Moving on . . .

[scgf]

Well, I'm nearing the end of my PCP deal so have been looking around for a replacement. In the absence of a face-lifted Citigo I decided to go elsewhere and looked at the smart forfour, the Renault Twingo and the Skoda Fabia. After test driving all three I preferred the Twingo for its chic look and the drive - not as refined as the Citigo, of course, but very much to my liking as an ex-owner of a plethora of (very) small engined, low-powered cars. I've recently retired so my motoring needs are different. I managed to secure a good deal on a red Color Run special edition with electric fabric sun roof. I'll miss the Citigo but I really didn't want to go out and buy effectively the same car.

Edited 28 July, 2016 by Damo
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[Damo]

If I were you I'd have waited and got the new 1.0 TSi Up! That's coming out soon (but I am biased lol)

[Emil]

We have bought three new Citigos and we own two of them at the moment. And at the moment I think next car might be Citigo as well. Why not? :-)

(French cars are big no no to me, but that's just me)

[Citigouk]

you must be brave looking at the smart forfour manual, personally i find the pedal arrangement far too close to the centre console......... so there is no left foot arrangment (obviously this is removed with auto choice). Engine wise I would only consider the turbo in either the forfour or twingo.

 

Sensible money would be on the Fabia if Skoda throw gold at you to keep you one of their customers

 

Have you considered the new UP! TSi?

[scgf]

I took delivery of the new Twingo this morning, love it! I like a fun car - although the Citigo is demonstrably a better car, it had little in the 'fun' department for me which the Twingo has in spadefuls. Yes, you are right there isn't really anywhere to rest the left foot to the left of the pedals, but it's still comfortable and just different. The ride is firmer than the Citigo but that's something you get used to. The Renault dealer was the only one to give me a deal, given there was about a grand in negative equity on the Citigo and I bought a stock unregistered car with delivery mileage - so got that at a good discount. Skoda weren't bothered about keeping me as a customer and smart wouldn't do a deal unless I put in a grand. The Fabia was nice to drive but even blander than the Citigo. I love small engines you have to work at to get anywhere. The turbo just didn't interest me.

[bluecar1]

I agree about the turbo, my i20 is non turbo

 

it takes a week or so to get used to the change in the power delivery curve, as not as much power is delivered low down

 

it you want to get the car moving quickly you plant you foot on the loud pedal and keep it there til 4500 - 5000 rpm then change gear. if you are doing this a number of times every day you have the wrong engine / car.

 

Giving it a blast up the rev range now and again I think is good for the engine to stretch its legs and blow the cobwebs out the system

 

the twingo I think is a bit of a marmite car, I did a bit of market research a few months ago the twingo was one of the cars the target car was being compared to, and when we sat round the table it was either you totally loved it or totally hated it, there were no middle ground people in the group of 10 I was in

 

at the end of the day so long as the driver is happy with their car everyone elses opinion is their own

[FlyingGecko]

We have bought three new Citigos and we own two of them at the moment. And at the moment I think next car might be Citigo as well. Why not? :-)

(French cars are big no no to me, but that's just me)

 

 

Latest Twingo is built in Slovenia.

[RickW]

I took delivery of the new Twingo this morning, love it! I like a fun car - although the Citigo is demonstrably a better car, it had little in the 'fun' department for me which the Twingo has in spadefuls. Yes, you are right there isn't really anywhere to rest the left foot to the left of the pedals, but it's still comfortable and just different. The ride is firmer than the Citigo but that's something you get used to. The Renault dealer was the only one to give me a deal, given there was about a grand in negative equity on the Citigo and I bought a stock unregistered car with delivery mileage - so got that at a good discount. Skoda weren't bothered about keeping me as a customer and smart wouldn't do a deal unless I put in a grand. The Fabia was nice to drive but even blander than the Citigo. I love small engines you have to work at to get anywhere. The turbo just didn't interest me.

I love my 'blander' Fabia :p

[FlyingGecko]

I took delivery of the new Twingo this morning, love it!

...

. The turbo just didn't interest me.

You've got the 69bhp (70)  version?

[scgf]

You've got the 69bhp (70)  version?

Yes, It's the most powerful engine I've owned - and I've been driving cars for over 40 years, lol! Have driven around 150 miles in it so far, including motorways, and it's so nice!

Edited 1 August, 2016 by scgf

[Emil]

Latest Twingo is built in Slovenia.

Good to know. But is it any better? Could be. I guess it depends where components comes from. But then again no for me.

[scgf]

It has a lot of things my Citigo didn't have - like DAB radio, light in the boot, switches for both windows on the driver's side, lots of info on the dash display, completely flat boot space- including the passenger seat when the backrest is lowered, amazing turning circle given that the engine is at the rear, funky interior with loads of storage - I could go on. I had the top of the range Citigo too.

 

I noticed in one of the car mags that Renault has moved into 1st place in the diver satisfaction survey for the first time. I still think the Citigo is technically the best city car but I wanted something different and that French flair adds quite a bit of je ne sais quoi! I don't feel I'm driving around in a box any more - however good the Citigo is I never loved it, it had no personality. Nobody ever said how much they liked the look of it. One of my pupils at school said it looked like a washing machine on wheels, lol. I speak French and totally get their joie de vivre rather than Teutonic practicality. I'm rambling now, and on a Citigo forum. I should shut up, lol!

