Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2010 | Page 81

antiques

Island Life - August/September 2010

Citroen C3 Airdream a reality
The new Citroen C3 Airdream is not
a girly car. It’s round and muscular,
its sporty gridded spoiler and keen
spotlights all saying it’s itching to go.
And then there’s that smooth, never
ending windscreen that just wants to
cut through the air and go out and see
things.
This car just pulled away up hills as if
they were down hills, the engine noise
satisfyingly rorty. It is a nifty, sporty
engine that loves curves, climbs, bends,
and height. So it was a genuine surprise
to learn, on returning the car to Central
Garage, Newport after a zip along the
Island’s roads, that this, the 1.4 16V
95bhp model was the least powerful of
the range.
This generation of C3 has been better
engineered than ever before. Everything
about it speaks of quality. The doors

close with a quiet clunk. The doors
with the windows down still close with
a quiet clunk. Inside it is unexpectedly
luxurious. Quality leather seats are
complemented by the tidy dash. The
brushed chrome and stitched leather
steering wheel just holds back from
being flash, because it feels, well,
gorgeous. And the gear change is
similarly tactile.
It’s practical in many ways: 300
litres of boot space, more when the
seats flatten. Sat Nav and auto air
conditioning in Exclusive models are
some of the techno bits, and every
model has built-in perfume. Some
might argue with the need for that, and
others will be offended by the speedo
suggesting which gear you should be
in. Others will love it.
What comes as a real surprise is that

Visit our new website - www.visitislandlife.com

the car still wants to have fun. The
resting engine is so quiet you think
you’ve turned the ignition off. It pulls
away smartly, and then, give it its head
at 70mph and it positively dances along
the Island roads. But then the French,
like us Islanders, know a thing or two
about pot-holed roads.
The Special Edition Airdream+ 1.6HDi
90hp with exhaust emissions of 99g/
km of CO2, results in this car being a
category A car for VED, with a tax rate
of zero.
At £14,950 on the road, the C3 gives
you a whole hunk of luxury. But also a
whole heap of fun.
Test drive the new Citroen C3 at
Central Garage, Riverway, Newport. Tel
01983 526541.
81