Citroen's latest C1 minis arrive in SA

The C1 is available available in two four-door hatchback derivatives; the Feel (R168 990) and top-of-the-range Airscape (R194 900) with a retractable roof. A third entry-level variant powered by a one-litre engine and priced from R139 990 will be added in 2015.

The car's nose has characteristics from Citroen’s latest models, including a new two-part headlight design with vertical LED headlights. At the rear it has a glass tailgate with square lights.

LOADS OF SPACE

The Airscape derivative's retractable fabric roof slides to the rear of the hatchback.

The new C1 is 1.4m tall , 3.4m long, 1.6m wide and has a 2.3m wheelsbase that permits a 10m turning circle.

Boot capacity is improved by 57 litres to 196 (up from 139) and can be increased to 780 litres with the rear seat folded.

PURE TECH ENGINE

The new PureTech 1.2-litre three-cylinder unit is capable of 61kW/116Nm, uses a five-speed manual transmission and has a claimed fuel consumption of 4.3 litres/100km with CO2 emissions of 99g/km. The little C1 accelerates to 100km/h in 11 seconds and can reach 170km/h.

According to Citroen: "With its 35-litre fuel tank, a range of almost 800km is feasible."

In terms of safety, it's equipped with anti-lock brakes, electronic brake-pressure distribution, electronic stability control, six air bags, pre-tensioning seat belts and IsoFix kiddie-seat anchor. Hill-start assist is standard.

The new C1 range gains auto aircon.