Citroen’s citycar hits green road

Today, more than ever before, offering a green choice is a priority in the automotive world - and manufacturers are producing cars to meet this demand. Cars like this one, Citroen’s little C1 citycar. It sums up everything that modern eco-friendly motoring should really be about.

The C1 isn’t hybrid or hydrogen-powered. Most of its customers don’t choose diesel power. It doesn’t even have fancy stop-start electronics. Yet despite all of that, it still manages to be one of the most frugal and eco-conscious petrol models on UK roads today.

Citroen have discovered that many of the things that make a car eco-conscious also make it fun to drive. And so it is with this C1, the zippiness it delivers around town is at odds with its modest power and apparently unpromising 14.2 second 0-60mph sprint figure. You don’t need to row the thing along with the gearlever either, the engine developing its peak pulling power from way down in the rev range. This is, in other words an engine that backs up its perky soundtrack with perky power delivery, perfectly suiting the C1’s up and at ‘em personality.

For now though, this product must function as a sensible little car for a family of four - no small ask for a car that’s 23cms shorter than a modern Mini. Other manufacturers produce two or three-seater models in the C1’s citycar segment but for many families needing to use this as a regular second car, that simply won’t be enough. And there’s nothing very ‘green’ about having to take two cars when one would have sufficed.

Inside, you really can fit two fully-sized adults (or more easily two children) comfortably across the backseat, with adequate knee room and headroom to spare. And at the wheel? Well, being green doesn’t mean you have to be boring. There are some lovely stylish touches like the way this translucent panel lights up at night. And the cute design of the rev counter that sprouts on top of the speedo.

More practically, the steering wheel adjusts for rake (up and down) and there’s enough fore/aft adjustment in the front seats for even the most portly people. At the back, the glass tailgate looks good and though it doesn’t open down to bumper level like a conventional rear hatch, it does reveal 139 litres of space which you can extend to 751 litres by flattening the rear seats.

Eco-friendliness demands that our choice of car should include everything we need - and nothing we don’t. A directive which has very much been taken to heart by Citroen, who’ve priced the C1 very affordably in the £7,000 to £9,000 bracket, well below Ford and Vauxhall rivals. Fortunately though, the definition of ‘everything we need’ has become a little more liberal in recent times, so you shouldn’t feel too guilty about upgrading to the plusher C1 variant we’ve been using, which includes niceties like a chromed radiator grille, front electric windows, high frequency remote central locking, front lateral airbags, a rev counter, split-folding rear seats and beautiful leather and alcantara trim.

As well as a specially developed body structure that incorporates crumple zones and impact absorbers at the front and rear, the C1 also boasts ISOFIX child seat anchor points, reinforced doors and up to four airbags.

What’s more, it’s also well equipped to avoid a fender bender with anti lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution and corner stability control.

The C1 has also been designed to limit the consequences of a pedestrian impact. The front end features no sharp edges and impact absorbers up front also help to limit leg injuries. There’s plenty of clearance between the impact-absorbing bonnet and the top of the engine which means that shock is dissipated without coming into contact with anything hard.

This 1.0-litre petrol version manages just 106g/km of C02, with the 1.4-litre HDi diesel variant only just behind - at only 109g/km. Fuel economy is also standout, the petrol-engined car averaging over 50mpg even around town, a return that rises to an extra urban figure of 72.4mpg if you include some open road work.

Long before all the green hype began, Citroen was pioneering cleaner, more fuel-efficient motoring. The common rail HDi diesel engines now fitted in all their diesel models - including this C1 - are a great example of that.

As a result, the French brand can today boast one of the UK’s widest ranges of low emission vehicles, three of which are in the top four for low CO2 and fuel efficiency.

And no model illustrates their mastery of the subject better than this C1.

An ideal first car for young motorists, a brilliant second or third one for older ones or families, it’s also an ideal example of what it really means to be green.