[sunikkat]

57 BHP and top speed of 107 is enough to strike it off from my list. From my point of view the only use case for this car is if I am driving only on congested city traffic, every day.

[shadow59]

Everything about this car screams CITY CAR to me. (And that makes perfect sense to be honest because charging infrastructure is pretty much nonexistent on highways, making a long-range EV not viable)

[Tarrodie]

For anyone looking for a convenient city runabout for going to office and a weekend family outing inside the city or nearby, this is it. As well as for those with a sedan or SUV but need a second car that offers convenience for quick errands and ease of parking.

It has ample space, comfortable ride and good handling which is what over 90% of car owners really care for. They don't care for 0 to 60 and 0 to 100 timings because whether it is any big or small city you hardly get a chance to use those figures unless you want to knock down bikers or worse drag people with your car. With all the still missing items and not-so-latest EV technology hopefully they are getting ready to offer the cherry on top - the low pricing. But, if priced high it is ta-ta bye-bye from Indian consumers.

[aim120]

Originally Posted by sunikkat

57 BHP and top speed of 107 is enough to strike it off from my list. From my point of view the only use case for this car is if I am driving only on congested city traffic, every day.

You can't drive at top speed any where in Bangalore be it elevated express roads nor do cars like this and Tiago EV have the range for inter state travel.

Even with vehicles which have bigger battery packs like Nexon Max and MG ZS EV which have a higher top speed, majority of them are driving well below the top speed of eC3 in our highway to get the max range.

As long as its priced to compete with a Tiago/Tigor EV it will find takers.

[Knightrider]

Nice review! Looking at the specifications and features offered, my guess is Citroen will shock everyone with an aggressive starting price on this one.

[RaviCar]

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Thanks for the support & understanding

[m8002?]

I feel the interiors are par for the segment it will be in. If its priced in the range of Tiago EV, there will be some people interested. 200 kms range is quite good in the city. It needs only weekly charging for someone whose office commute is 30 kms per day.

I am still a bit worried about the battery though. Hope Citroen has taken care to handle the heat in India especially in summers.

[ashutoshb]

The Punch EV, when its launched, will be quicker, more feature laden and ofcourse, more expensive.

But if the Punch's base, lower specced, but quicker, variant is priced around the eC3, it will be a no brainer for the buyers.

----

Looking at the eC3's feature list and how basic it is, its clear that the target is the Tiago.

Assuming Tata would spec the Punch better than the Tiago, it will be a segment above the eC3.

----

I am only guessing, the, soon to be launched, eC3 Aircross will surprise everybody with its pricing and features. Its the only logic, I can think of, looking at such deliberate omission of features and no actual top end variant.

[busydrive]

Good review. I wanted to know if this has hill hold assist? Haven't seen this in the review hence asking.

[guptad42]

Originally Posted by Tarrodie

For anyone looking for a convenient city runabout for going to office and a weekend family outing inside the city or nearby, this is it. As well as for those with a sedan or SUV but need a second car that offers convenience for quick errands and ease of parking.

It has ample space, comfortable ride and good handling which is what over 90% of car owners really care for. They don't care for 0 to 60 and 0 to 100 timings because whether it is any big or small city you hardly get a chance to use those figures unless you want to knock down bikers or worse drag people with your car. With all the still missing items and not-so-latest EV technology hopefully they are getting ready to offer the cherry on top - the low pricing. But, if priced high it is ta-ta bye-bye from Indian consumers.

Very true. The eC3 spec is well designed for target buyer segment. On top of ease of driving and comfort, several things that will attract buyers:

1. Range: Even the 'Long Range' version of Tiago gives you only 180-190km in real life. Media drives are indicating a range of approx. 230 km for eC3 with a wee bit more on eco mode. eC3will be much more practical than tiago for people with longer commutes and frequent trips to nearby towns and cities say in a 200km range.

For example, tiago needs an extra stop on Mumbai-Pune expressway for fast charging, but eC3 could do it without stopping. And DC fast chargers on Mumbai-Pune route already witness waiting times during weekends and holidays. So, a 30-minute 50% charge can sometimes take another hour's wait. DC fast charging also makes the trip costlier in a tiago, though it will still be cheaper than a petrol car.

