[theturbogirl]

Originally Posted by SRISRI_90

Congratulations on the New Citroen C3.

Infact i am also planning to replace my 7 year old Tata Nano, with the C3 Turbo.
I drove it and loved it. I quipped to my dad that its an " Affordable Mini Cooper", so much fun to drive.

Now I am feeling I really should have bought Turbo version . It indeed is affordable Mini Cooper. Nice tagging there, I am going to use it henceforth.

[the.city]

Another C5 owner chiming in - Fully agree about the service. I'm highly satisfied with the overall experience (just completed 20k service). I was slightly annoyed by them charging for vehicle pickup-drop this time (was free previously). But otherwise good.


It's extremely good to hear such great ownership reviews of C3. Shows the company's clear focus and commitment to be successful in India. Wish you all the best for a long and enjoyable companionship with your C3.

[redrobin520]

Awesome, I am going to give my C3 Turbo for 20k service in a few days, so far the experience have been so good and I hope it continues. Expect a full blown review of C3, Dealership and service after that, I have been planning one for TeamBHP for a very long time but didn't have any new content.

[Cry0gen]

Originally Posted by theturbogirl

Now I am feeling I really should have bought Turbo version . It indeed is affordable Mini Cooper. Nice tagging there, I am going to use it henceforth.

Congratulations on the purchase. I too own one , drive one and absolutely love one I don't know what they have done with the power delivery, but the engine tractability in the fifth gear is simply amazing! I mean stay north of 75 KMPH and you have enough power to overtake without a downshift! And this is just the NA I am talking about. Yet to find such amazing power delivery even in a car a few segments higher! You are right btw, sometimes I also lament not going for the turbo. That 1 lakh premium would definitely have been well spent.

[mail2sekh]

Your choice of words and the story-like writing makes this a compelling read. One of the things which make TBhp more than just about vehicles
Good to know that a relatively unknown Citroen is making steady inroads into the cut-throat Indian automotive world where several giants have exited. Excelling in customer service seems to be on top on their strategy game and rightly so which they seem to have achieved so far.Good for them and for other automakers to aspire for!

PS: I can sense the remorse/ longing while parting ways with your Nano. I can relate , considering that we had not one but two Nanos over a period of 10+ years. I've always felt that it was ahead of its time. Anyway there's a different thread for ruing about that

Originally Posted by theturbogirl

Hello Everyone,

This is my first long post on Team Bhp and I begin with my sincere thanks to members of this forum for having chosen me to be part of this beautiful forum. Recently, I acquired a mini bullet - Citroen C3, Shine 1.2 (NA) and I am here today to share with all of you my experience till day.

It all began with the need to bid farewell to our trusted Tata Nano, a faithful companion that had served us well. With 80,000 kilometers on the odometer, our Nano had been the go-to choice for my husband's frequent trips to Delhi from Faridabad. Its reliability and practicality made it an essential part of our lives..:

[Frusciante]

Glad to see such a positive review for the C3 from you. Also glad to see so many other Citroen owners come up and have only positive things to say about their cars. I have a C5 too and have had the best ownership experience in 30+ years of owning and driving cars. While there a lot that can be said about Citroen's pricing strategy and feature list, their cars are unlike any other in the Indian market (not counting the luxury brands). I for one genuinely hope for this brand to thrive.

[antonylejos]

I also own a Citroën C3 NA and have completed 20,500 kilometers in 10 months. I've availed all three of the free services, and I have no complaints; I'm simply happy with it.

I am happy with both car and service.

Only issue I faced with car are door rattle , before 2nd service. It got fixed, re-appeared when nearing 3rd service. Got it fixed again.


I would recommend the C3 for the following categories of people:

• Those who drive frequently.
• Those who derive enjoyment from driving.
• Your budget is in C3 range (below 10 lacs)
• You plan to purchase a car for the sheer pleasure of driving rather than to show off
• You primarily reside in tier-1 and tier-2 cities where Citroën has a presence. If you happen to embark on long drives to other locations and encounter car issues, you can afford financially to bring their car back to the service center, even if it's some distance away.
• You typically make decisions independently and do their own research, rather than following the crowd.

I would not recommend the C3 for the following types of people:

• If the nearest service center is a considerable distance away.
• You are buying a car just for your everyday chores and you do not want to enjoy driving
• If you don't drive frequently and plan to keep car longer than 15 years with less kilometers on odo. (This point is added because, of less sales if company quits in another 10 years you may be impacted)
• You are concerned about your friends making fun of your car for not having auto-on headlamps, when they conveniently turn on their home headlights manually.
• If you tend to follow popular trends and decisions made by the majority.

[theturbogirl]

Originally Posted by mail2sekh

PS: I can sense the remorse/ longing while parting ways with your Nano. I can relate , considering that we had not one but two Nanos over a period of 10+ years. I've always felt that it was ahead of its time. Anyway there's a different thread for ruing about that

Tata Nano was very reliable and practical car and I agree it was way ahead of its time. First choice for any city ride, and rest of the lot was not even considered, be it Honda or Linea, or Baleno. Unfortunately, Indian market was too ashamed to own this car.

