The Citroen C3 turbo is quick in the low end and mid-range. Will make the enthusiasts smile.

Citroen C3 Engine & Performance

The C3 comes with 2 three cylinder petrol engine options at launch. A 1.2 naturally aspirated unit with 82 horsepower and 115 Nm torque mated to a 5 speed manual, and a 1.2 turbo with 110 horses and 190 Nm mated to a six speed manual gearbox. It is surprising that Citroen has skipped the automatic gearbox for now. For a market moving more towards AT cars, this is a big miss. However an automatic is slated for introduction in due course. Hope that happens soon.

I drove the turbo petrol first and from the performance figures, that this will be fun. And it is. The C3 turbo is quick in the low end and mid-range. Performance tapers out as you reach the top end of the rev band but I cannot comment on the rpm due to the absence of the tacho. Turbo lag is well masked as well and you don’t really notice it easily.  The second and third gears are most fun. Want to overtake? Just downshift and mash the pedal and you will just shoot forward. The gearbox is pretty tractable too and you can pick up in higher gear at low speeds. The gearbox itself is very slick to use. What’s more this engine also gets an anti stall function. The clutch is also light to use. If you aren’t having fun in the lower gears, it will also cruise on the open road in 6th at 100 kph. The engine gearbox combo is perfect for a car this size. The enthusiasts in you will smile.

Now coming to the 1.2 naturally aspirated motor. This is opposite in character to the turbo unit. This will not outright please the enthusiasts, but for a sedate driver who commutes at low speeds in the city, this engine has very good driveabilty. Acceleration is linear and the car move about in a relaxed matter. Overtaking will require some planning and will make you downshift a gear or two. It should get you better fuel efficiency as well. The five speed manual is different from the six speed box. It has a little notchy feel and the shifts are not as smooth and precise as the 6 speed unit. The clutch however is light in this variant too.