Citroen C1 - funky in the city

WHAT do the Ferrari 430 Scuderia, the 458 Italia, and the beautiful Ferrari California have in common with the humble Citroen C1?

They were all designed by the same man - Donato Coco - who is a former head of design for the world's most desirable sports car company as well as the fella who penned Citroen's quirky little city car.

Mind you, he also did the instantly forgettable Citroen Xsara, so he doesn't always hit a home run.

But I reckon he got the C1 pretty much spot on. With its short front and rear overhangs, wheel at each corner stance and perky looks, the smallest Citroen is as perfect a city car as you will find - at any price.

It's amazing to think the C1 has been with us since 2005.

A recent refresh has improved the looks and Citroen has added more standard equipment but, otherwise, it remains the same commonsense supermini that it always was.

It manages to seat four adults in comfort, despite measuring just 133.9 inches in length, and has a small boot capable of swallowing half a dozen plastic carrier bags. Seats up it has 139-litres of luggage space; seats down that extends to 751-litres.

The unusual Toyota-designed 1.0-litre engine has just three-cylinders (it's cheaper to make that way) and recent fiddling means it now emits a lowly 109 g/km of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere - thereby qualifying for £35 per year road tax.

At idle the engine has a lumpy beat. Until you get used to it you think it is on the verge of a stall and more than one passenger asked if the car was fitted with a stop-start system. It also needs a few revs to get a move on from a junction. But when it's up and running the C1 will cruise at 60 mph (or 70 mph on the motorway) all day. And all the while it'll be returning more than 50 mpg. According to research by Der Spiegel magazine in Germany only the Smart forTwo and the Toyota Prius have better fuel economy - and they are thousands of pounds more expensive to buy.

The short wheelbase means it can get a bit bumpy if the road's badly surfaced and there's a fair bit of noise in the cabin when you're out of town but travelling a long distance in the C1 is perfectly feasible.

Although the C1 is the product of a three-way tie up between Citroen, Peugeot and Toyota (jointly known as the B-Zero project) it looks distinct from its 107 and Aygo siblings. All three are built at a factory in Kolin, in the Czech Republic.

The five door is unusual in the way the large tail light cluster extends into the edge of the back door - doing away with the traditional C-pillar altogether - and the front grille has been replaced with a new version that's more in keeping with the latest corporate look.

The range has been rationalised to accompany the mid-life face-lift with new VT and VTR trim levels replacing the old Vibe and Rhythm models. The VTR+ on test replaces the previous range topper and brings the luxury of part leather/Alcantara upholstery to the C1 range for the first time (although the seats still need more thigh support to be truly comfortable).

Other comfort and convenience features include air conditioning (an optional extra), electric front windows and a well-designed bespoke two-speaker CD/radio.

Look hard enough and it's easy to spot where the money has been shaved off the cost - there's only one windscreen wiper, one parcel shelf cord, no electric window switches on the driver's side except his own and the tailgate is a single piece of glass.

But that doesn't really matter because this is a C1 not a Bugatti Veyron. In fact, the frugality of the design made me feel better about driving this delightful supermini - as though I were doing my bit for the environment by giving up on some of life's little luxuries for the betterment of mankind.

When it was introduced, Citroen's MD Alain Favey described the C1 as: "A car for people who have more to do with their money than buy cars."

I couldn't have put it better myself.

But this perky little Citroen also proves that cheap doesn't have to mean dull.

SPEC CHECK: Engine: 998cc Max power: 68 bhp @ 6,000 rpm Max torque: 69 lb/ft @ 3,600 rpm Top speed: 98 mph 0-62 mph: 13.7 seconds Fuel economy: 62.8 mpg (combined) CO2 emissions: 106 g/km Road tax: £35 Standard equipment: Electric front windows, 12v accessory socket, pollen filter, leather steering wheel, part leather upholstery, rev counter, aux socket for MP3 player, RDS stereo CD player, stability control, front and side airbags.