Citroen C3 Origin - Engines, performance and drive

The French manufacturer has made great play out of the fact that the Citroen C3 Origin is not focused on handling agility or out-and-out performance. As part of the brand’s ‘Advanced Comfort’ mantra, the C3 Origin is trying to be an accomplished, refined companion that gets you from A to B with little fuss and no nasty interruptions from pock-marked road surfaces.

For the most part, it succeeds. In the majority of conditions, the C3 Origin’s suspension has enough compliance to soak up undulations and bumps, and while the trade-off for this is some body roll in corners, it never really becomes tiresome. The package can’t quite shake off its relatively elderly underpinnings, though; occasionally, you’ll notice that sharp imperfections – particularly bad potholes or expansion joints, mainly – will thump through to the cabin.

Nor, it must be said, is there any real involvement to enjoy here. The steering is typically light and there’s a bit too much play around the straight ahead, so at no point do you get a really good line of communication through from the front wheels.

The three-cylinder petrol engines, badged PureTech 83 and PureTech 110, are decent enough, with the PureTech 110 offering relatively potent performance. But while they are quiet and smooth enough when they’re cruising along, they can’t escape a bit of three-cylinder thrum when they’re being revved hard.

At their heart, the standard five- and six-speed manual gearboxes are slick enough, but they're not helped by a typical Peugeot-Citroen linkage: an extremely long throw and a gear stick with lots of play. At least the automatic option is an improvement; instead of the previous automated manual that was jerky and slow, there’s a reasonably smooth six-speed torque converter EAT6 automatic.

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0-62mph acceleration and top speed 

The core petrol engine in the Citroen C3 Origin is a 1.2-litre three-cylinder unit, and in entry-level 82bhp/118Nm PureTech 83 form, it does the 0-62mph sprint in 12.5 seconds, while the PureTech 110 is a turbocharged unit producing 109bhp and 205Nm of torque; enough for 0-62mph in around 10 seconds.

Of the two petrol engines, the PureTech 110 would be our choice. Its extra grunt makes it a more accomplished performer that’ll be happy maintaining swift progress in most situations. However, the 82bhp motor does have enough pep for those predominantly driving in town. It can also hack the odd motorway jaunt, but just be prepared to sacrifice a little refinement when getting up to cruising speed because you’ll encounter a three-cylinder thrum as you work the engine hard.