Citroen C3 Turbo owner talks about Basalt and its customer base

So to sum up, unless Citroen screws up the Basalt pricing, the product is decent and has a shot at success.

BHPian Nanolover recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Have owned the C3 turbo for 4 months and 2500 kms. 90% of these kms have been on very fast highway runs. I would like to pen down the major plus and minus and the intended customer base for Citroen

Their cars are ideal for people who:

• appreciate engineering and comfort instead of superfluous frills
• do a lot of highway trips ( the car is in its element here)
• need comfortable seats
• want something different and are willing to put up with the quirks

Plus points

• the turbo engine and the sweet shifting 6 speed gearbox. Engine has vibes especially when cold to remind you it's a three cylinder but once warmed up its smooth and quiet
• the steering feel , especially at higher triple digit speeds
• good mechanical grip ( I have switched to Verdesteins on the same size)
• powerful aircon
• comfortable seats with good support
• zero effort needed to close doors and trunk. Almost like soft close function!
• EVM Trivandrum dealership treats you in the same way as a BMW customer  very few around so gets unique attention at service center. Also top marks to the dealer and service center ambience and cleanliness. Especially compared to Tata motors Derik and Trivandrum Motors service center lounges that resemble truck workshops now due to the sheer volume of people and cars. There is no place even to sit there.

Minuses

• turbo engine is not ideal for city exclusive folks especially manual. The gush of power is abrupt and there are jerks and driveline shunts at slow speeds, typical of three cylinder engine and fuelling is not perfect at slow speeds
• major misses like lack of auto retract mirrors ( addressed now) and slippery flap door handles
• poor horn ( although I changed them)
• high rear door sill for older people to lift up their legs especially when getting out
• no passenger side grab handle. My dad is especially irked by this
• traction control is poorly engineered resulting in a long beep every time one of the front wheels falls into a ditch or rut at speeds. I think in the interests of cost cutting, only the front wheels are linked to the system and the moment one wheel lifts up it unnecessarily raises this long beep. Can be frustrating especially when driving over under construction highway roads in Kerala at speed.
• wooly steering feel at city speeds. Even though light , it doesn't have the beautiful olive oil like smoothness of the tigor rack.

So to sum up, unless Citroen screws up the Basalt pricing, the product is decent and has a shot at success. Although the performance might be little lesser than the C3 due to the added weight.

For those who want a well engineered pocket rocket, the updated C3 with 6 airbags and other added goodies makes a compelling case now ,more than ever. I think the crash rating will also go up leaps and bounds as the structure was already rated as stable.

Signing off with some pics of mine. Updates done:

• Verdestein tyres
• underbody coating at dealer
• euro horn
• euro wipers

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