C3

Overview

The C3 is not trying to win a spec-sheet fight, and that is the point. Citroen’s pitch sits in the suspension: the rear uses progressive hydraulic cushions instead of conventional bump stops, which turns the way this car handles a raked-out crater or a sequence of expansion joints into its most obvious party trick. Over the surfaces most Indian cities actually drive on, the C3 floats where rivals thump, and the tall 186 mm of ground clearance means speed breakers stop being a scouting exercise.

The rest of the package is deliberately sensible. The 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine makes 82 bhp and 115 Nm, which is enough for the city and honest about its limits on a hill with the air conditioning on; the automatic is a relaxed torque-converter unit rather than a dual-clutch, tuned for the same comfort-first character as the ride. Inside, the seats are long-bench soft, the boot takes 315 litres, and the design leans cheerful rather than aggressive.

The costs of that single-mindedness are pace and presence. Overtaking on a two-lane road asks for a run-up, the cabin is finished in plastics you will notice daily, and a three-star adult crash score matches the segment average without beating it. Buy the C3 for the way it makes bad roads feel smaller, and be clear-eyed that everything else about it is ordinary at the price.

• Progressive hydraulic cushion suspension
• 186 mm of ground clearance
• Six airbags fitted as standard