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Orville, the C3 (Pic Heavy)

Introduction

As some may know the wife's DS3 (a car I never got on with due to being both diesel and terrible) has gone.

So Orville has replaced Roxy.



Yes its named after the green nappy wearing bird puppet..anywho it is a 110ps 1.2 petrol turbo flair with 0 additional options. So yes that green is actually the only free colour, white is 260 quid! However wife wanted green so score.

Interior is a very nice place to be (yes thats an official moomin):


Has cool door cards:


Unlike the ds3 there are no day one rattles but the glovebox is still hilariously small.

It has squishy but supportive seats, I can fit behind my own driving position in the rear, also unlike the similar DS3 based on the same chassis it doesn't make 3 toes on my left foot go numb after 10 minutes due to poor pedal ergonomics.

Touch screen works very well with android auto, my only complaint is the only physical heating control is demist, everything else needs to be on the correct screen.


It also has a reversing camera that appears on it, the car has 3 cameras in total. One for backwards, one for reading the speed limit which can be sent to the speed limiter/cruise control at the touch of a button. Finally It has the built in dash cam..which is good for making videos of Bini drivers lashing past at 50 in a 30.


Engine wise..


Cheeky intercooler..


Engine is the best part of the car by a long way, sounds fruity, has a big wedge of torque between 1500 and 4.5k rpm, is absolutely a bit overkill for the car. Handling is best described as "comfortably numb" and the gearbox can only be described as the same old crap PSA have been churning out for 20 years. But the ds3 was uncomfortably numb...with a crap engine and the same gearbox so progress is progress. Kind of car you can make stealthy progress and surprise a few people in given the absolute lack of any distinctive features other than the intercooler and rear disc brakes.

Quality wise it's a mixed bag, panel fit is millimetric, paint finish is perfect, interior fit is bang on (none of these were right on the DS3). But there's obvious signs of cost cutting in places as well so not all good.

Overall though really likeable car despite the DS3 similarities as it fixes the most annoying bits (driving position, engine, ride quality, seats and ergonomics) and is still funky. (y)
So 14 months into the "stop gap" family car I'm going to marshal my thoughts on it. I was initially thinking the novelty would wear off after a bit and it'd get sent off. Most reviews have these cars as being somewhat one dimensional, 2 things come up as positives it has many colours...and the turbo is surprisingly fighty otherwise..buy a Polo/Fiesta/Ibiza/something else.

Now from this thread it's fairly clear I'm a little conflicted on it, I like it but I'm not entirely sure as to why as in most measurable ways it's not great.

So why do I like it?

1 Cost: it's all well and good saying X is better. A Skoda Fabia has standard equipment to rival a bicycle and starts just under 18k, for the same price you'd get one of these in a nice spec with 30 more bhp and for one in the same spec as a base Fabia you're looking at mid 13s at this price that's getting on for 25% cheaper. This applies to pretty much of the direct rivals except the un-galvanised Dacia or the inefficient MG3. Also it's not just purchase price cheap, it's lost about 5k in five years, tyres are the cheapest and most commonly available size. The warranty direct from Citroën is cheap and the coverage decent. Yes I've spent money on it but I'd class it as reasonable maintenance. Then you have insurance which as it's not a Fiesta is cheap as well, these don't tend to disappear in the night. Fuel costs, low to mid 40s in winter and mid 40s to 50s in summer again reasonable.

2: It's not fancy: leave it anywhere...it'll be there when you get back, no one is going to key it because no one will ever look it with envy. Perfect for what will probably be a very long recession. Also hard plastic doesn't care if a toddler kicks it and the seat covers zip off..

3. It does what I wanted this car to do..
I have always liked the idea of a plush small car with a good engine. Unfortunately that particular car the 1.2 16v was not as brawny as you'd hope and never had a long legged easy feel..despite the niceties it very much a city car dressed up. This manages to feel big and laid back without being big or expensive to run.

4. Driving it...odd to mention given I've pilloried it for being crap. I'm not changing mind on that it is. But all stuff that with familiarity can be worked around. Basic chassis is exactly the same as a DS3 or 208 and tyres and brakes are large. It will not do anything scary to you if you annoy it. If you don't annoy it, it's a nice place to spend time and feels much bigger, more grown up and accomplished than you'd ever imagine with all the power a car of this style could need.

5. It's not actually big when you need to park it, light steering, blunt nose you can see from the drivers seat, good turning circle, rear parking sensors and camera, doddle.

6. Tech wise..it's pitched right for me. So dipping mirrors, 4x electric windows, auto lights and wipers, cruise, climate and many other things. These amplify points 3 and 4, they make it feel like a big car and also pretty effortless. Also infotainment is good with phone integration and works well, and not in the VW group "takes 4 minutes to boot up after setting off" way, properly.

There is still a place in hell reserved for the person who didn't fit a rear courtesy lamp..and set up the pedals.

Few pictures from over the year..off road at the beach.
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Off in the woods...
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Out in the snow..(all seasons are very good year round..it's lost nothing of value in terms of performance)

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Finally up in Alnwick going to see Santa..
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So took it out of it's comfort zone this week.

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Never been used for a family holiday before.

2 big cases fitted.. vertically.
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Off over Hartside pass to the lakes, unsurprisingly it was not a Top Gear style fear of tortured tyres and epic helmsmanship despite it being a very good road indeed (17 year old me would have been crying at my cornering speeds and lack of commitment).

