Citroen C3 diesel last of the old shape

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Wed 6 Jul 2011 16:25
Citroen C3 diesel last of the old shape - Glenn 42

Visited my local Citroen dealer, well part of a large franchise, and as my old man has a C4 Picasso TDi, which has been almost faultless in two years of ownership, decided to check out the C3s. I know the petrol versions aren't too hot, the 1.1 is very slow, but the dealer showed me a 59 plate 1.4 HDI C3 with all the accessories for just under £ 7500. 74 mpg on the open road and 60 mpg around town look very tempting when you consider my 55 Nissan Almera will do 45 mpg tops. Also £ 30 annual tax and low insurance look good. As I am likely to be considerably upping my annual mileage from 8000 a year due to a long distance relationship, the salesman said the diesel Citroen would make sense.

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Wed 6 Jul 2011 21:02
Citroen C3 diesel last of the old shape - Avant

Could be a good buy: there are generally more bouquets on this forum for Citroens than brickbats, with the possible exception of the C5. The PSA diesel engines are well-proven and economical. Check on Autotrader to see if the price is reasonable.

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Wed 6 Jul 2011 21:20
Citroen C3 diesel last of the old shape - unthrottled

74 mpg on the open road and 60 mpg around town look very tempting when you consider my 55 Nissan Almera will do 45 mpg tops.

Don't buy it on the premise of getting anywhere close to 67mpg average. The cheap tax is nice, but most people won't find a small diesel any more economical than a larger one (unlike with petrol).

Edited by unthrottled on 06/07/2011 at 21:22

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Wed 6 Jul 2011 21:37
Citroen C3 diesel last of the old shape - madf

Don't buy it on the premise of getting anywhere close to 67mpg average. The cheap tax is nice, but most people won't find a small diesel any more economical than a larger one (unlike with petrol).

Yes.. it must be a fluke my averaging 60mpg...

Edited by madf on 06/07/2011 at 21:38

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Wed 6 Jul 2011 21:50
Citroen C3 diesel last of the old shape - Collos25

Steady driving I would have thought over 60mpg is easily achieved having 54mpg from a 1.6hdi in a 407sw

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Wed 6 Jul 2011 21:53
Citroen C3 diesel last of the old shape - mike hannon
I've driven my friend's C3 HDI a lot and certainly get 60mpg when used sensibly. I can't imagine ever getting more than that though and it is somewhat underpowered if you need to be travelling at motorway speeds with 4 up and a bit of luggage.
Also, as we were warned, at four years old bits started to fall off.
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Wed 6 Jul 2011 21:53
Citroen C3 diesel last of the old shape - unthrottled

Steady 60mph will turn in stunning numbers in almost anything. But you can't really pick the best point in the run and call it the average.

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Wed 6 Jul 2011 21:52
Citroen C3 diesel last of the old shape - unthrottled

...In a Yaris weighing all of about 2100lb. A friend of mine averages 57 in a 130bhp 1.9 Golf. 5% difference compared to a 2800lb car with a much more capable engine. Gee, I wonder which one I'd pick.

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Thu 7 Jul 2011 00:03
Citroen C3 diesel last of the old shape - Avant

Fair enough, but you wouldn't get a 59-reg Golf for £7500.

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Thu 7 Jul 2011 00:17
Citroen C3 diesel last of the old shape - unthrottled

no, but I bet you could pick up a 1.6HDi Citroen for no more than a 1.4. The 1.6 will be nicer to drive with more naturally aspirated power throughout its rev range. Depending on how it is driven it will probably turn in equal or better economy.

Without wanting to get too technical, very small diesel engines do not make sense and are the ultimate example of 'cycle beating'. There are numerous reports of Fiat's 1.3 diesel turning in worse real world numbers than the larger alternatives.

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Thu 7 Jul 2011 01:09
Citroen C3 diesel last of the old shape - jamie745

My understanding has always been fuel economy has alot to do with the style of driving it as well as just the car, ive found big petrol engines very economical on long journeys than small ones but surely driving any supposed eco car like a loony will see its mpg fall like a stone.

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Thu 7 Jul 2011 14:58
Citroen C3 diesel last of the old shape - TeeCee

My understanding has always been fuel economy has alot to do with the style of driving

Too right and driven the same way at the same rate, the smaller engined car will have its throttle shoved rather further open than the larger engined one. :-)

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Thu 7 Jul 2011 05:42
Citroen C3 diesel last of the old shape - unthrottled

Just to add to my previous remarks:

2009 Citroen C3 1.6HDi

91hp@3750, 170lbf.ft@2000RPM, CO2 emissions 99g/km

2009 Citroen c3 1.4HDi

70hp@4000RPM, 118lbf.ft@2000RPM, CO2 emissions 113 g/km

Very small diesels are gimmicks.

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Thu 7 Jul 2011 14:44
Citroen C3 diesel last of the old shape - Glenn 42
Mus
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