The presentation of the new Citroën C3 revealed a completely new silhouette for the best-selling Citroën, a radical change between the new generation and the current one. While the current model was intended to be a classic saloon with a touch of SUV, the new one takes this a step further with a more vertical silhouette, much more SUV-like, even if the brand still considers it to be a saloon. However, behind these strong silhouette differences, there is a certain link between the two generations of the C3, which shows that although Citroën has changed everything, the spirit remains the same.
A more mature exterior
When it was launched, the latest generation of the Citroën C3 adopted some SUV elements to create a distinctive silhouette in this highly competitive market segment. Its large wheels and fully protected bodywork, combined with a flatter bonnet, allowed the C3 to become a true crossover between classic saloons and SUVs, all in a style with a simple, unadorned design. Given the success of this third generation, Citroën was right to make the 2016 proposal.
For this fourth and new generation, Citroën wanted to break the codes once again and not reproduce the same theme as the current C3. Built on a new platform designed from the outset for electric models with significant ground clearance, the brand has opted to offer a car with increased ground clearance and a more vertical silhouette that changes the look of the C3 in depth.
However, several elements show a certain link between the two generations, especially on the SUV side, which is clearly adopted by the new one and was implicitly present in the current one. There are also body lines without edges, a body that the designers call "liquid". There is a certain obvious similarity between the two generations in the treatment of the bodywork, as if the new generation relied on the current generation to be more assertive.
This assertiveness is also evident in the treatment of the black parts of the body (radiator grille, wheel arches, etc.), which show a much more elaborate, much more careful style in contrast to the simpler and more fluid bodywork. This contrast was intended to give the new C3 a more mature appearance, less toy-like, as the current one could be criticised for. The brand has also opted for a flat, highly visible bonnet to give the C3 more presence, unlike previous generations where the bonnet was less pronounced. This choice is the result of the brand's new design theme, which plays on the verticality and horizontality of shapes, a theme that can be found on both the body and the interior of the new C3.
After all, Citroën has completely redesigned the C3 and did not want to start from the same starting point as its predecessor: the idea was not to make a C3 identical in spirit but new in form, a bit like the competitors. Citroën wanted to change its shape in order to differentiate itself even more in this highly competitive segment by adopting a more SUV-like, more vertical body style, allowing the new C3 to offer generous living space in a format identical to the current one.
An interior with shared genes
The interior of the new C3 reveals a style that once again breaks with the current generation, even if the two share some genes. We find the same look of the dashboard, which is very horizontal, taking up little space and visually enlarging the interior. We also find the vertical air vents, not present on the current C3 but present on the other models; this combination of horizontal dashboard and vertical air vents is another interpretation of the brand's new design theme.
But where the current C3 was simpler in its treatment of the interior, the new one takes better care of it with the presence of chevrons on the dashboard, redesigned Advanced Comfort seats with reinforced lateral support and hidden details in various parts of the car that are particularly interesting, such as the messages on the armrests that invite you to adopt a feel-good spirit. This same spirit, born in 2016 with the current generation, is also reflected in the link with the new generation, a link which is also materialised in the door panels, which take on a light colour in contrast to the storm doors, and which were already present on the current C3.
Comfort is another point of commonality with all the brand's models, and the new dashboard concept called C-Zen Lounge contributes greatly to this by freeing up the dashboard so that it can be used particularly in the rain by the small steering wheel associated with the instrumentation counter moved back as close as possible to the windscreen. The same comfort is reinforced by the adoption, as standard, of suspensions with double hydraulic stops, supplemented, on the Max version, by Advanced Comfort seats, which make the new C3 the most comfortable in its category, worthy of Citroën. who respects itself.
The choice of a more vertical, more SUV-like body allows the new C3 to offer superior living space in a similar format. It is significantly more comfortable than the current generation, both in terms of headroom (+31 mm) and rear knee room (+21 mm). Elbow and shoulder room is also greater, which should make the new C3 one of the most spacious in its segment. Finally, the increase in ground clearance of more than 6 cm (+62 mm to be precise) has allowed Citroën to raise the seats 76 mm compared to the current model, which makes it more comfortable to sit or get out of the car.
In conclusion, as usual, Citroën has made a clean sweep of the past with the new C3, but underneath its completely new style it hides a certain link with the current generation, a sort of shared genes that we find on the body or in the interior. In short, the new C3 takes the recipe of the current one, adding some spice to give it more personality, but also to make it more liveable, more comfortable, more modern, enough to continue the immense success of the current one.