Citroen Dispatch Reviews

SIMON and Sue Evans won back the Australian Rally Championship crown with a double success in Adelaide last weekend. The former Toyota team members lost out to Corolla driver Neal Bates in 2008, but turned the tables this year driving a privately-entered Mitsubishi Lancer which they used to dominate the title decider in Adelaide and claim a third national crown.TEAM Red is opening the doors at its Clayton race base for the first time with the inaugural Toll Holden Racing Team family day on September 20. The event, from 10am to 3pm, will give fans access to the four race cars from Walkinshaw Racing, as well as displays of Holden concept cars, interactive displays and autograph sessions with Garth Tander, Will Davison, Paul Dumbrell and David Reynolds.RYAN Briscoe began his push towards the Indy Racing League championship with a nail-biting victory under lights at Kentucky on the weekend. He beat Ed Carpenter by only 0.016s to score his second victory of the season for Team Penske as the championship moves into its final half-dozen races, with Briscoe holding a narrow points lead.Jay Marmont repeated as Australian motocross champion when he took the final round of the Pro Open class championship on the Sunshine Coast last weekend on his Yamaha YZ450F. Luke Styke also took the under-19 championship, Tori Dare dominated in the women's championship and Darryll King completed a clean sweep of the veteran's series. KIM Jane celebrated his 150th start as a V8 Ute racer in the best possible way, winning at Sandown on Sunday in the third of three starts for the Aussie fan favourites. Jane is now fifth in the ute championship, as Jack Elsegood leads from defending champion Layton Crambrook and Gary Baxter.MIKKO Hirvonen was the predictable winner of his home event, Rally Finland, with a victory which extends his points lead over five-time champion Sebastian Loeb in the race to the 2009 World Rally Championship. Hirvonen drove his Ford Focus to first place with a solid margin over Loeb's Citroen, with his Finnish team mate Jari- Matti Latvala third in another Ford.AUDI swept the latest leg of the German Touring Car Championship with a 1-2-3 result headed by defending champion Timo Scheider. The best of the Mercedes runners was Paul di Resta.BLAKE 'Bilko' Williams took a gold and silver from the freestyle motocross events at X-Games 15 in Los Angeles. After taking the runner- up spot in the Best Trick competition with a '360 Indian air' and no- hands landing he got to the top in the Moto-X Freestyle competition, taking a one-point win after three runs.CITROEN has extended its involvement in the World Rally Championship until at least the end of 2011, even though its lead driver Sebastian Loeb could soon be headed to Formula One with the Toro Rosso team.There is no news yet on the technical regulations beyond 2010, with a major change planned but rival camps pressing either for simpler and cheaper S2000 cars or a switched to turbocharged 1.6-litre engines in existing World Rally Cars.A re-run of the 1970 Repco Reliability Trial begins today (Aug 8) when 40 rally cars built before 1980 leave the Melbourne Showgrounds on the way to Kingoonya. Several of the special stages from '79 will be used on an eight-day course set by the Historic Rally Association. 

