Citroen C3 VTR+ VTi82

Take the French car maker’s C3, which has long been a big seller and is still attracting plenty of interest from private buyers, slotting neatly between the C2 and C4.

Curves, not sharp lines, are definitely ‘in’ and the C3 is awash with them.

Nowhere is this more evident than with the £300 cost-option panoramic ‘Zenith windscreen’, which finishes somewhere behind your head, giving you an incredible view both forward and overhead. It’s certainly the biggest windscreen you are ever likely to come across in this class and the extra light adds to the already airy cabin ambience.

OK, so it won’t be a deal breaker for many buyers, but the screen’s existence is proof that Citroen feels confident enough to think outside the box.

This newfound emboldened attitude is evident everywhere in the C3’s cabin. The overall level of quality has been greatly improved, with the end result an experience more akin to that of something from the class above.

In profile, the C3’s roof is one long sweeping arc from the bottom of the windscreen to its rear bumper, and the bonnet gently slopes down to meet the car’s broad, slatted grille. The high rear bumper line hints at an easy-to-load boot.

All this talk of sweeping this and gentle that should be enough to lower anyone’s blood pressure, and the calming experience continues inside.

Gone are the fiddly controls and hard plastics of old, replaced by smooth contours, classy switchgear and a welcome feeling of solidity.

Staying on the comfort theme, the car might not have grown in size like many of its rivals but Citroen’s engineers have found more cabin space.

The C3’s engine range has also matured. It now offers a useful choice of petrol and diesel units – including a 87g/km CO2 e-HDi Airdream diesel motor. Five-speed manual gearboxes are standard issue on all bar the flagship diesel (it gains an extra cog), and the performance from the tested 1.2-litre VTi petrol engine is worthy of praise.

Never previously regarded as a car that delighted enthusiastic drivers, this C3 is now a much sharper, more willing and easily a better handling and riding car.

With ample storage space for your drinks bottles, mobile phones and assorted clutter, the C3’s cabin is not only well screwed together but also practical. Clearly lessons have been learned from its bigger brother, the C3 Picasso people carrier.

Citroen might be keen to focus your attention on the C3’s mammoth windscreen but there’s so much more to this thoroughly enjoyable supermini.

There are 1.0-litre and 1.2-litre engine options under the new ‘PureTech’ umbrella with 68bhp and 82bhp respectively. They are essentially the same basic unit with some cost-related technical differences, chief of which are capacity and that the 1.2 has a balancer shaft to reduce vibration and noise.

Moving down to three cylinders has reduced weight, cut the number of moving parts and vastly reduced the associated friction with the help of new cylinder surface coatings. As a result fuel economy is way up, emissions are way down and everybody wins because power is up significantly as well.

Three trim levels are available – VT, VTR+ and Exclusive – with an especially healthy equipment boost between the first two. VTR+ is the most popular and for good reason. As well as the basic VT’s remote central locking with deadlocks, CD player with auxiliary input socket, height and reach-adjustable steering wheel and height-adjustable driver’s seat, the mid-range model adds a panoramic windscreen, air conditioning, cruise control, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, and on all but the super-efficient HDi 70 AirDream model, alloy wheels.

It’s an impressive everyday specification with many of the key features that are often optional in other cars being standard here. Exclusive trim adds even more, like climate control, part-Alcantara seats, an alarm and larger 16-inch alloy wheels, but arguably VTR+ is the one to go for.

At a glance

Citroen C3 VTR+ VTi82

Price: from £13,390

Engine: Three-cylinder 1.2-litre petrol, producing 82bhp

Transmission: Five-speed manual

Performance: 0 to 62mph in 12.3 seconds; top speed 108mph

Economy: 61.4mpg combined

CO2 emissions: 107g/km