Had the pleasure of test driving one of these today at Simpsons Skoda, Preston. It was an SE spec, so the 60ps version of the 1.0 litre 3-pot engine, in white.

The white suits the car very well – perfectly offset by the updated and modernised black and chrome Skoda badge on the bonnet and boot. All the openings close with the usual “like a Golf” thud.

Up front, the trademark Skoda chrome-edged vertical slatted grille is present and correct and adds a grown-up feel to car. The windscreen is large and quite steeply raked, and provides a decent glass-area which is sometimes missing in cars in this class. Round back new the new badges look smart and the screen is – like the front – of a good size. The flanks are deep with two swage lines continuing strokes from the front arches to the rear. Short overhangs exaggerate the squat, four-square stance of the car.

For the size of it, the Citigo’s boot is vast and as the rear of the car is near-vertical, the space increases as the boot gets deeper. And deep it gets – roughly 6” below the base of the rear seat comes the top of the spare wheel well, in which sits a steel spare. You definitely can see where VW originally wanted the engine to go!

From the driver’s seat you look out upon a tall and wide dash; the usual ventilation and audio controls are all laid out exactly as you’d expect from a VAG group car, which means very well! The front screen provides a great view of the road ahead, and the well-sized wing mirrors offer a brilliant view behind.

The wheel - while plastic - is a good size, both in diameter and thickness, but lacks reach adjustment, and the instruments are clear, including the unusually small tachometer. An apparent lack of central vents is overcome by the decent side and under dash mounted ones; regardless, the air conditioning worked well to keep the temperature stable inside. The seats, though missing bolster support, were very comfortable and have a massive height adjustment. Even at 6’1” I could sit behind myself without issue.

Shifting gear is satisfying; the shift is positive and precise, and the clutch has good feel. All the major controls are fairly light, but the steering wheel does provide some feedback.

VW’s new 1.0 3-pot engine is a terrific, there’s no other word for it. Even in the lower-output form the engine is willing, even from low revs in high gears. While its outright performance won’t set any records, if kept buzzing along between 2,000 and 4,000rpm it will deliver enough oomph to keep up with city and country traffic. Oh, and it sounds wonderful when revved – raspy and off-beat! Unfortunately I didn’t get to test it at motorway speeds, but at 50-60mph it was calm, composed and quiet.

Although there’s only so much that a small car can do, the Citigo copes very well with bumps and undulations in the roads. Sharp impacts result in a dull thud, and afterwards the car resists pitch and roll; overall the ride is fantastic, especially for small car.

It corners with confidence, despite the tall-profile “eco” tyres. There is noticeable body roll when cornering at speed, but the little Citigo grips and grips and doesn’t feel out of its depth. I don’t think 99% of its owners would get close to its ultimate limit of grip, but it’s nice to know it’ll take care of you if do.

Overall, I loved the car – it is a brilliant example of a city car and does exactly what it sets out to do. The Citigo is superb value for money, and if it was my money, the one I’d buy over its VAG stable mates.

Thank you, Babs Clarkson

A very detailed and informative review

Are you feeling OK

Yes, thanks Mr Brimma, sir

good review

Nice write up Babs,

[trots off to dealers]

Jeremy Clarkson eat your heart out!

Good review

Thanks for the review. All being well wife and I will be off to trade in her little smart for a Citigo in a couple of weeks. I may borrow it now and again.

Finish looks good, (another white one) and it's good to drive,

I wouldn't fancy travelling far in the back though but it is what it is.

It would have to be the five door elegance 75ps for me but rear sensors should have been standard on a city car - you can only have them with cruise control for some reason. So for me to have that option with sunset glass and five year warranty its about 11k which looks a bit steep.

Spot on Babs.

Having driven a 60 SE today, that is exactly how it is.

The car I drove had the PID fitted as an option.

It is made by Navigon, apparently exclusively for VAG ?

Very funky and easy to use.

The display is large enough to make options easy to read and the touch screen is responsive, yet the whole unit is small enough to not intrude on the view ahead.

You have the option to display two gauges and each can be chose separately.

Or the trip computer which shows everything you need on one screen.

The audio screen displays all the usual RDS functions for radio. Once you have a CD and MP3 or SD card plugged in, it can all be controlled from the PID

I was kind of surprised that it still gave voice prompts even when other screens are displayed.

The salesman said that, rather than have a lead to an MP3 player dangling, it was possible to insert a microSD card in the side of the unit to play music and display pictures.

The only thing I couldn't figure out was how to cancel the programmed route :( but I suspect that was me never having used a navigon unit before.

Did find the mute button though.

10/10 on this one Mr Skoda.

I reckon the queue will be out the door and half way down the street for them.

Good job I've got in already

Oh, the new bonnet and boot badges look very smart.

The car also has Skoda with the thingy over the S on the boot

The missus was looking at swapping the Fiesta for something more economical so we took a back to back test drive yesterday of a 60PS Citigo SE and a Fabia Greenline.