2. The eC3 boot space makes it much better for a weekend trip. tiago's boot is much smaller.

3. In urban traffic as well as weekend trips, a higher seating position improves visibility and makes it easier to navigate. Kudos to Citroen for not calling eC3 an SUV, but many of us (fed on a diet of tall boys like WagonR, Ritz, i10, or pseudo micro-SUVs like Venue/Sonet/Kiger/Magnite) don't like the tiago style low-seated driving position for daily driving.

4. Drivability: Team-BHP review says - "You won't have issues with quick overtakes and closing the gaps in the city, but don't expect an electrifying pace here." Other media drive reports also indicate acceleration is good. This will keep most target buyers happy. Performance thrill seekers will continue to look at sport mode on tiago LR or Nexon EV max.

Looks like Citroen has tuned eC3 for real life drivability for average buyers and not spec sheet comparisons. Lower nominal power rating despite higher torque indicates Citroen has current-limited the battery/ rev-limited the motor for safety in high ambient temperatures. The engineering design and known LFP resilience against thermal degradation suggests there is some truth to Citroen claim that battery is good even for 55C ambient temperature.

eC3 has a radiator/liquid cooling for the motor. Liquid cooling for the battery would have allowed eC3 to be a hot hatch and a true electric avatar of the turbo petrol, but Citroen has decided to sacrifice that for lower cost knowing that most of their target buyers don't want to pay for that performance. (Who knows we may get a performance version eC3 Aircross one day )

5. I was worried about the battery pack visible below the floor in initial reveal pictures. Team-bhp review pics show good underfloor protection across the car, and this is important for peace of mind. Interestingly, the battery enclosure seems designed with lot of space for air flow below the battery (between the battery and underfloor protection plate) with slots/fins providing surface area for cooling. It means actual battery is higher than the protection plate visible from the sides.

Now it depends upon how effectively Citroen markets eC3's advantages and the pricing. For a car designed for aggressive pricing, Citroen must go all out for the best possible pricing. They need that buzz.

eC3 does not have tiago's techie and premium feel. e.g. look at the old-school key. Citroen is betting this is not as important to most of their target buyer segment that wants an honest to goodness, value for money car. Optional accessories like alloys and rear-view camera will take care of some of the asks.

There are two misses that I personally dislike:

1. Absence of cruise control in the higher variant, as it would have allowed buyers to extract max range on the highway. Per car cost to implement basic cruise control on EVs is low, as it only needs software running with existing sensors and controllers (and only a few buttons and wiring needed for set/reset/adjust cruise speeds. eC3 steering has blank space on the left-hand side.)

2. The knees-up rear bench seating may hurt the long drive comfort of the petrol C3, just like nexon ev max. Perhaps, there is headroom to raise the rear seat by 1-1.5 inch and increase cushioning on the front part of the rear bench.

[Dr Carlton Pere]

I have a naturally aspirated C3 and love driving it in Mumbai. It's my wife's car, mine is a Tata Harrier.

I'm sure the electric one will be superb.

[Kuldeep31]

Somehow I get the feeling that this is a hurried launch from the French. Keeping aside the features, they didn't even bother removing the fuel lid on its back Or is it the epitome of laziness?
I am equally surprised at how Citroen managed to beat the EV offering with the ICE version. That turbo petrol will run rings around this EV and with that sedate performance, EC3 has aimed squarely at fleet owners.
While they have tried to lure the fleet owner with this, they have cleverly held back the warranty on the battery.
Where does Citroen go from here ?
Regards

[sagsaw]

In my opinion Citroen is clearly targetting City commuters on priority.

Air cooled simple regen most features like CC, ESP, and many more missing all points to a very very aggressive pricing.

7.49L looks on the cards.

Gradual simple easy linear acceleration tuning seems to be taking care of the heat generation.

Possibly it will also have a positive effect on battery life and more kms per charge.

Pune Mumbai looks done with single charge one way. But how it will climb the ghat with 5 on board and full luggage remains to be seen.

Quick weekend getaways 200km around your residence look possible with this.

But have they fizzled out the fizz by saying cab market is a prime target?

[Voodooblaster]

It should be priced at least 1 lac (ex Showroom) below E Tiago to notch up decent numbers

[srikanth.vemuri]

Originally Posted by Nissan1180

Air cooled batteries are present in the Nissan Leaf as well. That car is sold in many locations with a similar climate as the harsh Indian summer.

Nissan Leaf has become notorious for it battery degradation rates, in contrast to the rest of the liquid cooled batteries the competition came with. Part of the reason why the Leaf doesn't dominate the EV market as a successful pioneer should.