Just noticed the Citigo appears to hold on the brakes when reversing down the drive. I put my foot on the brake and there is a definite click and a faint whistle. I take my foot off the brake and the car stays put for a moment, then another click and the brakes release. I assume it's some kind of assist.

It's HHC or Hill Hold control. If you stop on a hill it prevents the car from rolling back for a couple of seconds.

The hill-hold works well.

I found this does not happen if you are in reverse gear, only still in first gear with the clutch depressed and 'freewheeling' down the drive.

Edited 7 March, 201313 yr by CortinaGT

The HHC surprised me when it first happened because it wasn't a feature when I bought the car, aparently they started putting it in around my build date...

The hill-hold works well.

I found this does not happen if you are in reverse gear, only still in first gear with the clutch depressed and 'freewheeling' down the drive.

Yes.

Owners manual. P 62

Uphill start assist system

The uphill start assist makes it easier to start off on steep hills. The system holds

the brake pressure produced by the activation of the brake pedal for approx.

2 seconds after the brake pedal is released. The driver can therefore move his

foot from the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal and start off on the slope,

without having to actuate the handbrake. The brake pressure drops gradually the

more you operate the accelerator pedal. If the vehicle does not start off within 2

seconds, it starts to roll back.

The uphill start assist is active as of a 5 % slope, if the driver door is closed. It is

always active on slopes when in forward or reverse start off. When driving downhill,

it is inactive.