I found the Citigo fun to drive but lacked power unless you rev the engine hard. At city speeds the 3 cylinder engine is fine but anything above 50mph and things start to sound like a tractor! I wouldn't want to use this car for anything more than a short motorway hop.

The interior is well built if a bit basic. As Babs said the (huge) doors shut with the reassuring thud that Skoda (and Golf) owners have come to expect. Access to the rear is pretty easy but when you slide the seat forward it loses your position (seat angle and position) which was extremely annoying. Even if you only have passengers in the back occasionally I would recommend the 5 door model over the 3 door.

The Navigon PMD is fantastic and I can wait until other models get similar kit. I didn't have too much of a play with it but the car status and media screens work really well. The removable design is really good - you get the benefits of a sat nav you can use outside of the car (and remove so scroats don't steal it) and those of an integrated system.

Overall I'd say that the Citigo is a good small runaround car that reminded me a bit of the old Fiat Uno (in a good way). In the end we decided to go for the Fabia as the wife travels 90 miles a day on the motorway.

Had a good look at the Citigo yesterday at a local launch event. Found that it felt very solid with an interior and boot that felt bigger than other city cars. The interior of the Elegance model seemed noticeably more pleasant than the rather drab SE model. Having said that, Mrs Shrub wants an SE and so we are going back on Friday for a test drive. I imagine that a bright paint colour would brighten the interior because of the exposed panels inside. Was told delivery would likely be September for a five door ASG version.

Price wise the Citigo appears to be approx £500 cheaper than an equivalent VW UP. I prefer the front end of the UP (bit of character) but prefer the rear of the Citigo (doesn't have that horrible black slab of a tailgate). Will see what Friday brings......

Had a good look at the Citigo yesterday at a local launch event. Found that it felt very solid with an interior and boot that felt bigger than other city cars. The interior of the Elegance model seemed noticeably more pleasant than the rather drab SE model. Having said that, Mrs Shrub wants an SE and so we are going back on Friday for a test drive. I imagine that a bright paint colour would brighten the interior because of the exposed panels inside. Was told delivery would likely be September for a five door ASG version.

Price wise the Citigo appears to be approx £500 cheaper than an equivalent VW UP. I prefer the front end of the UP (bit of character) but prefer the rear of the Citigo (doesn't have that horrible black slab of a tailgate). Will see what Friday brings......

I thought the same regarding the SE. They needn't be so stingy with the chrome bits! Citigo also appears better value than the UP when compared model-by-model. Citigo Elegance for example, appears to be much better equipped than the equivalent 'High Up'. I know what you mean about the front end of the Up being more characterful... I've seen a few on the road and they look increasingly boxy, especially from the rear. Think the Citigo has a more classic look to it. Enjoy the drive!

On the car we've ordered we saved about £1000 compared to the Up! with the same spec. We have ordered a fairly loaded 5 door Elegance 75. For us the Seat and VW were out of the running because they are only available as 3 door at present.

You might get the fancy glossy interiors on the higher spec Ups but you don't on the base ones, which are also pricier than the Skoda.

Another thing to consider is this, the Up has a kicked up rear side window which makes the rear very claustrophobic for passengers. All in all, its a neat if boring design all round, the Seat in particular is very dull looking. A Citigo Elegance in green would look good but they all pale into nothing against the new Panda. Dont forget, VW dont do characterful or fun!

I thought the same regarding the SE. They needn't be so stingy with the chrome bits! Citigo also appears better value than the UP when compared model-by-model. Citigo Elegance for example, appears to be much better equipped than the equivalent 'High Up'. I know what you mean about the front end of the Up being more characterful... I've seen a few on the road and they look increasingly boxy, especially from the rear. Think the Citigo has a more classic look to it. Enjoy the drive!

Thanks, we're looking forward to it. Mrs Shrub wants a tornado red SE and so hopefully that will look ok. Auto Express published a test drive of a red five door SE which didn't look too bad.

You might get the fancy glossy interiors on the higher spec Ups but you don't on the base ones, which are also pricier than the Skoda.

According to the VW UP brochure there is a choice of interiors from the mid spec 'move up' model (£9k). I believe that Skoda offer a choice on the mid spec model in other markets but not in the UK. Skoda are the only manufacturer to offer that lovely green though. Shame it costs another £460 which is a fair chunk of the value on a city car.

According to the VW UP brochure there is a choice of interiors from the mid spec 'move up' model (£9k). I believe that Skoda offer a choice on the mid spec model in other markets but not in the UK. Skoda are the only manufacturer to offer that lovely green though. Shame it costs another £460 which is a fair chunk of the value on a city car.

Limited interior trim choice is a common issue for UK Skoda owners. Cannot say for sure but I think it's that SUK factor again; often out of touch with owners and potential owners :S

Oh and I agree £460 is a lot of money for paint, not that theres that much on the car anyway

Would prefer to spend it on more useful options or the extra 2 doors; 3 doors look nice but a pain when picking up passengers or getting out of it in a tight parking spot.

TP