Citroën C3 (02-10) - Review

The seats in the C3 are a little narrow and lack support but they're fairly supple while the large windows mean the cabin is light and airy. There's a lack of refinement on the move though and this shows with intrusive engine and wind noise at speed while air conditioning is only available on SX (now Rhythm) models and higher.

With 282 litres the C3's boot is pretty impressive - it's deep and wide, although slightly difficult to access because of a high sill. However, some models make the most of the space with a Moduboard - it's essentially a way of dividing and organising the contents of the boot (and also stops things from rolling around) and it's very useful for the weekly shop. However fixed seat bases mean the rear chairs can never fold totally flat, hampering practicality. Things are tight in the back for passengers too and you'll find it a challenge to squeeze three adults into the back with both head and shoulder room restricted.

The driver sits quite high up in the C3 with a good view of the road ahead - in fact the commanding driving position is almost MPV-like. Unfortunately that's not great when it comes to corners as you tend to move around in the seat, which itself lacks side support. The dash design is quite neat but quality is below par and with scratchy plastics and fiddly switches it's way behind the class best, however the digital speedo and rev counter are neat touches. We're not fans of the steering wheel which is unpleasant to hold while the vague gear change and cheap feeling lever leave much to be desired.