...as Europe and Japan push ahead with some cutting edge designs. Apart from the Citroen GT, the Mercedes-Benz SLS, Ferrari 458 Italia, Audi R8 V10 supercars and affordable Honda CR-Z and Peugeot RCZ,

Get the sunscreen out because Citroen has the answer for all those sun-worshippers. A panoramic windscreen will be standard on the new C3 when it lobs in Australia in 12 months. The French carmaker has borrowed the panorama windscreen idea from its C4 Picasso people mover, called the Zenith, and given the new C3 an expansive view of the world. Combined with slimmer A-pillars, the exceptionally long windscreen expands the front occupants’ field of vision by up to 80 per cent. But those worried about excessive glare need not worry. The glass has a progressive tint that smooths the transition from the clear frontal view to providing sun protection from above. Like the Picasso, large visors can be flipped forward to block out the sun. A five-door will arrive first in Europe with a coupe and Pluriel convertibles planned. Ateco Automotive Pty Ltd spokesman, Edward Rowe, says it is too early to talk specifications or pricing for the new five-door hatch but he expects it to be competitive. Pricing and drivetrains Pricing is tipped to be close to the current car, around $23,990. Australia is expected to get a range of four-cylinder petrol and HDi diesel units but is unlikely to get the newer frugal three-cylinder engines planned for Europe that emit less than 100g/km of CO2. "These cars are designed for tax regimes that do not exist in Australia," Rowe says. Appearance and fit-out On the outside, the C3 adopts an evolutionary approach to its design but borrows some cues from the DS Concept hatch. It gets a flatter roofline, more pronounced grille and headlight treatment. Inside the trim moves up a notch in quality, with new materials like a thermo-coated colour dash, highlighted with grey or gloss brushed aluminium and chrome detailing. In Europe, the C3 five-door hatch is one of the most compact vehicles in its segment. At 3940mm long, the new car is 90mm longer while width has grown 43mm while luggage space remains around 300 litres. Citroen has managed to keep the C3's weight the same as the outgoing model while its turning circle has been reduced from 10.7m to 10.2m. Equipment Other fuel-saving features are second-generation stop-start systems, plus new five and six-speed electronic gearboxes. In-car features include USB connectivity, iPod compatibility, Bluetooth and satellite navigation on high-end European versions. Citroen has sold more than 2 million C3s globally but apart from Citroen fans here, the car has not sold in strong numbers locally. Last year, just 423 were sold, against a 2007 figure of 696. The current 1.6-litre HDi turbo diesel has hybrid busting fuel economy of 4.4 litres/100km and CO2 emissions of just 120g/km.  

Britain had the Mini, Germany the Beetle, but France also had its iconic vehicle, the Citroen 2CV, and the ‘Tin Snail’ as it’s affectionately known has just turned 60. The 2CV is as recognizably French as the Eiffel Tower, the baguette and Moet champagne.Just like the Mini and the VW the 2CV was born to satisfy a need for small, economical and affordable transport. It not only was all of that, but it also went on to become a much-loved motoring icon much the same way the Mini and Beetle did. The 2CV perhaps isn’t as well known as the other two here as it wasn’t sold here in the same great numbers the other two were, but it has a strong following worldwide and a small, but loyal one here.MODEL WATCH The 2CV made its debut at the Paris Motor Show in 1948, but it was well underway before World War 2, the war merely delaying its introduction. When the idea for the 2CV was hatched motoring was still something only the well off could afford to indulge in. Car ownership hadn’t yet reached the masses, but there was a number of far-sighted motoring pioneers who realized there was money to be made if you could create a car the masses could afford.Henry Ford had his Model T, Herbert Austin his Seven, Hitler was mad keen to have a wagon for his people, and Citroen was hatching the 2CV. All had the same aim in mind. Their cars had to be light, easy to produce, economical and affordable.Citroen’s plan was to produce a car with four seats, a top speed of 50 km/h, one that would do 100 km on five litres of fuel, and would be cheap to produce and maintain. The 2CV was a reality in 1939, but the outbreak of war saw it put on the backburner as the French had more important things on their minds.It was finally launched in 1948. It was panned at first for its modest performance and poor finish, but that didn’t deter the French from buying it. So high was the demand that in no time at all there was a waiting list five years long.As Porsche had known when he was developing the Beetle for Hitler aerodynamics were important when you had a small motor, and so too did the 2CV’s designers who realized they had to have a shape that cut through the air efficiently. Hence, while the VW looked like a Beetle the Citroen had the shape of a snail. With its slab sides, rounded profile, canvas roof and flaps for windows who could not fall for the little Citroen.But there was much more to the 2CV than a cute shape. It had four-wheel long travel independent suspension, front-wheel drive, inboard brakes and a small air-cooled flat-twin cylinder motor. A clever system connected the front and rear suspension on each side and helped keep the little car level. It could indeed be driven over a ploughed field with a basket of eggs on the seat without breaking one of them, as the design brief had called for. It began with a tiny 375 cubic centimetre engine producing just nine kilowatts, but over the years grew to 