Volkswagen Polo 2009 Review
Three’s good company, when it’s a triple-door Polo with a little four-cylinder engine that can be...
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Citroen C3 HDi 2008 review
- Citroen C3
- Citroen C3 2008
- Citroen C3 Reviews
- Citroen Reviews
- Citroen Hatchback Range
- Hatchback
- Citroen
- Hot hatches
- Diesel
A worthy little hatch manages to perform well with a little over 4.6 litres per 100km on a 700km test run.
Resale and battery issues aside, there has always been much conjecture about the virtues, environmental or otherwise about petrol/electric hybrids, particularly as there are some small diesel cars around these days that weaken the case for buying a hybrid for reasons of fuel economy.
Prime case is Citroen's C3 HDi. There is now a nifty 1.6-litre diesel sitting pretty in the nose of the cute C3 — and it delivers quite a bit of punch once the revs rise beyond 2000rpm.
It is armed with 66kW of power and a significant 215Nm of torque. Around town it is quite tractable, as more torque at lower revs means fewer gear changes in the cut-and-thrust of the peak-hour commute.
On a 700km test run trudging to and from the Gold Coast into Brisbane's CBD, the little French hatch was sipping a little over 4.6 litres per 100km (factory claim is 4.4 litres per 100km on a combined run, so we weren't far off). It means you can stretch your travel a long, long way on one 47-litre tank.
As with the petrol versions, the diesel has a long list of equipment starting with the full package of front airbags as well as lateral airbags for the front occupants.
There are digital read-outs for the speedo and odometer and trip computer but in contrast there is an analogue strip-style rev counter. There is some degree of fuss with the trip controls. Typically the French like these incorporated into the steering wheel-mounted stalks and there remains a degree of guesswork in the location of volume controls for the stereo system, which are at the rear of the right-hand windscreen wiper stalk.
Apart from fiddly ergonomics the interior is a fashionable place, and funky and light.
There is good comfort from the front seats and a large glasshouse offering superb all-round vision. This is worth a look if you are interested in French flair mixed with some substance and a broad, user-friendly appeal as a city commuter. It also has a good options list that includes five-stack CD and leather.
Pricing guides
$3,685
Based on third party pricing data
Lowest Price
$2,200
Highest Price
$5,170
Range and Specs
| Vehicle | Specs | Price* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pluriel | 1.6L, PULP, 5 SP SEQ | $3,000 – 5,170 | 2008 Citroen C3 2008 Pluriel Pricing and Specs |
| Exclusive | 1.6L, ULP, 5 SP MAN | $2,200 – 3,740 | 2008 Citroen C3 2008 Exclusive Pricing and Specs |
| HDi Exclusive | 1.6L, Diesel, 5 SP MAN | $3,000 – 5,170 | 2008 Citroen C3 2008 HDi Exclusive Pricing and Specs |
| SX | 1.4L, ULP, 5 SP MAN | $2,500 – 4,290 | 2008 Citroen C3 2008 SX Pricing and Specs |
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Pricing Guide
$3,000
Lowest price, based on third party pricing data
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