Citroen C1 II

2015 Citroen C1

The Peugeot 108 has its own twin rival and even though they look different on the outside terms, the new Citroen C1 feels technically the same as the Peugeot 108 as examined before. As a matter of fact, both the Peugeot 108 and the new Citroen C1 were part of the Toyota-PSA triplets born from Kolin, Czech Republic, since the first ones. It's kinda more of a Japanese-French collaboration, don't you think?

Like the Peugeot 108, the Citroen C1 can be offered on either a three-door or five-door and can be fitted with a 1.0L e-VTi 68 Airdream or the 1.2L VTi 82 PureTech petrol engine. You can even opt in for the Airscape model, which comes with a canvas roof at the top as similar to the Peugeot 108's TOP variant.

2015 Citroen C1 interior

2015 Citroen C1 interior

Like the Peugeot 108, the Citroen C1 still comes with the same quality like you expect from budget compacts but it can be configurable by request. You can even have it with the 7-inch screen featuring Mirror Screen where our satnav will serve as the mirror of the compatible smartphone connected. I should warn you that when people go for the Airscape variant, because this is one of the city cars to drive in the summer holiday in Europe,  even when you close the roof off, you can expect some few winds slip through or the noise from within. Yes, that sounds way too familiar to you when you read anyone's first impressions because first impressions don't usually come impressed but when you get used to it, this city car deserves a lot of respect and a lot of love love love.

2015 Citroen C1

The 1.0L e-VTi 68 Airdream engine on the new C1 develops 68PS of power output and it's mated with a 5-speed manual. Even though it's not quite as quicker as the competition, it's one of the most fuel-efficient cars ever made because 26.3km/L is usually plenty for its fuel economy, although actual fuel mileage can vary, depending on your driving style.

As for the 1.2L VTi 82 PureTech petrol engine, developed by PSA Peugeot Citroen, this engine develops 82PS of power output, 23.3km/L of fuel economy, and 99g/km of CO2 emissions. That sounds a lot for a city car but even though these engines are not powerful enough to sneeze your way home, its pseudo McPherson front axle and a deformable rear beam can really add some smile all day long...unless if you're Grumpy and you know it.

2015 Citroen C1

In terms of pricing, the new C1 is more affordable than the 108 because while it starts at 10,150 Euros, the new Citroen C1 costs 9,950 Euros so can anyone hardly explain why this Citroen is way cheaper than its 108 twin? Anyone? Nope? Nope. No comment but surprisingly, the new model is now 200 Euros lower than the old C1.

So there it is, it's very difficult to distinguish which to choose these French city car twins because while the 108 is a high-quality city compact in its own right when well-equipped, the new C1 is much more of an affordable alternative and with so many choices to choose from, it takes guts to determine the winner.

Photo: PSA Peugeot Citroen

Peugeot 108

2015 Peugeot 108

2014 is going to be the year of the superminis because the French are unleashing their new wave of superminis, those compact cars that look small in size but for their lack in size, they make up with their new blend of wit and attitude to appease the driving gods.

The new Peugeot 108 is the definite start to this year's trends and as far as I concerned, this new model is a direct replacement to the old 107, completing Peugeot's naming strategy that all good cars end with the eight as its third digit. One zero could refer to something city car-ish while two zeroes could refer to something sport utility-ish...well you get the idea but hey, Peugeot's new city car now sports the familiar design language that the whole Peugeot family tree are wearing. With this new design, the new 108 never looked even more attractive than ever and there's more because before customers driving their own 108, they can personalize it with a host of personalization methods. They can even opt in for a canvas roof variant, called the TOP, as well if they want to spend their summer driving with the top roof opened.

Personalized or not, from every angle you can see that the new 108 is worth the beauty of its own right and I have to say that this city car is a head turner. I'm pretty sure you'll never forget the first moment you saw one but because being a city car, it starts at a cheap 10,150 Euros for the 3-door version while the 5-door version starts at 10,650 Euros, that's about five hundred more for two extra doors but whatever.

2015 Peugeot 108

2015 Peugeot 108

On the inside, it's still has the same quality like you expect from budget compacts but with the right funding, you can provide the new 108's interior some gizmos suitable for your next trip. In top-of-the-line variants, you are welcomed with the 7-inch screen, which serves as the interface for the audio system, the trip computer and for vehicle settings. There's more too because with the new Mirror Screen, your satnav will serve as the mirror of the compatible smartphone connected. Quite a nifty gadget, right? But this is only fun when you're at a stop at the parking space, waiting for your friends. I know driving is all hard work and there's simply no time for your gizmo grabbers on the road. Hopefully, someone next to you would understand how it works and enjoying it on the go.

2015 Peugeot 108

The Peugeot 108 is available in either a 1.0L VTi, a 1.0L e-VTi or the new Puretech 1.2 VTi engine which delivers a class-leading CO2 emission of 99g/km. Most models do come with a 5-speed manual but if you go for the 1.0L VTi engine with 68PS of power output, a 5-speed automatic is optional. Yes, 68PS of power output is not what you call powerful but because it weighs 840kg, the power-to-weight ratio is around 12.35kg/PS. That engine would do a 0-100kph time of 14.3 seconds and a top speed just shy around 157kph so it's not what you called quick but thanks to the use of pseudo McPherson front axle and a deformable rear beam made from a shaped tube in the suspension setup, the handling is just jolly enough to put a smile on someone named Grumpy...barely.

2015 Peugeot 108

So...what should you go for? It might be best to go for the 1.0L model because while it maybe short on the power stakes, it should be enough to keep you smiling over and over and over and over until you're back at being grumpy. To avoid? The TOP with the canvas roof on it because even when you close the roof off, you can expect some few winds slip through or the noise from within. On the upshot, that canvas roof model is worth an accessory barely well spent.

The Peugeot 108 is the city car that just getting started with this whole revolution of little cars because while they maybe short in size, they're already big in their characteristics.

Photo: PSA Peugeot Citroen