Citroen C3 (2009-2016) interior
Citroen’s mission was to make the C3’s interior as comfortable and homely as possible by using materials that have a distinctively non-automotive look and feel.
Style
This is one of the C3’s main selling points. In an effort to differentiate itself from rivals, Citroen has bestowed the C3 with an eye-catching design featuring minimalist controls and rounded circle flourishes on nearly every surface. Small splashes of colour on the dash also help lift the cabin ambiance over some more sensible rivals.
Quirky details such as the trunk straps on the doors and the fabric on the glovebox help the C3 stand out and the interior is available in a variety of bright colours depending on which model you go for.
The interior is very stylised with a distinct theme running through it… rectangles
Infotainment
The overall dashboard design is uncluttered thanks to a seven-inch touchscreen controlling the car’s systems on all but the basic Touch model. Fitted to all but the basic model, the infotainment system supports Apple CarPlay (Android Auto support comes in early 2017) so you can play music through your iPhone, use Google Maps, plus send and receive messages hands-free using Siri.
The £500 optional sat-nav system has plenty of modern functions such as real-time traffic information with warnings for congestion and it can also supply information on the weather, fuel prices and local parking spaces. In reality, though, if you have an iPhone you’ll be perfectly happy with the more basic system.
A first for the class is ConnectedCam – a small, forward-facing camera mounted in the rearview mirror – that comes standard in the top-spec model. It can take videos of your journey and, in the case of an accident, automatically record the incident.