Used Citroen C1 2014-2022 review

The mid-range Furio trim gives the C1 sporty additions including a rear diffuser, 15in black alloy wheels and dedicated graphics. The top-of-the-range Flair and Flair Edition models get electrically adjustable and heated mirrors, a reversing camera and a hint of chrome, while the latter gains a two-tone paint job, keyless entry, climate control and automatic lights.

The Airscape models only come in Feel and Flair trims. Prices start at £9125 for the 1.0-litre three-door Touch, and rise to £13,480. An extra-value launch model called the C1 Airscape Feel is priced at £12,190.

The C1’s chassis is closely related to that of the outgoing car, but there are important suspension changes such as a twist-beam rear axle assembly, now 4kg lighter than the previous car's. Springs and dampers are re-rated, and there’s a bigger diameter anti-roll bar.

It also gets hill-hold assist and new, low rolling resistance tyres on either 14 or 15in wheels. It continues to have excellent fuel consumption: the smaller engine is good for 74.3mpg combined, with a CO2 output of just 88g/km and the newer, bigger engine delivers 65.7mpg combined, while emitting 99g/km.

The C1’s compactness makes it agile on the road, with the same bias in corners towards stabilising understeer as the outgoing model. The more powerful, more torquey engine is very flexible and has a new turn of speed, the effects of the suspension revisions are easily detected and the car maintains its poise pretty well on lumpy roads, and pitches less than the outgoing car. It's a very safe if slightly stodgy handler, whose body rolls more than rivals in corners.

Noise control isn't the C1’s greatest strength. The Airscape roof allows much racket in, and the car isn't very good at coping with noisy surfaces either.

And while we're at it, the powertrain lacks refinement at low speed, vibrating while it waits at lights (the stop/start system in our test car was erratic in operation) and suffering from low-speed shunt plus faint but annoying flat-spots in its power delivery right through the range. A Volkswagen Up and its Skoda and Seat variants, or a Hyundai i10 does it better.