SA Road Tests

Welcome

This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here probably applies to the models you can get at home.

*To read one of our road tests, just select from the menu on the left.Touch on the manufacturer’s name and choose from the drop down list.

*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the stories.

We find ourselves strangely attracted to the Citroën C3 1,4 Attraction

A stylish and practical small family car

Having pigged out on two of the more upscale Citroën C3s recently, it was time to experience how the other half lives. Enter the C3 1,4 Attraction, not to be confused with the 1,4 VTI Attraction plus, that uses the more modern, slightly bigger, more powerful and more economical engine.

Because this is the entry-level version, it dispenses with a few toys. Think steel wheels, single channel air conditioning, power windows on front doors only, outside mirrors that don't fold away, no auto-on headlights or wipers that sense when it's raining, no curtain airbags (you still get the other four), no Bluetooth, height adjustment on driver's chair only, no centre armrest, plain cloth seat covering instead of Alcantra, no cruise control or speed limiter, no USB connector for music players, a slightly less flash interior and a normally sized windscreen.

True hardship hey? Most of us would never miss those things and actually enjoy the peace of mind that goes with having fewer things to possibly break. OK, I confess to preferring alloy wheels - they look prettier and do away with having to replace plastic trims that usually manage to fall either off or into the hands of thieves.

You still get ABS with EBD and EBA, doors that lock automatically as you drive off, pretensioned and force-limited seat belts on all five seats, hazard lights that activate automatically on rapid deceleration or impact, ISOFIX anchorages, remote central locking, electrically adjustable door mirrors and electrically operated kiddie locks, among others. It still looks like a nice, practical small family car when you see what's been left in.

The 300-litre boot is square and fairly deep and the seat backs fold almost flat to extend load space should you need to do so. While loading sill height is not the lowest I have seen recently, it isn't too bad either, at about 70 cm. Cubby space, as mentioned previously, is fair but not as big as the makers would like you to believe. An assortment of little boxes and bins spread throughout the cabin more than compensates, though.

Performance-wise, the CS3 Attraction does what its target audience requires, scuttling up to 100 km/h in a whisker over 14 seconds and topping out at 163 km/h if really necessary. Road holding on twisty byways is quite sufficient for all but the most young and restless, who would probably not buy one anyway.

While nanny states clamour ever more stridently for ESP to be standard fitting on all cars, there are some vehicles that just don't have the power or the user profile to need yet another electronic gadget that works only up to a point. The CS3 Attraction is one.

The gearbox is light and positive, the car drives easily with electrical power assisted steering making parking a pleasure, while loads of glass area lets you see what's happening around you. As it's a hatchback, reversing is painless because you know the car ends at the back window.

This CS3 may be fairly basic when compared with some others but it has and does all a practical family owner-driver needs. Being stylish and far from boring simply makes it worth a second look.

Price (including CO₂ tax): R161 610

Engine: 1 360 cc inline four-cylinder

Power: 54 kW at 5 500 rpm

Torque: 118 Nm at 3 250 rpm

Zero to 100 km/h: 14,2 seconds

Maximum speed: 163 km/h

Real life fuel consumption: about 7,4 l/100 km

Tank: 50 litres

Warranty: 3 years/100 000 km

Service plan: 4 years/60 000 km

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that road test cars entrusted to me are driven only by me. Some reviewers hand test cars over to their partners to use as day-to-day transport and barely experience them for themselves.

What this means to you is that every car reviewed is given my own personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every car goes through real world testing; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I am based in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa. This is the central hub of the KZN Midlands farming community; the place farmers go to to buy their supplies and equipment, truck their goods to market, send their kids to school and go to kick back and relax. 

So occasionally a cow, a goat or a horse may add a little local colour by finding its way into the story or one of the pictures. It's all part of the ambience!

Comments?

Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you thoroughly disagree with what I say? That's your privilege, because if everybody agreed on everything, the world would be a boring place. All I ask is that you remain calm, so please blow off a little steam before venting too vigorously. Contact me here

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