Nine years
after the original Citroën C1 and Peugeot 107 city cars went on sale, their all-new replacements have been shown at the
Geneva motor show.
It’s clear
that the designers haven’t strayed far from the style of the original cars,
although they both look more solid than the cars they replace. Each gets
styling touches from cars higher up their respective ranges – the 108 gets the
Peugeot grille and chrome accents, while the C1 features prominent Citroën
chevrons on its nose – and the glass tailgate, a feature from the original car
that also helped to keep the weight down, remains.
Optional retractable
fabric roof of the Citroën C1 is available in three colours
Renault has
decided to offer only a five-door version of its new Twingo,
while the Citroën and the Peugeot are both available with three doors or five.
Exterior
dimensions are very similar to both the first generation cars’. In fact,
they’ve grown by just 4cm and the front and rear overhangs have been kept to a
minimum to facilitate easier parking in town.
What are
they like inside?
The boot on
both cars has grown to 180 litres with the spare
wheel and 196 litres if you opt for a puncture repair
kit. That’s an improvement on the original 139 litres,
but is still less than the competition – the Volkswagen Up’s boot has 251 litres, while the Hyundai i10 has space for five and 252 litres.
The rear
seats of both cars will take two adults. With the seats folded the boot expands
to take 750 litres; the parcel shelf folds away when
the tailgate is opened to make loading and unloading easier.
Buyers can personalise their Peugeot 108 cars in seemingly endless
ways
The
original C1 and 107 were sparsely equipped. Fortunately, the specification of
the new cars has improved considerably. Both now get a height-adjustable
driver’s seat and steering wheel as standard, as well as air-conditioning and
electric windows. All models also come with a seven-inch touch-screen that
takes up the centre of the dashboard. This is used to
control the infotainment system and to change vehicle settings. You can connect
your smartphone via Bluetooth, and the infotainment system then mirrors what’s
on your mobile’s screen, giving you access to sat-nav,
entertainment apps and internet radio. Options available on both models include
keyless entry/start and a reversing camera.
Personalisation is very much the trend in city cars and Peugeot and Citroën offer a
number of ways for buyers to make their car stand out from the herd. Both cars
are available in a number of colours – including
two-tone paintwork – and there is the option of speccing
different trims and interior colours.
The Citroën C1 will be
available with some new features like a seven-inch Touch Drive Interface that
groups all of the media functions together plus Mirror Screen technology
One of the
biggest additions to the range is the retractable folding roof. It’s available
in three different colours and can be specified as an
option on both three- and five-door models. It’s electrically operated and
opens to 80cm, making it more of an extended sunroof than a true convertible.
Peugeot
will call its folding roof models 108 Top while Citroën will go with C1 Airscape. The option is expected to cost less than $1,660
on both models.
What’s
under the bonnet?
There’s a
choice of three-cylinder petrol engines. The entry-level unit is a 68bhp
1.0-litre petrol that comes with a five-speed manual gearbox and stop-start
technology. Buyers can also spec a five-speed automatic gearbox.
There’s
also a 1.2-litre petrol that produces 82bhp and also comes with a five-speed
manual gearbox. All versions emit less than 100g/km of CO2, with the cleanest
engine putting out around 88g/km of CO2.
The Peugeot 108's
interior was designed to feel like it comes from a larger premium car with an
intuitive layout while styling cues from the 107, like the speedometer
incorporated into the steering column
When the C1
and 108 were first launched they scored a satisfactory four stars in the Euro
NCAP safety tests, but when the car was face-lifted in 2012 the rating fell to
an unimpressive three. Improving safety has been a priority, so all models now
come with six airbags, ABS, ESP and an emergency collision braking system.
Prices are
yet to be announced but are expected to stay close to the outgoing models, so
should start at around $13,300 when they go on sale in July.
The
next-generation Toyota Aygo will continue to share
the C1’s and 108’s underpinnings. We’ll have full details on that next month.
