Is this the most affordable way to a panoramic view?

Aaah, the joys of open-roof driving… problem is, cabriolet / convertible (call them what you like) are mostly cars at unattainable prices, and are impractical.  So can the Citroën C1 Airscape sidestep these limitations?

For driving about town, what is enjoyable is popping open the sunroof on tilt or sliding back the panoramic sunroof, which lets the air and light in for a free driving experience.  If you are able to buy one, a cabriolet / convertible lets the whole roof go down, for the full-on open-air thrills… but what if one needs something less conspicuous, and more practical.  The Citroën C1 Airscape meets in the middle – it has a sliding soft-top in a user-friendly 5-door hatch body, making it perfect for most driving conditions.

Clever sliding roof

The clever Airscape roof slides back along the roof edges, neatly folding in a triple stack above the rear doors.  Something similar is familiar from cars like the Fiat 500C and indeed Citroën’s own DS3 Cabrio, though the problem with both these designs is the roof that concertinas down all the way to the taillights, obstructing visibility and limiting boot access by a flip-up boot lid, losing the convenience of a hatchback (so appreciated by any shopper).  Where the C1 Airscape differs is that its soft-top does not slide all the way down, but instead slides back, stopping just ahead of the rear integrated roof spoiler – this means the view to the back is normal (no stack of cloth in the rear view mirror, thankfully) and the tailgate lifts like a normal hatch would, and the view to the top is open.  Clever this.

Cannot ignore the looks

We cannot ignore the looks – the pinkish guava metallic is bold and unique.  The launch media images depict a silver car with red roof and mirror caps, so other options are available, though this colour is in character with this fun car.  The console around the gear lever is also colour-coded in the exterior paint, as is the screen surround and door tops.

This is the only car ever encountered to have the upholstery pattern repeated on the door pillar – yes, the horizontal multi-colour stripes on the B-pillar match the lines on the cloth seats.  The same pinkish colour of the paint is picked up in the seat.  Interesting.

The split front-light look, forming main clusters below with eyebrow lights at the top, is now a Citroën style, as seen on C4 Picasso (tested in 2014) and on C4 Cactus.  It certainly makes for a lively character face.  Bright LED daytime lights count in favour of safety and looks.

The drive

As with the first C1, Citroën is manufacturing the new C1 with a small-capacity 3-cylinder engine.  We know this has the win-win benefits of fuel economy and that typical 3-cylinder gentle growl.  The new car uses a 1.2-litre capacity engine from the new PureTech family, and it is eager – in fact, when delivering the C1 for test, it was pointed out that this is not the turbo engine as used in C4 Cactus or Peugeot 308, and after taking it for a drive one can see why – this engine is really peppy.  The lightweight C1 scores here again as it does not suffer from the weight of a complex roof system – a featherweight 965kg kerb helps a lot to make the C1 feel perky.

Riding on high-profile (165/60 R15) tyres, the C1 is very comfortable around the suburbs and on the freeway, as the tyres have so much play to absorb roughness on the roads – this is unusual, as so many cars nowadays go for the low-profile look and better grip, through this can make for a harsh ride.  The downside (pun intended) is that the front tyres look like they need air due to deformation, so these were checked for under-inflation twice during our test period, only to find the pressures are correct.  The high tyre wall fortunately helps to avoid clipping a kerb when parking, thereby keeping the glossy rims scratch-free.

The claimed numbers read 5.4 for urban and 4.3 l/100km during combined driving, which is not too far off what was calculated during testing – with no on-board computer read-out, one has to look at the fuel gauge, which was still more than half after a week’s worth of energetic driving, mostly in town.  It comes only in manual 5-speed.

The toys

The centre console is properly modern – doing away with a layout of several buttons for controls, the C1 goes all smart-phone on us, presented with just a big touch-screen and only 2 buttons.  On the screen the 5 large menu icons appear in a fashioned bright fun display.  Selecting a radio station or track from your portable media device, thanks to a USB port and aux plug located conveniently in the centre console, is a simple touch away.

Thankfully the climate control still has its own buttons, rather than the problem with other interfaces where this is inside a screen menu.  It too is presented in a shaped triangulated rectangle… for looks, of course, but the layout also makes for ease of use.

The Citroën C1 VTi 82 Airscape Feel has electronic drive-helpers like ABS anti-lock brakes, stability control, hill hold, 6 airbags, digital climate control air conditioning, remote central locking, buttons on the steering wheel, cruise control, Bluetooth, USB, aux, and front electric windows.

Some design problems

Sure, the roof is a smart solution, though the C1 has some design problems.  The steering wheel only adjusts for height (tilt) so will be a compromised driving position for taller drivers.  The ignition key sticks out so much that, during driving, the driver’s knee meets with key, and on occasion during parking even turned off the car, and in a crash would very likely cause knee injury – not good.

The use of a single sheet of blackened glass is a good simple design solution, though on the C1 the release button is placed too low, at the top of the rear bumper, which is really awkward to reach, especially with bags of shopping.  It lifts easily, and the boot space is unaffected by the roof, as mentioned… but closing the all-glass tailgate is an unnerving clang – one is fearful that the glass would shatter, so harsh is the shut.  The Volkswagen up! (see review) also has an all-glass lid, but operates easily and gently.

Not understanding Citroën’s obsession with using flip-open rear windows, as found on DS4, C1 and C4 Cactus.  When you have children in the back, they want to open windows, so with this flip-open it is uncomfortable to have to operate, unsafe as the child / rear passenger has to twist sideways to open or close it, and the driver or front occupant (likely a parent) is unable to control the rear windows.  Not good.

Price and rivals

The new Citroën C1 was launched to the South African audience in October 2014, gradually replacing the previous 1st generation C1 which was a long-running city car with clever proportions and a cute personality.

The new C1 comes in Feel spec level only, available in normal hatchback as the C1 VTi 82 Feel costing R 168 900, thereby competing head-on with other modern city rivals, or this Airscape Feel priced at R 194 900.  Now before you believe many media which criticised this car as expensive for its size, consider that one cannot get the clever roof (and all the joys it brings) for free, obviously – looking at the facts, the only other small semi-cabriolet like this C1 Airscape is the Fiat 500C 1.2 Pop costing a much dearer R 219 900, and the bigger Citroën DS3 Cabrio which has just had a facelift (June 2015) and now only available in the e-THP 81kW Style model for R 304 900.  The Abarth 500C 1.4T (based on Fiat 500C, with added kick and looks) prices at R 321 900.

Finding

Is this the most affordable way to a panoramic view?  Short answer, yes – this is the lowest-priced car with a roof that opens.  It allows the panoramic view and feel, leaves the car sides closed (for a more secure feel) yet keeps full hatchback practicality.  All the thrills, without the spills.

Spec box

Citroën C1 VTi 82 Airscape Feel
Price (Rand, incl. taxes)	194 900
Engine	1.2 3-cyl petrol
Power (kW @ r/min)	60 @ 5750
Torque (Nm @ r/min)	116 @ 2750
Gears	5-speed manual
0-100 km/h (sec)	11.0
Top speed (km/h)	170
Fuel consumption (claimed l/100km)	4.3
Fuel consumption (tested l/100km)	± 5.5
Emissions (claimed g/km)	99
ABS brakes	standard
Stability control	standard
Airbag	6
Warranty (year / km)	3 (optional 5)
Service Plan (year / km)	optional 4 / 60 000
Maintenance Plan (year / km)	optional 5 / 100 000
Rivals	Fiat 500C
	Citroën DS3 Cabrio
	Abarth 500C