652 cm3 and the performance increased in line with the increase in engine capacity.There have been many variations made on the 2CV theme, including vans, luxury models, some that even went faster than 100 km/h, and one even appeared in a James Bond movie. Ultimately the demands for cleaner engines and better safety caught up with the 2CV and spelt its demise. Production finally ceased in 1990, by which time more than five million had been built. Of that number a handful were imported and sold here in the 1950s, and one or two were imported in the 1980s. Most of the 300 or so that are thought to reside in this country have been privately imported by people who fell under the little car’s spell.IN THE SHOP The 2CV engines and gearboxes are quite reliable. The engine has a short crank thanks to its twin-cylinder boxer layout, and it runs in roller bearings so it will happily rev and run forever. Rust is the scourge of the 2CV, so look for it, particularly in the floor. Poor quality Russian steel was used through the 1970s and cars from that era tend to suffer more than most from the dreaded tin worm.While some parts are available here in Australia, there is a ready supply of parts from overseas suppliers, which are contactable through the Internet. Clubs are also a good source of info and parts. Go to www.citroenclassic.org.au for more info.IN A CRASH The need to build cars that were safe was one of the reasons the 2CV died; so don’t expect anything in the way of airbags or ABS braking in the little Citroen. It can be used for everyday transport if you’re well aware of its shortcomings, but perhaps it’s best left for a beaut drive on a sunny day when its more endearing features can be best enjoyed. There are few more frugal cars than the 2CV. Owners talk of five or so litres per 100 km, which are Toyota Prius hybrid numbers in today’s terms.OWNERS SAY Alison Harvey loves her 2CV Dolly, which she has owned for 15 years. It is her first car and she hopes it will be her last as there is nothing else like it. Alison brought it with her to Australia 10 years ago, primarily as an investment, but she knew she could never part with it. A flat battery poses no problem, she just gets out the crank handle and away she goes! Who needs air conditioning on a sunny day when you can just roll the roof back and have a stylish convertible? When she visits IKEA there is no need for a trailer or station wagon, she just takes out the seats and any size flatpack will fit. Similarly, on picnics she can take out the seats so there is no need to pack the camping chairs! It glides along on corrugated roads, leans around corners, gets up to a good speed and makes people smile wherever she goes.In 1976, while working and holidaying in Europe Don Scutt required an inexpensive mode of transport, so he bought a 2CV6. The 2CV covered 25,000 km carrying two adults, two children, luggage and camping gear and for some of the time a third adult. The car was, and still is comfortable, economical, fun to drive and a great way of meeting people, and as everyone knows fast, because on the road it is always at the head of a stream of (frustrated) traffic!LOOK FOR • Cute styling• Comfortable ride• Admiring looks• Reliable mechanics• Fun motoring• Body rustTHE BOTTOM LINE Great little fun car for an affordable entry into classic motoringRATING 85/100

CHAD Reed hit another major milestone in his American motocross career when he scored his first outdoor race win on a 450-class bike last weekend in Pennsylvania. After a pair of third-place results, the indoor supercross star qualified fourth and completed a 1-1 sweep that also moving him to the top of the championship pointscore with his Makita-Rock Star Suzuki.A monster off-track shakeup has changed the operation of V8 Supercar racing. CEO Cameron Levich is out, chairman Tony Cochrane will run the day-to-day operations as caretaker CEO until the end of the year, Mark Skaife has joined the board as an independent and technical chief Campbell Little is working through a three-month notice period after tendering his resignation.A lacklustre 31st place was all Marcos Ambrose could take home from the high-speed Sprint Cup battle at Michigan International Raceway last weekend. Ambrose had a tail-happy car all weekend and only qualified 33rd after a string of recent top-10 efforts in his Toyota Camry, although he still holds 20th place after 15 races on this year's Nascar circuit.AUSTRALIAN co-drivers Dale Moscatt and Glenn MacNeal were close to the front at the Acropolis Rally in Greece, as world title leader Sebastian Loeb made a rare mistake and handed victory to Ford's Mikko Hirvonen after destroying his Citroen C4 in a massive crash. MacNeal took 10th place and third in Group N production cars with Japan's Toshi Arai in a Subaru Impreza as Moscatt guided Russian teenager Evgeny Novikov to four fastest stage times and a points place in a privately entered Citroen C4.DICK Johnson is now officially an icon. The retired touring car racer was one of 150 icons named by the Queensland government last week, joining a list which included everything from barbecues to sunshine after votes from 30,000 Queenslanders.JAMIE Whincup and Steven Johnson teamed up for a surprising off-track success on the Gold Coast last week. The two V8 Supercar stars, who are deadly rivals on the track, combined in a B-grade indoor cricket team _ the Tank Slappers _ to take their championships with a convincing win.A major innovation has come to the Australian Rally Championship with a top-10 shootout ahead of the next round in Adelaide on July 31-August 2. The Pedders No Bull Shootout will match the top-10 seeded drivers over a single special stage for additional title points a $1000 prize ahead of the two-day main event. 

