First glance: Paddle-change C1 is automatic choice for city

Citroen might offer you all sorts of interesting payment options but you’re not going to get a whole lot of choice when it comes to the engine in your C1. There’s just one powerplant, a 998cc petrol unit with a trio of tiny cylinders that thrum away tunefully.

Drive it as if you’d stolen it and you’ll see 60mph come and go in 14 seconds, but most customers will be a little more circumspect with the throttle and will instead enjoy the C1’s crisp drive off  the line, ability to squeeze through  tight gaps and its handy 3.44m turning circle.

Of course, many choose a city car precisely because most of their driving is in nose-to-tail traffic, and a good proportion of these people see a manual gearchange as a fitment that makes a tedious activity only more onerous.

Citroen have an answer here in the form of the EGS (Electronic Gearbox System) complete with steering-mounted paddle controls. It takes a little getting used to drive smoothly but it will save your left leg a whole lot of effort.

There have been any number of mid-life facelifts to cars that have gone wrong. In fact, I’d probably wager that tinkering with an original design ruins the proportions more often than not. Thankfully Citroen has resisted drastic surgery. The C1’s pert shape was standing the test of time very nicely and the changes run to an updated front end with shorter bonnet.

The headlights keep their rounded shape, while the front bumper has been entirely redesigned to house fog lights and LED daytime running lights. The vertical design LED light signature – which mirrors the style of the DS3 and C4 Aircross – gives the C1 a bolder personality.

It retains its simple glass tailgate and features the brand’s new chevrons and badging. It also gets Notus design  14-inch wheels and is also available with “Rift” 14-inch alloy wheels on the range-topping cars. The C1 is testament to the fact that doing the basics well is something too many manufacturers lose sight of.

The market is stuffed with city cars that fall at the first hurdle, being too small or not economical enough, or being priced too ambitiously. It’s amazing how often these seemingly basic criteria are not met. This is why the C1 has always been such a solid recommendation and why this improved model will continue to draw plaudits from us.

In EGS semi-auto form, it’ll be a minority choice, but if you are urban-bound, then this could be the right pick. It isn’t the trendiest citycar you could buy, but for inexpensive motoring in the urban environment, this  Citroen takes a heck of a lot of beating.

VITAL STATS

CAR Citroen C1 1.0 EGS

PRICE £10,545

PERFORMANCE Max speed 98mph; 0-60mph 14s

MPG (combined) 62mpg

CO2 EMISSIONS 104g/km