Aygo city car. It could be claimed the ‘X’ (pronounced Cross) is actually a new model in itself as there are many differences between both cars. 

Agyo X differs from the previous model as it is built on the platform first introduced with the brand’s new Yaris and more recently with the Yaris Cross hybrid SUV. The car is styled as a mini crossover for city streets but with the design cues of an off-roader with its rugged looks. But an SUV it is not! 

The exterior look of my top spec Limited version was enhanced by special edition colours of green-black with lots of contrasting bright orange accents both inside and out that added a bit of extra spice to the overall look. You can choose your spice from the sharp kick of Chill Red to Tarragon Green, or Ginger Beige. 

At 3.7 metres long, this is a brilliant little motor for navigating city streets, with its tight turning circle, and easily fits into tight urban spaces. Customers can make a personal statement with their car as there are quite a few customising options to choose from. On top of all that, Aygo X is also a fun car to enjoy, putting a smile on my face every morning. I just wanted to get in and drive it. 

The car is longer, wider and taller than the previous iterations of the nameplate. The car's slightly raised driving position makes it easy to get in and out of and also provides decent visibility, helped by the narrow front windscreen pillars. Thickish B-pillars block your side view, though. The interior is cheerful and colourful with strong curves on the dash and door trims. Orange accents appear throughout, even on the piping of the sporty seats which were nice and comfy and offered good support. The driver’s seat gets manual seat adjustments but the front passenger’s seat has no height adjustment setting, not great for tall people. Front seats can be heated. There's fair elbow room up front but there's very little leg room in the rear for an adult seated behind a tall person. Children, though, will have no such bother. Small rear side windows are hinged to open outwards, making the rear a bit claustrophobic for some. 

The boot capacity is 231 litres — which makes it a useful space for more than a few shopping bags, as was the case in the previous Aygo. That suggests the designers opted for more boot space over rear legroom. 

The dash is dominated by the stylish central infotainment screen which starts at 7-inches on the entry-level models but which can be upgraded to 9-inches. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come as standard which allows you to mirror your phone onto the screen for entertainment, navigation and communications. The instrument cluster provides all the information you require. There are physical climate control knobs and buttons. Cubbies include a bucket-type glovebox, two cupholders and good front door bins. There is no front armrest. You’ll find a USB port and a 12-volt power socket in the front — there are none in the rear, just a 12-volt socket. 

On the technology front, Toyota’s Smart Connect seamlessly keeps your phone and car in sync. This feature is only available on the near top Envy grade as is a wireless phone charger. I found the rear view camera worked fine on dull days but the view fades somewhat when reversing in bright sunshine. 

The entry level Pulse trim gets 17-inch alloy wheels, a tyre repair kit, rear view camera; the mid Design spec adds a contrast roof colour, rear privacy glass, a CVT automatic transmission option, and bigger touchscreen, while the Envy adds 18-inch bi-tone alloys, climate control, blue ambient lighting. 

Besides its special exterior paintwork and contrasting black roof, my Limited trim car had orange inserts on its black alloy and front and rear parking sensors. Toyota Safety Sense includes a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, and adaptive cruise control. 

Power is from a 1.0, three-cylinder petrol engine outputting 72hp and 93Nm torque, and mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. Toyota claim a combined fuel consumption of 4.8 L/100kms which compares favourably with the 4.5 L/100kms (63mpg) achieved for my week with the car. The little engine takes around 15 seconds to go from 0-100km/h, but it is actually a fun car to drive when you rev up the engine. Besides its city driving credentials, I found the car also works fairly well for long distances. 

Aygo X is produced in Toyota’s manufacturing plant in the Czech Republic and was awarded a four-star safety rating by Euro NCAP in 2022.

 

Review: BMW X1, by Trish Whelan - Irish Car

The third generation of the BMW X1 arrived here late last year along with the new all-electric iX1 version of the model, writes Trish Whelan. 

This Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), competes in the premium compact segment and comes with distinctive new styling, more interior space, a premium ambience and enhanced connectivity. 

The first generation was introduced in 2009 so it’s been around for some time. A major change is that X1 can now compete with its larger X3 sibling! Top BMW model sales are led by the ever-popular 5 Series followed by the i4 while X3 sales at 193 so far this year exceed X1 sales of 184, just a mere 9 units difference. 

