Well as the topic says, just had confirmation that I finally get a chance to burn some rubber in the Citygo - and find out a bit more info.

As per the post, I got a chance to drive the Citigo yesterday.

At 6'2" and not exactly on the slim side of things I had my doubts as to, at first, how easy it was going to be to 1) get in, 2) get out and 3) get comfortable all of which I found very easy, coupled with the height adjustment on the seat and reach (not rake) steering wheel.

Drivability wise, we first had a bit of fun along a slalom course in reverse, then back to normal. Very nimble through the cones good turning circle and responsive. Then came the daunting bit of driving towards a wall and letting the car do the braking. As long as the car is running under 18 mph with no driver contact of brakes or wheel the car will sharply brake, unnerving at first but a clever little system.

Next up came the 'Alpine' Circuit, which consisted of uphill, downhill and some nice tight hairpin bends. The cars driven around here were the KA, i10, 107, Picanto and Citigo. The KA was a peppy little engine but throwing it in to corners there was a lot of roll in the body, the i10 was next up, pig ugly and an awful looking interior but handled well and the engine exceeded my expectations. In to the 107 (my mum had one when it first came out, I told her not to but she didn't listen), dreadful interior and sounded like a sewing machine over 2,000 revs, handling wasn't too bad but the noise from the engine was painful. In to the Picanto - apparently price wise this should be the big rival - IT ISN'T! Could not get comfortable, wooly steering and the engine was worse than our friends at Peugeots! Now in to the Citigo, as mentioned above seating was excellent with nothing next to my left leg to bang in to (yes, Ford that is definatley you). Drove the 60ps, and did as I had done with all the others and left it in 3rd going up the hill, then half way, in to 4th (just to see), towards the end of the incline in 4th it did lose a bit of puff, then on to some hairpins, 4 wheels right in each corner really do help this car to handle, stuck like '****' to a blanket and the responsiveness out of each corner was pretty good as well.

There were various comments between people which they felt was the best car on the circuit, yes the Citigo did run out of breath a bit, but then the handling somewhat made up for this. My personal ratings for the above (if you really want to know) are:

(These are based just on the engine and handling.)

* Hyundai/Citigo

* KA,

* 107,

* Picanto.

To sum up the Citigo, it does exactly as the name suggests, it's a town car, it won't win any races but looks wise it looks good, comfort is fantastic, handling is great and the extra gadgets give you something to play with.

Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any pictures but if anyone is contemplating White, then consider an Elegance with Sunset Glass, Panoramic Roof and Black Wheels - it looks smart.

Hope I haven't bored you, just wanted to add a bit of information.

Good fair write up Lee, thanks for the info.

As an owner of an i10 (automatic...but had the manual before this one) I was obviously interested in this, so thanks for writing it up. I did, as mentioned in the other thread, have a brief go in the Up a couple of weeks ago - and liked it.

In all honesty, beauty is in the eye....etc..and my interior doesn't offend me unduly, but then I tend towards dark, subdued, boring and practical. I don't think the i10 is remotely beautiful but it serves a purpose and is quite roomy for what it is and isn't aimed at style gurus.

It would be thought mildly odd if a fellow such as yourself, selling them when they come out, had slated the Skoda wholesale, but I do accept and am informed by what you've said and would go for one as and when I get shot of the i10. Now that they've pretty much fixed the bug that plagued my driving enjoyment that might not be straight away, especially as they're now paying for the first two services (£450's worth) by way of recompense...but it would be my 1st choice another time.

Strange that you've rated the Kia and the Hyundai so far apart given that they share so much hardware. The 1.2 engine and transmissions are virtually identical but you haven't said which models you drove.

Edited 18 May, 201214 yr by oldstan

Oldstan...... Now edited!

From what I remember both the Kia and Hyundai were the 1.0 engines. The Hyundai just seemed to have a bit more oomph in it.

I have tried to be as honest as possible, this is only my opinion and every car does have it's downside.

Just going back to your last paragraph, Forest Gate not Walthamstow

Any news on the WRC version?

WRC or vRS would be nice, but alas it's not going to happen. Did ask the question about vRS and I was swiftly told "NO, it's a city car".

Sorry Babs it's not to be.

I know, I know

Oldstan...... Now edited!

From what I remember both the Kia and Hyundai were the 1.0 engines. The Hyundai just seemed to have a bit more oomph in it.

I have tried to be as honest as possible, this is only my opinion and every car does have it's downside.

Just going back to your last paragraph, Forest Gate not Walthamstow

Re. Forest Gate...Oh dear, I'm sorry about that - I got that badly wrong. I used to live not too far from that part of the world and knew there was a dealer in each of the two places mentioned and got the names wrong...May I just correct that here again for good measure ... Preston Motors is in Forest Gate

Now you've corrected Nibble I really ought to edit the above as it won't make much sense any more so will do that......

Round my way the Aygo/107/C1 are really popular and I would hope that the Citigo will nick some of those sales when people become aware of it. Around town I often find I can get parked in on-road parking spaces with the i10 - other cars having passed the spot by due to their extra length. The same would apply to the Citigo obviously.

I'll drive one as soon as I get the chance.

Fingers crossed that we do manage to steal some of the market over the apparent 'big boys' - been going good so far.

Round here anything remotely small is the Aygo etc so we should be able to break the mould.

Glad you had a good day Lee,

Did you get to drive one back to the showroom?

Unfortunately not Mike.

All the showroom Citigos are being delivered to the dealers and it's already causing attention round here

Will have to pop to my local dealer over the weekend to see if they have there's.

If not i might pop up to see you.

They should do but if not the coffee is always on - proper stuff not instant

Like oldstan (who has been fairly vociferous on the hyundai forum!) I also have an i10. I got a very good deal on a pre-reged model from a dealer with 20 miles on the clock. Now that I have done 3k+ miles in it I find it very nippy and not too bad on fuel at 49mpg (its a 1.2 Active manual).

My biggest concern is the build quality - its all a bit lightweight and doesn't instill the confidence that you get with a VAG vehicle. I used to own (and love hugely) a Octavia TDi estate before the i10. We had no need for 2 big cars (the wife has a 320d).

Obviously build quality costs money, which is why the citigo is not the cheapest city car around.

But as the yeti (which we have on order) proves, the main question is about value for money and from what I can see the citigo will have that in spades.

Having driven a "city car" for a while now I can see the advantages in and around town. I still hugely overestimate its length when reversing up against something!!.

So my plans are to keep the i10 for now and then upgrade to a citigo in a couple of years time. Once the "new model" rough edges have been worn off.

Edited 23 May, 201214 yr by vegit8