[bmjb99]

It has a lot of things my Citigo didn't have - like DAB radio, light in the boot, switches for both windows on the driver's side, lots of info on the dash display, completely flat boot space- including the passenger seat when the backrest is lowered, amazing turning circle given that the engine is at the rear, funky interior with loads of storage - I could go on. I had the top of the range Citigo too.

Most of those are available on the latest Citigo, if you're prepared to pay:

 

DAB - optional extra

light in the boot - standard

switches for both windows on driver's side - standard on cars with electric windows

lots of info on dash display - more than on the PID? can also get a trip computer as part of one of the optional packages

completely flat boot with seats down - yes with the variable boot floor option

 

engine at the rear - OK, I'll admit that's not been available in a Skoda since the 1980's

[Emil]

I've never had any problems with Citigo's turning circle. I have driven car with rear engine on snow, and it is, let's say: interesting. And I usually buy car for my self, not to someone who likes odd looking cars.

[EikokuSanzoku]

Just finished my PCP.

 

Thanks to smaller dealer contributions and dwindling guaranteed future values... a like for like swop with my 5dr Green Tech 75..... monthly payments would go up another 25%.

Moving on....

[scgf]

I've never had any problems with Citigo's turning circle. I have driven car with rear engine on snow, and it is, let's say: interesting. And I usually buy car for my self, not to someone who likes odd looking cars.

There is no problem with the Citogo's turning circle it's just that with no engine between the front wheels the Twingo and smart forfour have a much smaller turning circle - the front wheels can turn 45 degrees and you really notice it when parallel parking, for example. I have had two smart two seaters in the past and driving them in snow was pretty similar to conventional cars. 

[FlyingGecko]

Just read on Parker's that Smart put 40kg of extra soundproofing in the back compared with the Twingo. That'll have an effect on steering feel!

70% of parts in common to both cars, built in the same factory.

 

 

 

If the Twingo's the most powerful car you've owned...

[scgf]

If the Twingo's the most powerful car you've owned...

Lol! I always go for low-powered cars, 1 litre or less, from the 29ps Citroen 2CV to the 59ps Citigo. I absolutely hate the need for speed and the desire for low 0-60 figures. I have no interest in big engines and the boy-racer cult. That doesn't mean driving shouldn't be fun however and small engined vehicles can be more fun to drive - I agree with James May on this one!

 

My last four cars have been two smarts, one of which had a delightful 54bhp engine, a Toyota Aygo 68bhp and the Citigo 59bhp. In the distant past I had cars like the 2CV, Citroen VISA, Fiat Uno, Peugeot 106 and Peugeot 107.

Edited 7 August, 2016 by scgf

[FlyingGecko]

Nice list of cars there, scgf. I had two Visas, but one was a GT with 80 bhp and the other was a GTI with 115. In many ways the GT was much the better of the two.

 

I also once had a two hour test drive in a 2CV - great fun.

[scgf]

The 2CV was an amazing car. My Citroen Visa had the flat twin engine - the modernised version of the air-cooled  2CV engine and it was amazingly good, although 0-60 took 26 seconds, lol. I remember flying up the motorway in it. It was disappointing that they didn't develop it further. Citroen lost their way after that and we ended up with the LNA and Saxo which were basically re-badged Peugeots. Citroen had been bought by Peugeot who told Citroen to stop being so odd-ball :(

Edited 7 August, 2016 by scgf

[vc-10]

Probably the most fun car I've ever driven was a late '60s (I want to say '69) Citroen Dyane. Basically a slightly larger 2CV. I never got it over 50 kp/h (according to the speedo, which may or may not have been accurate!) and it went around corners on its door handles. Absolutely hilarious thing. 

 

My Fabia isn't the most fun thing ever to drive, but the TSI engine is a gem. Very efficient, and I quite enjoy fast  :p

[FlyingGecko]

Still living in the past - my OH had an AX 11RE for a while, and that was a hoot too. A bit more power (60bhp) than the 2CV, not much heavier, and just as capable of going round corners at 45 degrees.

When I had to change an indicator repeater bulb, the plastic lens in the wing was branded "SAXO", clearly a name they'd already used for a subsidiary manufacturing plant before they later built the car of the same name.

 

I always wanted to build a kit car based on the 2CV, but never got round to it - offspring took priority.

[scgf]

Fun is so missing in today's motoring - it has been replaced by power and speed which are not the same thing at all. Idiosyncrasy is all but dead.

[bluecar1]

I loved my old BX 19RD (68bhp IDI ), with its hydraulic suspension, plumbers nightmare of pipes underneath and quirky cylindrical speedo

 

oh the smell of LHM fluid

[FlyingGecko]

I loved my old BX 19RD (68bhp IDI ), with its hydraulic suspension, plumbers nightmare of pipes underneath and quirky cylindrical speedo

 

oh the smell of LHM fluid

 

 

All to be found on my later Xantia 2.0 VSX (except the cylindrical speedo).