Taking a lead from Toyota's work with Lexus, which sits above its boring basic models, the French carmaker is returning the DS badge to its showrooms with a luxury tweak.The DS3 will be first into action and will be followed by the larger DS4 and DS5.Citroen has previewed the upmarket action plan with more details on its DS Inside concept car, which points both to the exterior styling and cabin layout of the future cars. It is based on the regular C3, but with a bolder body and much more luxury on the inside.Citroen says the idea is to focus on modernity and distinction, with a 'different spirit' supplied by British designer Mark Lloyd.The cabin of the DS3 Inside is a major departure from the black- plastic slab look of most current Citroens. There is a leather roof lining, a sweet sweep across the dash with dials outlined in black chrome, and a new style of central console.Citroen has also added leather seats with more shape and support, as well as deep-pile carpet, claiming the result is 'flowing and airy'with added 'dynamism'."It will present an identity strong on modernity and distinction, drawing its DNA clearly from Citroen's history of innovation and unforgettable design," the company says.The production version of the DS3 will hit showrooms in Europe in the middle of next year and the car is already confirmed for Austrlaia."The DS3 is one of three DS models, the others being DS4 and DS5, that will represent a separate range of premium models," says Citroen's Australian spokesman, Edward Rowe.There is no timing yet for the DS4 and DS5 but they should also be in the lineup within 18 months. 

Power play Will Power was the best-placed Australian in the Indianapolis 500, finishing fifth for Penske as his team mate Helio Castroneves took his third victory at the Brickyard. Power was in contention for a while but faded like Ryan Briscoe, who only managed 15th after a tyre problem ten a late fuel stop for the third Penske car dropped him way back in the pack.Latvala bests Loeb CRASH-prone Jari-Matti Latvala finally ended Sebastian Loeb's winning streak in the world rally championship with victory in Sardinia last weekend. Latvala was helped when Loeb lost a minute changing a tyre then another four with a penalty, but still came home on top in his Ford Focus with his team mate Mikko Hirvonen second and Petter Solberg third in his private Citroen.Kelly joins 100 Club RICK Kelly becomes the youngest member of the '100 Club' this weekend in Tasmania when he makes his 100th V8 Supercar start with Jack Daniels Racing. Ironically, the former champion will be taking the 'youngest' title from his older brother, Todd.Castroneves wins pitstop challenge HELIO Castroneves got an early victory in Indy 500 week when he and his Penske team won the pitstop challenge. The team took just 7.962 seconds to change four tyres in the final, when they beat Marco Andretti of Andretti-Green Racing, but they needed to set a record of 7.636 seconds in the semi-final to beat their Penske team mates on Ryan Briscoe's car.Davison improves JAMES Davison was sixth in the Indy Lights curtain-raiser to the Indy 500, four places better than his starting spot for the event. "A sixth-place finish is definitely nothing to be ashamed of," Davison says.Finke practice for Dakar team BRUCE Garland and Harry Suzuki begin their build-up to the 2010 Dakar Rally next month with a start in Australia's biggest off-road event, the Finke Desert Race at Alice Springs. The Isuzu D-Max crew will be out to better their 11th place in this year's Dakar and, as one of the favourites for the Finke, intend to test new go-fast parts during the Northern Territory sprint.Martin solid in Monaco Australia's A1GP regular John Martin took a solid 12th at Monaco in his first Renault 3.5 race. The youngster is looking for more openwheel experience and took up a guest drive in one of the supporting races at the biggest F1 event of the season.FIA GT and DTM on TV THE motorsport content on the new ONE HD channel has been boosted by coverage of two classes not previously seen in Australia. The FIA GT series, for road-going sports cars, and the DTM, or German touring car championship, have just been added to the channel for their 2009 seasons.GT race joins V8 Supercar rounds GT sports cars have joined the support race program for the two biggest V8 Supercar events of 2009. The Australian GT championship will now run on the undercard at the Bathurst 1000 and the new Telstra 500 at Homebush in Sydney.

