Citroen C3 Origin - Practicality, comfort and boot space

The Citroen C3 Origin is touted to follow the ‘Advanced Comfort’ mantra of the rest of the range, so it’s a little disappointing that it doesn’t offer many stand-out tricks on the practicality front.

That’s not to say the C3 Origin isn’t capable; there’s room in the cabin for four adults (just about), and the 300-litre boot is bordering on generous for the class. However, the C3 Origin’s relatively old underpinnings mean that Citroen hasn’t been able to incorporate any really neat tricks, such as a sliding rear seat that would allow you to prioritise either rear passenger legroom or boot space.

On Plus trim and above with the larger seven-inch touchscreen, you may find it a little awkward to use the air-con controls while on the move because they’re buried within a menu in the touchscreen, making a quick adjustment to the cabin temperature is more fiddly than it should be. Base cars feature a set of physical chunky dials for the cabin temperature that are more intuitive to use.

What else do you get? Well, there’s a slightly random ‘storage slot’ below the touchscreen in the dashboard, and a bigger bin below it that could be handy for storing a phone when it’s hooked up to the USB socket nearby. The door bins are a good size, and their linings are painted white to help brighten the mood – and make it easier to find bits of clutter you’ve dumped there. 

The rear seat has a 60:40 split on all editions, but the boot opening isn’t the largest, thanks to the C3 Origin’s funky tail lights, and there’s quite a lip to lift heavy items over. At least there are a couple of lashing eyes to help you tie them down once they’re in there. 

The C3 Origin has quite an elevated feel, although it’s still a supermini more than a baby SUV. This does give you quite a good view out, though, and the rear screen is deep enough to make reversing manoeuvres relatively straightforward. Plus trim adds a reversing camera and rear parking sensors to help when slotting into a space.

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Dimensions and size

The days when a supermini had to be no more than four metres in length have long gone, but the C3 Origin sticks close to this brief (another result, probably, of its older chassis components). Its 3,996mm length and 1,829mm width are shorter and wider than the Vauxhall Corsa or the Hyundai i20.  The wheelbase is par for the course too, at 2,539mm – or slightly longer than a Volkswagen Polo. 

Seats, leg room, head room & passenger space

It’s possible for four adults to be reasonably comfortable in the Citroen C3 Origin, although the individuals who end up in the rear seats aren’t going to be particularly happy if their companions up front are on the taller side. The biggest issue is knee and legroom, although the soft seatbacks create a bit of leeway. 

Getting in and out is relatively straightforward, and the door aperture is just about big enough to allow a bulky child seat to be fitted in the back without too much of a struggle. There’s a pair of ISOFIX points in the outermost rear seats, and the driver gets height adjustment on their seat on every edition of the C3.

Boot space

In raw terms, the C3’s boot capacity is 300 litres, which is actually pretty decent when compared with the likes of the Peugeot 208 and Corsa. It’s enough for a decent-sized suitcase, and the shape is usefully square, although you’ll have to contend with a big lip at the rear bumper. This means you’ll have to lift heavy items over the lip before you can set them down into the load space.

A split rear seat (60:40) is standard across the range and you operate it using buttons near the headrests. With the seats folded right down the C3’s capacity grows to 992 litres, which is good, but somewhat shy of the 1,190 litres you’ll find in a Skoda Fabia.