2006 Citroen C3 Pluriel 1600 Sensodrive 1.6 petrol from UK and Ireland
Summary:
An acquired taste
General Comments:
A funky little car that takes a little getting used to.
The Sensodrive transmission is a little strange. It needs to be kept in mind that this is basically a manual gearbox equipped with electrically controlled shift and clutch mechanisms, rather than a conventional automatic gearbox. This means that power to the engine is cut while the mechanism declutches and changes gear, causing a marked lurching sensation.
Despite the 1600 cc 16 valve engine capable of 110 BHP, my previous car, a 1100 cc Fiat Punto with exzctly half the power output, felt faster.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 16th May, 2006
26th Jun 2006, 03:03
I have been driving the Citroen pluriel for about 4 months now. I did a lot of research on the car and was aware of the most common complaint of the car losing power between gearshifts - so as annoying as it is, I put up with it because I liked the look of the car. Unfortunately I have had to take the car back to the dealer twice in its short life span, and I am about to take it back again.
The first problems were that the car got confused about whether it was in manual or auto - ie I had the gear stick in manual, but on the dash screen it showed I was in second gear auto, and when I put it in auto, it showed that it was in manual. Another time I had been driving the car for about 20 minutes and then was idling for about 10 minutes when the screen flashed that the engine was overheating, and to turn the engine off, which I quickly did.
Both times the car was returned for the service, the service people could not find any problems with the car. Now the car has decided that it doesn't want to start. Four times today it refused to start up, with the last time taking a good five minutes trying.
I love the look of the car - can't fault it. Mechanically, I have had more problems than a new car should give me. I have had 3 Toyota's in the past, with not one complaint. I will never buy a Citroen again - no matter how good it looks.