RYAN Briscoe has slipped to second in the IndyCar championship chase after a fourth-place finish behind defending champion Scott Dixon at Kansas Speedway last weekend. Briscoe led for more than 50 laps in his Team Penske racer and managed to improve three spots from his starting position.CHAD Reed must win the grand final of the AMA and World Supercross series in Las Vegas this weekend to have any chance of beating James Stewart to the crown, after a controversial second-place finish last weekend in Salt Lake City. Reed was badly baulked by Stewart's team mate as they battled for top spot in the second-last round of the series, although the Australian refused to blame the incident for another second-place finish behind Stewart on his Rockstar Suzuki.CASEY Stoner was only fourth on his Ducati as Jorge Lorenzo took a surprise win for Yamaha at the Japanese MotoGP at Motegi. Lorenzo led home Valentino Rossi and Honda's Dani Pedrosa.SEBASTIAN Loeb and Daniel Elana stretched their unbeaten run in this year's World Rally Championship to five events when they took an easy victory in Argentina last weekend, with their Citroen C4 team mate Dani Sordo following them home. Loeb's job was made much easier when his only potential title rival, Mikko Hirvonen of Ford, retired with engine trouble.JAMES Davison finished where he started in the latest race of the Indy Lights series in the USA. He qualified eighth and was in the same slot at the finish of the oval race at Kansas Speedway.CHRIS Atkinson will be back in a rally car on the weekend of May 8-10 when he drives a Subaru in Rally Queensland. But it's not what the World Rally Championship refugee really wants, as he will only be the course car for his home event in this year's Australian championship, currently led by defending title holder Neal Bates in his Corolla.WARREN Luff is back with Dick Johnson for this year's V8 Supercar enduro races. The former fulltimer with the Queensland team has been signed to race again for Jim Beam Racing at Phillip Island and Bathurst, with Jonathan Webber filling the final endurance seat for the team alongside James Courtney and Steven Johnson.JOEY Foster extended his lead in the Australian Formula 3 championship when the Shannons Nationals classes competed at Wakefield Park in NSW last weekend. The latest English raider got the job done despite 2007 champion Tim Macrow taking a race from him, with Garry Holt and Adam Wallis also on the winners' list in the Australian manufacturers championship and the V8 touring car series.TALENTED young co-driver Rhianon Smyth has earned a big break with a spot in this year's Asia-Pacific rally championship. Smyth, who has done most of her work alongside her brother Brendan Reeves in the Australian series, was chosen by Emma Gilmour as her partner in a Subaru WRX STi for this year's Asia-Pacific series, starting with Rally Queensland next week. 

