What's the difference?
You’re a city dweller on the hunt for a small hatch, but the usual suspects just don’t do it for you. Time for a trip down the urban road less travelled.
The Citroen C3 fits the bill in terms of scale, but brings something extra when it comes to personality. A fun-sized European with the ability to surprise and delight.
It comes at a price, though. So, is the promise of some extra excitement in your motoring life worth it? Read on to find out.
A number of established small cars are becoming more expensive and less popular. The Toyota Yaris, Mazda2 and Suzuki Swift were once the go-to first car, but now start at around $25,000.
This repositioning was great for MG and its sub-$20,000 MG3, which has spent much of the last few years as Australia's most popular light car. It’s hard to deny a low price will open many wallets.
But now in its new generation, the MG3 is thousands of dollars more expensive than before, starting in the mid-$20K range and headed even further up with a new hybrid drivetrain option. We jump in the base petrol Excite to find out if the value is still there for this British-branded, Chinese-built hatchback.
The Citroen C3’s plus column contains some big ticket items like a solid standard equipment list, design flair, generous interior space, an eager engine, good safety and a comfy suspension. However, the minus side of the ledger isn’t exactly empty, with entries like steep price, marginal perceived quality, poor cabin storage, sub-par refinement, okay economy, and high ownership costs.
But there’s no doubt this car delivers a different, adventurous take on the city-sized hatch, and for you, that alone may count for more than any of those things.
The MG3 still makes a strong argument for a low-cost, low-fuss option just like the models it now beats on price (Yaris, Mazda2, etc) used to.
While it also falls short in some areas like dynamics when pushed, the improvements to interior tech and comfort mean the MG3 should be considered if you're looking for a city runabout.
However, with the MG3’s price jump, rivals from Japanese and Korean brands are closer in cost than they were for the sub-$20K first-gen MG3, and their ability to handle Australia’s conditions outside the city mean they’ll prove a more useful long-term companion for many.
The MG3 nails its brief as a convincing option for first-car buyers or as a second runabout when there’s another option for long trips. It has taken a big step up from the ‘budget-friendly’ vibe of the original.