Hoping to get a small car for in city driving.. Drove Opel Corsa 1.2, Toyota Yaris 1.0 liter the other day. Not really excited by both of them. So, I tried to look around more on the internet and came accroos the Citroen C2 with 1.4 liter diesel engine. I like what I saw on the net but the nearest Citroen dealer is 60 miles away. So, I would like to ask you guys what you think about this car?
The car I am interested comes allmost loaded except ABS brakes and sunroof. My wife will be using it mainly for incity driving so fuel economy is a must. More rear seat room would also be good but you cant get much on the C2.. Thank you for your help.
The C2 has one quite nice feature: You can adjust the rear seats either to have more rear seat room or to have more luggage space. The car I tested had two single seats which could be folded away separately. The car has a rear door which is divided into two parts. The rear window flips up, the rest of the door flips down. This is nice if you just want to put a small thing into the trunk (just open the window) or if you do not have much space behind the car. The downside is that you have to lean way forward to pull heavy things (e.g. a crane of beer) out of the trunk. Test records mention soft front seats which feel like sponges. I had only the opportunity to test drive a C2 diesel for just 20 minutes, but I was amazed on how much space this car offers for the driver (I am very tall). In this respect the C2 beats even the Smart City Coupe (a.k.a. Smart Fortwo). I assume that your wife is not as tall as I am, but if she likes to have some room around her, the C2 is a good choice. I was not very amazed by the suspension quality, but this depends on the level you are used to: My demands are quite high as I drive a Citroen Xantia.
If I were in the shop for a small subcompact car, the C2 would definitely be on my wish list. It is cheaper than a Yaris or VW Lupo, but I definitely sit better in it. The car is available with an usual 5 speed manual gearbox with clutch pedal and a semi-automatic clutchless gearbox with shift paddels at the steering wheel. IIRC the biggest engine always comes with this gearbox. I have heard some strange stories about this gearbox and about having to upgrade the control software and such. It is a matter of taste, but I think that a clutch is obsolete in a city car, so I definitely would try to get one with the autobox.
BTW: If the C2 seems too small for you, buy a C3. It is basically the same car up to the B pillar, but it offers two additional doors and more space in the rear. Additional cost are reasonable.
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