Test drove the Citroen eC3: 12 pros & 12 cons

The ride quality was just fantastic – over broken roads, speed bumps, uneven roads etc it just glides.

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I am in pursuit for the elusive perfect City EV. As part of the pursuit, registered for the test Drive of the eC3 at home.

Here is a brief summary of the Test Drive impressions:

The Good:

• Very smooth TD experience. Received callback to confirm preferred time, arrived right on time and no fuss. Very professional dealing with the SA.
• Car looks nice from outside with bright colors and contrast roof.
• TD car had done 6000 kms so far and was 4 months old. Considering the abuse, the condition held up well. No complaints except some external paint chips.
• Interior color scheme (Seats + Dash) is dark which is nice should be easier to maintain. The plastics, though hard ones, was sturdy and were built well.
• The ride quality was just fantastic – over broken roads, speed bumps, uneven roads etc it just glides. What helps is the chunky wheels with thick sidewalls. Was able to maneuver the car inside the parking.
• The car had creep function – lift up the acc pedal and the car moves ahead at slow speeds.
• The Gear toggle switch would take some getting used to specially for 2 point turns etc.
• Overall NVH levels inside the cabin is great. Not much outside road noise. Mellow horns, not intrusive inside cabin.
• Seats were nice in the front. Roomy at the rear. Decent for 5 passengers.
• Steering feel and feedback was good. A soft touch cover would do wonders.
• Even at AC blower speed set at 1, and temperature to cool, the AC worked really well.
• Good boot space, better than some of the other EVs. Had a proper spare as well.

The Neutral:

• Gradual and smooth acceleration even when you kick down on the accelerator. No sudden leaping ahead. This is good and bad both. You will have to plan your overtakes carefully due to this but it also means that the car drives like my AMT.
• Don’t have enough feedback from real owners on the battery performance and charging experience. I requested my SA to connect me with some real owners to take feedback and She agreed readily.
• Two showrooms in Bangalore. Citroen offers service on wheels but service station is a bit far away from home. RSA on offer.
• Driving in the normal mode was an easy experience. There was a Eco mode available which further dulled the acceleration. This can be great for new car drivers and learners.

The Bad:

• Only two Airbags, no ESP. Only ABS with EBD.
• Only three years warranty on the car & 7 years on battery. Extended warranty is not clear yet.
• The interiors looked very old school – lacked features. Even basic features missing which are a must - such as auto AC, Rear view camera, ORVM auto adjust, Rear wipers etc.
• No window open switches on the back doors, its placed in the central armrest console. Needed some getting used to.
• Starting the car was a bit of a surprise for us. First thing was the manual key – you have to put it in and do 1 turn – this brings up all electronics. But you cant drive yet. Then like an ICE car, you have to do one more half turn and then the car gets in the Ready mode which is indicated on the console with a light and shrill beep. Now you can drive after putting it into drive mode.
• No hill hold, car rolls back on inclines. However was able to manage with brake and Acc pedal. Didn’t perceive the Acc cutoff with brakes pushed.
• The Driver console is very very basic – does not suit a 12L+ car.
• The 10 inch screen in the middle – though looks big compared to many other cars, but the experience was not good. I wanted to connect my phone to test music quality, however could not pair the phone, it simply didn’t search for the phone Bluetooth. Then I tried to delete the existing BT connections shown but it hung. Had to contend with FM music. Sound – though loud, lacked base. May be there are some sound settings but I didn’t explore further.
• I could not try android auto but I have my doubt if the maps would really come up on the whole screen due to the landscape nature of the screen.
• No rear AC vents to cool the rear compartment quickly.
• The battery pack in the floor eats into ground clearance. One of the places where I was driving, the car floor touched a hump due to broken road.
• The car only comes with a 3.5 Kw AC home charger. The TD person said – it will take 8-10 hours for a full charge on home AC. DC charge is possible at fast chargers.

In my excitement, I could not keep a track of the efficiency or range drop. The SA told me – expected range on a full charge will be 230 - 250 depending on driving pattern.

Final verdict from Finance Ministry – The car has great ride on offer but does not fit to be in the 12L price segment. Imagine we are comparing this with our Nios Asta AMT.

Next steps – If the C3 Air cross is launched in EV, it will be a good option for us. Till then this remains on our list of potential candidates on position 2.

Otherwise have to wait for Tata Punch EV – which has already started doing tests in camo. I am not in a hurry as my car lease expires in Feb 2024.

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