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| Come to America, have a few laughs. |
A station wagon usually has 5 doors (sometimes only 3) and a hatchback (but not always)*. So when classifications try to avoid the term with words like “5-door hatchback”, I go a little nutty. But what’s new, right?
So the next port of visual design call is usually the window
between the C and D pillars. Is it significant in size? If so (it is, even
though the hatchback could be considered a liftback), we take a look at overall
vertical height and that determines whether it’s a “crossover”, “MPV” or some
other market-speak that’s working overtime to not call it a station wagon.
And so we come to the Citroen C3. The second generation began in 2009 and it’s based on the familiar platform that was under cars like the now defunct Peugeot 206 (which had a station wagon variant). Variants include a Picasso “MPV”(call me Pablo!) and the Aircross “Mini-SUV” (call me ridiculous!). Yeah, they’re wagons; whatever.
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| Citroen C3 Picasso. Says so right there on the plate. |
Of the various and expected tiny petrol and diesel engines,
if I were P-C bringing this vehicle to the States, I’d skip right to the
top-dog 1.6 liter 118 hp 4-banger (shared with MINI?!?) with either the 4-speed transmission
(reprogram it to be a hypothetical million-speed and slap a stupid badge on it
proclaiming such nonsense) or the 5-speed semi-automatic.
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| Hey, if FCA could do it with the 500...What? Bad example? |
I love it when automakers slap thoroughly nonsensical
variant badges on their models and Citroen is guilty here with the “Exclusive”
trim level.
Pricing starts at $13.4K (US) MSRP in Britain. According to the video below, you won't be able to buy one anywhere near that low. Try somewhere closer to $20K (US). That's not unreasonable when a base Ford C-Max starts around $24K. And though that's comparing a petrol engine to a hybrid, they're not that far off from each other...close enough, but probably more in the C3's favor.
Prognosis: Very good, should P-C come to the States. With total sales of the C3 II totaling somewhere in the 5 million plus category…you betcha, especially the Picasso and the Airbus. Those are sure fire sales hit, despite probably being under-powered. So slap a turbo on it.
*There are exceptions to every rule.
It's funny that the C3 -with a gasoline engine- kicks the C-Max's mpg ass. Hybrids...sometimes I just have to wonder. And that Ford isn't half bad!
ReplyDeleteAgreed! It's too bad that we're so focused on POWA!!!! that we're willing to walk away/not pay for super little motors like in the C3. Does worry me that it's the same as what's in the MINI, tho.
ReplyDelete29/37 mpg in the MINI....?
ReplyDeletePrevious gen Cooper.
ReplyDeleteUnlike K2, I do not struggle with the distinction between a 5-door hatch and a station wagon. In fact, I have owned several 5-door hatches as well as several wagon variants of the same cars. Even at the moment, I have a Focus wagon, while Number-One (and only) Son drives the ZX5 hatch variant. His car is stylish while also being wonderfully useful, but I do get regular requests to borrow the wagon for Home Depot runs.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, the variant that I don't get at all is the four-door sedan compact or sub-compact. For example, as far as I know, NA is the only market that gets the four-door sedan versions of the Ford Focus and Ford Fiesta. Son's GF has a four-door Civic (also no five-door hatch offered in Canada). Why, why why? The hatch only makes these cars better, so who are the marketing geniuses (genii?) who try to make the word "hatchback" imply "cheap"?
What I struggle with is the struggle not to call it a station wagon. It's crazy how crazy companies and people are.
ReplyDeleteYeah, most car buyers are nutz I tell ya. Buying a car so rarely has anything to do with whether it's is good or not, or even if it makes the most sense. More is better...so why not a wagon/hatch, as Bobinott points out.