Mini people movers are expected to be the ‘next big thing’ in Europe but don't expect the trend to cross continents. Citroen's C3 Picasso has won major awards in Europe and is set to outsell a host of rivals including the Fiat Idea, Opel/Vauxhall Meriva, Ford Fusion and Nissan Note. But Australian importers Ateco Automotive has gone quiet on a local launch for the baby Picasso. The main problem, says Ateco spokesman Edward Rowe, is the lack of a self-shifting gearbox. Australians increasingly demand automatics and at the moment, Citroen can't supply one. But, says Rowe, there could be hope when Citroen starts its next generation C3, expected late next year. If the new C3 comes with an automatic gearbox, Mr Rowe believes the Picasso variant will make a sensible addition to the marque's Australian lineup. "The mini people mover market is big in Europe, and expected to get bigger, not only because of traffic congestion issues but because they attract a lower tax. "Australia doesn't have that incentive so people ill buy it for different reasons. There is also no rival for the C3 Picasso in Australia so we would be creating our own segment, if you like." The only thing close to the C3 Picasso would be the recently-released Kia Soul. Based on global needs for a space-efficient, frugal and affordable family car, the C3 Picasso looks good on paper. Citroen says it "unites the parallels of cubes and curves" to combine the character of an MPV and hatchback. At 500-litres, its boot is one of the biggest in the business. The split rear seats can fold flat and independently slide forwards. Drop the seats down and luggage space grows to 1506 litres to carry loads up to 2.4m long. Europe sells three trim levels — the entry-level VT; the more upmarket VTR+ that adds airconditioning and alloy wheels; and the Exclusive that gets more luxurious trim plus practical features including a flat-folding front passenger seat and a removable boot light torch. The C3 Picasso, which went on sale in the UK last week, is available with a choice of two petrol engines — co-developed with BMW — the VTi 95 and VTi 120 and two HDi diesels — the HDi 90 and HDi 110 DPFS. Safety starts with ABS brakes with EBD and brakes assist, up to six airbags, Isofix anchor points and a seatbelt monitor system. Electronic stability control with a traction control system is optional.  

Sales have dropped, so to help stave off a major slump in volume, the company has a revamped C4 coming into showrooms.Citroen Australia general manager Miles Williams says the company is aiming at 2500 cars this year, down from the 2703 tally last year and a level not seen since 2004."Things are tough, we're finding the market extremely hard, our objective is to get 2500 cars this year,” he says."We're hoping that the doom will lift and our sales will lift with it, but probably not for 12 months or so, business is hard," he said.Williams says the company was focussing on volume cars - the C3, and the updated C4, as well as the medium-sized C5, which had suffered from being launched in the middle of the crisis at a low exchange rate."We'd love to see it go a little harder and it's a stunning car that deserves better - but we had to put the price up $3000 before we launched it so that's making it hard for the car to compete," he says.The brand has a good model range in Australia and Mr Williams said the brand would ramp up its marketing from June to back up the new C4 and Berlingo models.Williams believes the market will be tough well into 2010."I think we've probably got the better part of 12 months, to June next year before we start seeing buyers feeling more confident."Having said that there's 800,000 probably going to be sold here this year, that's still a lot of cars - it's a competitive market and we'll fight and grab what share we can," he says.The bulk of the new C4 range has gone up by $1000 due to currency changes, with the exception of the 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol model, which is priced identically to the two-litre model it replaces."We're going to be out there competing and give it our best shot, the aggressiveness in the marketplace is unbelievable," Williams says.The updated C4 has a new-look grille covering the two new petrol powerplants - shared with co-developer BMW - which boast better outputs and lower fuel consumption and emissions.The C4's tachometer has been moved to the central LCD display as part of the cabin's makeover, as well as Citroen's NaviDrive satnav system being added to the options list.The sound system has been upgraded to include a built-in 30GB hard drive and the system also offers a video auxiliary socket and a USB connection.The C4 is now available with two new petrol engines - the 88kW 1.6-litre 16-valve powerplant and the 1.6-litre 16-valve turbocharged unit in 103kW and 110kW variants.The new C4 range is priced from $26,990 for the VTi five-speed manual, or $28,990 for the four-speed automatic versions, while the same trim and equipment level with the 1.6 HDi diesel engine and the EGS six speed automated manual is $31,990, or $30,990 with a conventional five-speed manual.The new turbo 103kW 1.6 petrol model starts at $33,990 in Exclusive model trim with a standard automatic transmission and the high-pressure 110 kW 1.6 litre turbo performance model with a five-speed manual gearbox is priced from $31,990.