Citroen C1 1.0i Rhythm

Purchased new in 2007 and traded in a couple of weeks ago, this car has been the family runaround, school runs, shopping trips plus the annual UK holiday, days out etc etc. Capable of 60 MPG and with £20 road tax and low insurance it really is a budget car! Saying that, it also pops along on the motorway at a healthy 85mph for hours at a stretch.

No electric windows or central locking or anything else to go wrong, with only annual servicing required it has cost a minimum in repairs during the 5 years, passing 2 MOT's without problems.

Fairly comfortable, I am a large man and probably look more at home in a truck, handles well in all conditions, even on snow I managed to get around.

Downside it is only a 4 seater, and the boot is tiny. That said, parking is a doddle in the tightest of spots.

Would I buy another? Yes, I bought the VTR+ with a few nice extras. Will review when it has done 1000 miles.

Hi. Everybody.

I purchased a Citroen C1 car and I must admit it is cheap to run. Regarding petrol

and road tax. The seats are quite comfortable and it is a nippy car to drive.

The disadvantages I found were that the parcel shelf does not stay up and can

be quite annoying. The car cannot handle wind and not really suitable for motorways.

If I use them. I never use the third lane anymore as the car struggles to overtake other

cars. I found reversing was abit of a nightmare as I'm petite. I can't see clearly behind

me as the seats are low down even though I use cushions. If you dont mind very windy

days or you don't want a fast car. Then the car is great.

I've owned my C1 (Rhythm model) for 6 months and i've been delighted with it. Prior to the C1 I owned large family-size cars and I was apprehensive about the move to something so small, but I needn't have been.

My car is used for a daily 60-mile commute along the motorway and it's great for the task.

The C1 is Citroen's version of a join partnership between Citroen, Peugeot and Toyota. The C1, 107 and Aygo models respectively are mechanically identical, with only minor cosmetic differences to differentiate them.

The engine:

The 3-cylinder, 1.0 12v engine manages to produce 68bhp. Of course it's not going to set the world alight, but it's more than enough in a car of this size and (lack of) weight. Acceleration is fine and the car will cruise and overtake quite easily at 70mph+ if that's what you do with yours. The engine has been totally reliable so far in the 20,000 miles it's covered. A friend has covered more than 70,000 miles in hers, and again it's been totally reliable. However possibly the best feature of this engine is its CO2 emissions, which fall within the £20/year tax band.

The interior:

The interior is where you can really tell Citroen/Peugeot/Toyota have tried to save money. Don't misunderstand me; the design is nice and dashboard is solid enough, but everything else rattles and sounds extremely tinny, even on brand new cars - it's just how they are. For me though it adds to the character of the car. You shouldn't buy this car if what you're looking for is refinement or long distance cruising ability. The seats are comfortable enough but an extremely annoying foible that applies to the 3-door version with folding from seats is the need to reposition the seat each time it's folded forward. I wish the designers had figured out a way to make the seat return to its previous position when it's folded back again. The sound system is the only other let-down. Some models feature rear speakers as well as two up front, but even then the system is extremely 'tinny'. You get used to it, but it's not a quality sound by any means. Space-wise, in the front and back it's excellent. 4 adults (and this is a 4-seater remember, not 5) can travel with plenty of room. The price to pay is boot space. There isn't any. You can fit about 3 average size shopping bags in it and that's it.

The exterior:

Appearance is entirely subjective, by my view is that the C1 is the best looking of the C1, 107 and Aygo trio. It's design features the largest headlights of the three, and that makes a big difference at night. The lights are excellent. Despite the cheap and cheerful feel of the car the body seems very well put together, and the large front and rear bumpers give great protection to the rest of the body if you do take a little knock. If the way the standard car looks isn't enough for you, you have the option to fit Citroen's styling package to the car, which consists of front apron (including front driving lights), rear apron, rear spoiler and alloy wheels. The rear spoiler is actually a wise choice, as it helps to keep rain and spray off your back window while traveling at speed - an otherwise annoying aspect of this car's aerodynamics.

Economy and running costs:

The fuel tank takes £48 to fill from empty (at January 2012 prices) and that will last, with careful driving, 450 miles. If you choose to drive more quickly or predominantly around town that will fall to around 400 miles.

Tyres are 165/55/R14 size and are slightly more expensive than you might imagine at around £43 per tyre.

Tax as I mentioned earlier is almost negligible at £20. I prefer to look at it as one less trip to the movies and my tax is paid for a whole year!

Servicing at a main dealer is always going to be expensive, but service kits using OEM parts are available online. This car is very easy to service at home, with everything you need to get at readily accessible.

Summary:

Pros - Cheap to run, reliable, quick enough, spacious for carrying passengers, looks good and cheap to tax/insure.

Cons - It's not a refined car and you can tell where money has been saved, there's very little boot space and the radio is poor quality.

Perfect city commuter car, min eco figs. 49mph on short runs through city with air con blasting out to 68 mph on a long run down A1 at 56mph.

Masses of room for 3 passengers + luggage room with 4th seat folded down. Dash reflection on windscreen in bright sunshine makes it seem like looking through a net curtain if you wear glasses. But you get used to it.