Citroën C3 1.6 HDi Exclusive £15,200

Citroën has managed to shift more than 2m examples of its cute C3 model since it was launched back in 2002, so why fix something if it isn’t broken?

The answer is that competition within the C3’s B segment has become white hot, recent stars having arrived in the shape of the Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Polo and Renault Clio.

Citroën knew it had to significantly move the game on, hence the arrival of this new, upgraded model. The cute little C3 has become a bit more grown-up, although only slightly longer and wider (but no heavier).

At a glance, the new car is still unmistakably a C3, but its profile is much more sculpted, with more pronounced wheelarch flares and a deep trough formed in the doors above the sills, while at the front the new, gaping grille is a nod to Audi. The combined effect is to make the car look tougher and a bit more masculine.

Inside, Citroën has strained every design sinew to give the C3 that elusive “perceived quality” feel that is so difficult to achieve on a budget motor. On higher-spec models, there are flourishes of faux aluminium on the steering wheel, door pulls and gearlever surround. There are soft-touch surfaces on the dashboard top and just about everywhere else your hands come into regular contact with. As you would expect of a company now rediscovering its offbeat design tradition, the architecture of the dashboard is one of the most visually entertaining in the segment. It’s a genuine improvement over the current C3, although the company’s suggestion that it is reaching for Audi or BMW quality levels is perhaps a little ambitious.

Space-wise, the new C3 has a glovebox mounted further forward to allow the front passenger seat more forward travel, giving the rear-seat passenger more legroom. The seatbacks are slimmer to liberate more rear legroom, but the rear cabin is still quite cramped for adults, in terms of both headroom and legroom.

And then there’s that windscreen design, which Citroën calls Zenith. We’ve already seen it on the larger C4 Picasso, and it is effectively a continuation of the windscreen into the roofline to create an airier cabin and give a panoramic view of the world. The execution is flawed, though: there’s a flimsy panel that slides forward — like a sunroof shade — to create a “normal” interior roof, and it houses a couple of sunvisors that can’t be moved to a right angle and can’t incorporate vanity mirrors.

Out on the road the C3 handles well, although its steering is a little light and turns in too sharply. The ride quality is good, particularly so on badly broken surfaces, and the refinement of the 89bhp 1.6-litre diesel engine I tried was outstanding. The 120bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine was a bit thrashier, but it certainly had good performance.

Prices range from £10,800 to £16,200, which puts the C3 firmly in the sights of some mighty powerful rivals. It’s a good thing the cute little Citroën is finally toughening up its act.

Engine 1560cc, four cylinders

Power 89bhp @ 4000rpm