The C1 has got the looks

The Citroen C1 has a cheeky smile, and is surprisingly spacious for its size.

Designed and developed jointly between French and Japanese white coats the Citroen's cheekily attractive make-up is probably the main reason it has survived while the future of the two others in South Africa, the Peugeot 108 and Toyota Aygo, don't seem to be too rosy.

The C1 is currently available in two variants, the Feel and the Airscape. It goes in to bat against the likes of the Suzuki Splash, Kia Picanto, Fiat 500 and the VW Up! and it has a tough fight ahead, certainly against the VW Up! which has a fine track record in Europe and was well accepted when it was recently launched over here.

A trifle heavy with the price pen

The Citroen also has quit a steep price tag, which could count against it although it has the kind of continental head-turning looks that takes some of the price pain away.

Overall a stylish, well-built city car.

The little city dweller is powered by a weenie 1.2 litre engine which buzzes out 61kW and 116 Nm and with the assistance of a close-ratio five speed transmission it actually feels as though it is punching above its weight.

Our test model was the flagship Airscape tinted in an eye-catching pinkish-red (which had the ladies ooh-ing and aah-ing), black sunroof cover, black side mirrors and black alloys. The living quarters were also cheerfully splattered with bright colours offset by black seats to add to the youthful exuberance of the tiny tot Citroen.

Spacey

For its Dinky toy size the cabin is impressively spacious and it swallowed four guys and a few cases of wine in its 196-litre boot with ease on a quick whizz through the Stellenbosch wine-lands. (The backseat can be folded flat to create even more luggage space, up to 780 litres).

The living quarters are well appointed and the dabs of colour are a nice touch.

Although designed mainly for city duty the C1 trots along quite enthusiastically on the motorway. The ride is comfortable and it handles with pleasant a dose of confidence, not that it is designed to be driven like a boy racer. When hustled along the engine sound does become a tad gruff, but cheekily so and not intrusive at all.

Wide open spaces

Although the blazing South African sun and fold-away roofs are generally not a good match we liked the way the cloth roof folds back in seconds at a press of a button... good for when tootling along the Camps Bay boulevard at poser's sunset.

The backseat can be folded flat to create even more luggage space, up to 780 litres.

The large combined instrument panel houses a touchscreen with access to multi-media and aircon. Considering its French heritage it is actually quite logically laid out and easy to operate.

Another feature we were impressed by is its hill-hold, which is very efficient, even when the car is carrying a full load of passengers and luggage.

Overall a stylish, well-built city car, a bit on the pricey side but its knock-down looks and zippy performance make it a likeable little charmer, good enough to compete with anything in its class.

The models and prices are:

CI Feel - R168,900
C1 Airscape - R194,990.

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