Originally Posted by Frusciante

I have a C5 too and have had the best ownership experience in 30+ years of owning and driving cars.

Very bold statement and I hope it turns out to be true for many others

Originally Posted by antonylejos

I would recommend the C3 for the following categories of people:

I would add a caveat. I don't think more feature is less a car, but lesser drivability is a essentially a lesser car. I am glad that atleast some of us choose drivability over smartphone like cars. I don't mind leaving those high maintenance robots installed in the car making me dependent on those everyday. I need a car, not Batmobile. Future seems to be more robot and less car, I pity future car owners.

Another thing, people tend to say lesser feature is cost cutting. I disagree. If a car is giving you better suspension, steering feedback, comfort, amazing engine, these are reflections how company diverted investment towards automobile engineering. Money for a segment is more or less fixed, now potential owners need to decide where would they want their money to be, in automobile engineering or in audio engineering. In any case they are not getting best of both in a tight to moderate budget.

[antonylejos]

Originally Posted by theturbogirl

Another thing, people tend to say lesser feature is cost cutting. I disagree. If a car is giving you better suspension, steering feedback, comfort, amazing engine, these are reflections how company diverted investment towards automobile engineering.

I wholeheartedly agree with you on this. When I was in the market for a car, the Brezza made it to my final list of considerations. I was comparing the Brezza Zxi and the Brezza Zxi+.

The additional features that the Brezza Zxi+ offers over the Zxi are as follows:

1. Heads-up display
2. Telematics (connectivity features)
3. Wireless charger
4. Driver's armrest
5. Automatic headlights
6. Follow-me home headlamp
7. Steering and gear knob (leather-wrapped)
8. Cooled glove box

I don't want to dismiss the value of these features entirely, but I don't believe they justify the additional premium they command – a whopping 1.7 lakhs for these features most of which clearly are available in amazon at a negligible price except connectivty features , cooled glove box and follow me headlamp.

In contrast, Citroen offers a 1.2 turbo engine, providing an additional 30 bhp of power for just 1 lakh extra over NA variant.

With an additional 1.7 lakhs in the budget, Maruti could have made significant improvements if they had prioritized differently.

(I compared on-road prices in Kerala for all these cars.)

However, I will not blame Maruti for what they have done. They know how Indian market works Citreon is just learning. We are lucky to buy value for money car by paying for exactly what we need before Citreon learnt it.

[Car-riedAway]

Congratulations for bring brave enough to go against the “popular choices” and choosing performance over mere gadgetry (or as you rightly put it - smartphone like cars). I had also gone against the trend once at least by buying the Linea even when Honda city ruled the market, but was never disappointed by how it used to perform, especially on meandering roads. You have very well captured the high points and also the low points of the car but as someone said - there’s no perfect car.

Loved your way of articulation! Happy mile crunching

[Cry0gen]

Originally Posted by theturbogirl

I would add a caveat. I don't think more feature is less a car, but lesser drivability is a essentially a lesser car. I am glad that atleast some of us choose drivability over smartphone like cars.....

Another thing, people tend to say lesser feature is cost cutting. I disagree. If a car is giving you better suspension, steering feedback, comfort, amazing engine, these are reflections how company diverted investment towards automobile engineering. .....

I could not agree more. This was the precise thought process that made me choose a Citroen. Given the Indian psyche, I should say that the C3 is not for everyone but a specific few, who still value driveability and dynamics over anything else, albeit within a budget. I dont know about you, but sometimes I feel pretty special myself about belonging to this small group of C3 owners who are prudent enough to perfectly value a car You are really one of a kind madam!

My 10k service is due in a few days. Hoping to enrich the forum with my experience with the French belle till date

[AmGu]

I’ve just booked a C3 Turbo Shine and it’s great to see these positive reviews. The engine and suspension were key items in making my decision.

I will try and put up a review after getting delivery in next few weeks.

[AmGu]

Took delivery of my C3 Turbo Shine!

[theturbogirl]

Originally Posted by AmGu

Took delivery of my C3 Turbo Shine!

Many congratulations to own this bad boy. I wish many miles to you on this. Do let us know your ownership experience after some miles on it.

[aaren]

Originally Posted by theturbogirl

I am getting lot of these . The plan was to keep the car within city limits. Therefore, Turbo was not making much sense for us. Although we travel frequently to Ranchi and elsewhere amounting to more than 1000 KMs drive, we have City and Linea for those rides.

In all fairness, we sometime regret to have not bought Turbo. The combination of turbo power with this suspension would have been out and out.

"theturbogirl" is chosen by my seven year old daughter and she is in love with her daddy's Linea.

An excellent, concise report and the photos that are very relevant and thoughtful. Some questions:
a. What kind of a mileage are you getting?
b. In terms of rear seat space, how do you perceive it?
c. The other day I was taking a look at C3 Air Cross, and I felt that the absence of a foot rest was really telling. Is there any foot rest provided?

Again, kudos to a wonderful note and wishing you and your family miles of safe smiles!