Viewing the car from all sides, you get the impression of a sturdy and sporty SUV-type vehicle with a stretched silhouette. In size, it is smaller than its X3 and X5 siblings but is now larger than its predecessor by 53mm (now 4,500mm), and is wider and higher than that version. 

The new strong upright front end makes a ‘get out of my way’ statement just like its larger siblings do. Some like the front look, others do not. Sculpted surfaces for wheel arches, dramatic lines, the long roofline that flows into the spoiler that extends out to the rear, all attract attention. I liked the almost square kidney grille at the centre of the front end with a 3D chrome surround. Grille bars are finished in black high-gloss as standard. M Sport models add a dynamic edge of their own with large air inlets in the sides of the front bumper and exclusive 19-inch alloy wheels, as do the adaptive M suspension and high gloss trims. 

My car was clad in 20-inch M alloy wheels which added another €1,063.68 to the cost of the car but certainly look the part. 

At the rear, horizontal lines, the narrow rear window and those flared wheel arches emphasise the car’s width. The upmarket interior is equally impressive with more cabin space and cutting-edge digital technology to play with. The black dash and doors were matched with beautiful pale cream leather upholstery and the raised seating position helps with visibility. Sports seats, with prominent bolsters that hug you in, can feel a bit firm at first but you soon get used to them - front seats can be heated and the driver’s has two memory settings. There are three full-sized seats in the rear with good head and knee room - but the transmission tunnel in the petrol car means less legroom for the person sat in the middle. 

In the M Sport Premier Pro ICE models, rear seats can slide by up to 13mm allowing boot capacity to expand from 540 litres to 1,600 litres which is less than the electric and PHEV models. There’s just a tyre repair kit below the high boot floor. 

I have to query the need by some carmakers to provide thick chunky steering wheels in place of more easy to hold narrower ones. M Sport models come with gearshift paddles on the steering wheel which allow rapid manual gear changes and include a sport boost function. 

The key feature for me was the BMW driver-focused Curved Display that includes a 10.25-inch information display and a ’busy’ 10.7-inch control screen that seem to merge as one. State-of-the-art graphics have a smartphone-like look so are intuitive to find your way around and the very good Head Up Display means you don’t need to look at the speedometer while driving. The other stand-out feature was the floating armrest with integral control panel for the newly designed gear selector lever, volume control for the audio system and other function buttons like a parking view button, auto hold, drive modes and the electric parking brake. There’s also a smartphone tray with wireless charging. Underneath is a large storage area at floor level. 

The spec features a large selection of automated driving and parking systems which all contributed to it receiving a maximum five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP. I always appreciate parking aids and those in the X1 include an excellent reversing camera, a parking assist feature with surround that shows the area around your parked car in 3D, front and rear sensors, and very good blind spot monitor. A power-operated panoramic glass sunroof is standard on Pro models as is the Harman Kardon Sound System with 12 speakers. 

Engines include two petrols and two diesels each with the latest generation of 48V mild hybrid technology to further increase efficiency, as well as a pair of plug-in hybrids and an all-electric drive system. 

My X1 xDrive 23i was powered by a four-cylinder in-line 2.0 petrol engine with 218hp and 360Nm of torque allowing an acceleration time of from 0-100km/h in 7.1 seconds. Claimed combined fuel consumption is 6.7 -6.9 L/100kms (c 40.0mpg). Annual road tax of €280. All X1 petrol and diesel engines are mated to a seven-speed Steptronic transmission with double clutch as standard. The transmission automatically shifts into P when you switch off the engine and if the car is parked on a slope, the electric parking brake is automatically applied. 

On the road, this very well built and solid car delivers a really smooth, refined and comfortable yet fun-to-drive performance that is true to the brand’s heritage of providing sporty performance in its cars, but the ride can be a bit firm for some people depending on road surfaces. Steering is nice and direct as I prefer and the car was agile to turn and to park. Heavy doors open wide for ease of getting in and out but the 20-inch wheels may contribute to the stiffish ride. 

Prices are from €60,990.00 and are inclusive of VAT and VRT. My car with extras €76,272.65.