Right, this my attempt at a car review, so be kind....

Today as Mrs Stig's Ferbi is in the garage with some issues, I have got a Citigo for a loan car. It's got the basic 1.0 75 bhp engine with the auto / manual gear box. I have wanted to have a drive in one since they went on sale as I could see me buying one for my son's first car once he passes his test in a few years time. First impressions were good. Nice driving position for me, being 6'1", there is loads of leg room for the driver and the seat supported my lower back very well.

The car has loads of toys, even for a basic little vehicle. Sat nav, air con, heated seats for the front passenger and driver, CD player and electric windows. There is only 2 doors on the version I am driving, so the front seats move forward in order to accommodate any rear passengers. Any passengers behind me better have little or no legs..... It's a tad tight. I found that the drivers seat needed to be re-adjusted after I moved it forward in order to clean out the rear of the car (yes, you would think a loan car would come cleaned..)

To start the engine, you need the gear box set in N or it will not start, even with your foot on the brake pedal, a feature called "safety start" according to the read out on the dash board. Once started, the engine produces a throaty little roar, even for a small lump! Into gear and away we go. Now, you can either leave it in auto and drive around like a little go-cart or use the manual setting and just change up as you progress. It automatically changes down as you brake, or you can do it yourself.

I highly recommend you use the manual setting!! In fully auto the gear changes are truly awful! On the gear change, the car lurches forwards and you look like a nodding dog! I tried it at low speed and at high speed. Nodding dog every time. So, I tried manually changing up, there is a nack to this. As you change up, lift off the gas pedal a tad and the changes are much, much smoother.

Now, driving!! I needed to go to a local shopping centre to run a few errands and the like, so I planned a route through the more rural parts of the Kent country side, taking me through the village of Boxley towards Gillingham, some nice A and B road stuff. I was pleasantly surprised with how the car performed even with a small engine and a very tight right hand hair pin bend going up a steep hill. In 3rd gear the car pulled me round and we chugged along quite nicely through the country lanes. Before setting off, I used the sat nav display to show fuel consumption, distance etc. I noticed I was averaging 40 plus mpg, dropping down to 35 mpg as I gave it the beans once I had the road to myself. I found the tires grippy and was able to chuck the car into corners with out much drama. It's running on Continental Sport Contact 2's.

Huge side windows between the A and B pillars provide plenty of visability and the B pillar is tucked away far back so it doesn't really get in the way as you do the shoulder checks, say for over taking etc. The brakes are good with drums in the rear and disks on the front.

Now, my return journey. I sat in the covered car park at the shops and set the sat nav for my road. I used the post code function and it chucked up my road ion the screen pretty quickly. To be fair, I was only mucking about with the sat nav, as it had loads of other search features. As I was in the covered car park, there was no signal to the car, but once I was in the open, it set a route via the M2 towards London. Good, some motorway driving, lets see how we get on. The voice command for the sat nav is very precise!! It gives a very detailed set of instructions which are clear and very easy to understand.

On the motorway, it powers up to 70 fairly quickly and seems happy to sit there. Not much to report in the way of wind noise to be honest, but it was a windy day to day, so it may have drowned out any road or wind noise. The sat nav took me off at junction 3 towards Maidstone, again giving very detailed instructions.

I knew of an alternate route home, so I changed course to see how the sat nav would re-calculate my route. It was almost instant! I did notice that it wanted to take me on a 1 mile de-tour, so I just carried on using the mk1 eye ball and brain cell to get me home. Again the sat nav re-calculated and carried on till I got home.

So, would I buy one for my lad in a few years time? Based on my fun and games today, probably. I want to try one with an ordinary manual gear box first, the automatic is just not my cup of tea. I would have neck muscles like Mike Tyson before too long.

A good useful write up....thanks....

A good useful write up....thanks....

Thanks very much.

Now i did find on the UP! forums the Power & torque curves for both the 60PS and 75PS engines, they are identical up until 3000 rpm-ish after that 75PS continues up to 75PS at 6200 rpm (a bit cheeky as it redlines at 6000!) and one thing i have noticed driving my Citigo is that the 75PS really likes to drink anywhere above 3000 rpm.

In hindsight i personally would have chosen the 60PS over the 75PS, Just as Torque-y but without some of the top end, but at a lower price. For memory the 60PS Elegance Greentec is only a few hundred pounds cheaper (OTR price) so some may say just spend the extra few hundred pounds and get the 75 PS but i reckon over the course of 3 years you could make more of a fuel saving ,depending on driving style, with the 60PS compared to the 75PS engine.

but thats just my two pence!

Nice write up, and being a kent lad, i know exactly where you mean by "a very tight right hand hair pin bend going up a steep hill."

Now i did find on the UP! forums the Power & torque curves for both the 60PS and 75PS engines, they are identical up until 3000 rpm-ish after that 75PS continues up to 75PS at 6200 rpm (a bit cheeky as it redlines at 6000!) and one thing i have noticed driving my Citigo is that the 75PS really likes to drink anywhere above 3000 rpm.

In hindsight i personally would have chosen the 60PS over the 75PS, Just as Torque-y but without some of the top end, but at a lower price. For memory the 60PS Elegance Greentec is only a few hundred pounds cheaper (OTR price) so some may say just spend the extra few hundred pounds and get the 75 PS but i reckon over the course of 3 years you could make more of a fuel saving ,depending on driving style, with the 60PS compared to the 75PS engine.

but thats just my two pence!

Nice write up, and being a kent lad, i know exactly where you mean by "a very tight right hand hair pin bend going up a steep hill."

Thank you.

I love the thrum a 3 cylinder makes too. They do sound a LOT bigger than they really are. And always eager to please. Good review.

I love the thrum a 3 cylinder makes too. They do sound a LOT bigger than they really are. And always eager to please. Good review.

Thank you.

I am now glad to report that today, we purchased a Citigo Sport in red with a manual gear box, 2013 on a 63 plate with sat nav and Bluetooth. Not bad for my lad's first car, eh? :p

I am now glad to report that today, we purchased a Citigo Sport in red with a manual gear box, 2013 on a 63 plate with sat nav and Bluetooth. Not bad for my lad's first car, eh? :p

Very nice Richie,

We have just ordered a SEL auto for Lynz, and when Nicole passes her test she will be able to drive it as well.

Hope your all keeping well.

Very nice Richie,

We have just ordered a SEL auto for Lynz, and when Nicole passes her test she will be able to drive it as well.

Hope your all keeping well.

Hello buddy. As long as you put up with the jerky gear change, they are giggle to drive.

Hello buddy. As long as you put up with the jerky gear change, they are giggle to drive.

Only jerky if you don't momentarily lift off the throttle when it changes gear. Bit like the R-tronic 'box in the old R8.