Not the cars fault to be fair it would have easily kept up with 17 year old me's Punto 55s if driven with some venom. It's accurate enough and grips but the body roll would have caused my passengers to be extravagantly sick.

So instead of that it got to happily burble along at between 1500 and 2500 rpm all the way up to 1900ft at the summit. With people and things on board it felt mildly more strained than usual but still never really like it needed wringing out. Then a gentle roll down the otherside, Spotify on the screen the whole way, eating sweets in the sofa chairs. At 50 to 60 on a back road it settles to a gentle loping bob, it's not unpleasant but you're aware the suspension is working away until it hits the bump stops at the odd bigger compression.

Strange car really, supermini that's at its best out of town. Strongest suit is probably 70 mph on a motorway where it can swallow distance like something bigger. It's good on gently winding A roads too where it's a settled companion. Switch backs and mountain passes? Ahahaha no..but it's not actively trying to kill you on them it just doesn't like them much.

Finally shot off the dashcam...it climbed that hill into those clouds without even raising it's voice once, 4th/5th gear most of the way except the hair pins.
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Small amount of breakage...now fixed.

Also coolant is going somewhere, not at a rate that I'm overly concerned needs topped from min to max about every six months which is about 400ml. But just keeping an eye on it.

Owners manual takes great pains to point out some coolant use is normal..so no point going near the garage for warranty things unless it's got a clear and identifiable fault.
 
I never like cars that use any coolant, that manual is a bit like the line where most manufacturers say an engine can use up to 1 litre of oil per 1,000km, pretty much covers then for anything other than oil pouring out as you drive down the road.

Tiny leaks are a real pain to find, usually more luck that you just see something at the right place and time.
 
I never like cars that use any coolant, that manual is a bit like the line where most manufacturers say an engine can use up to 1 litre of oil per 1,000km, pretty much covers then for anything other than oil pouring out as you drive down the road.

Tiny leaks are a real pain to find, usually more luck that you just see something at the right place and time.
Given it had a new waterpump last year...I'm guessing it's not quite seated right.

However given the mileage used to be 4k a year and is now about 12 it may be it always used some and I didn't notice.

To be fair, I may have over egged the 400ml..given I mixed the replacement coolant in half a 500ml bottle and it's just got through that. So at 250ml every 6 months and me having about 750ml of neat coolant on hand (8.80 a bottle from Citroën) and 4 litres of deionised water. I've got 36 months of top ups on hand..and another 4 years worth will cost 8.80.

It's mildly annoying...but I can't justify ripping it bits for that so unless it gets worse or is obvious it's probably not getting fixed.
 
:mad:....don't get me started on that little...

A year! A bloody year for a piece of paper outside yet if you wash a receipt it's dead immediately..

View attachment 192369

officially more durable than ds3 bellone wheels..
So took it out of it's comfort zone this week.

View attachment 422604

Never been used for a family holiday before.

2 big cases fitted.. vertically.
View attachment 422605

Off over Hartside pass to the lakes, unsurprisingly it was not a Top Gear style fear of tortured tyres and epic helmsmanship despite it being a very good road indeed (17 year old me would have been crying at my cornering speeds and lack of commitment).

Not the cars fault to be fair it would have easily kept up with 17 year old me's Punto 55s if driven with some venom. It's accurate enough and grips but the body roll would have caused my passengers to be extravagantly sick.

So instead of that it got to happily burble along at between 1500 and 2500 rpm all the way up to 1900ft at the summit. With people and things on board it felt mildly more strained than usual but still never really like it needed wringing out. Then a gentle roll down the otherside, Spotify on the screen the whole way, eating sweets in the sofa chairs. At 50 to 60 on a back road it settles to a gentle loping bob, it's not unpleasant but you're aware the suspension is working away until it hits the bump stops at the odd bigger compression.

Strange car really, supermini that's at its best out of town. Strongest suit is probably 70 mph on a motorway where it can swallow distance like something bigger. It's good on gently winding A roads too where it's a settled companion. Switch backs and mountain passes? Ahahaha no..but it's not actively trying to kill you on them it just doesn't like them much.

Finally shot off the dashcam...it climbed that hill into those clouds without even raising it's voice once, 4th/5th gear most of the way except the hair pins.
View attachment 422606
I never like cars that use any coolant, that manual is a bit like the line where most manufacturers say an engine can use up to 1 litre of oil per 1,000km, pretty much covers then for anything other than oil pouring out as you drive down the road.

Tiny leaks are a real pain to find, usually more luck that you just see something at the right place and time.
My Jeep Cherokee is known for it in 4.0l straight six petrol guise…it’s very cramped in the engine compartment, with a ‘hot head’ and silly mods like fitting extra bonnet grills and lifting its mountings upto 1/2”.
It’s a bugger to bleed the coolant also, with me having the front about 2 1/2’ above the rear (Tipo mK1 early series style) and the aircons are junk, never found one with a working one and lots of folk just delete it altogether. Doesn’t use much oil though, which is a blessing
 
To add to the list of things.

The other CV boot left this mortal coil sometime shortly after the MOT (you'd assume not before).

It also needed the exhaust welded back on for the second time for the MOT.

I discovered the CV boot chasing a noise that I thought was the joint running dry but eventually was the drivers side front wheel bearing.

So slightly annoying few months...but even when it's broken it's still likeable, possibly because perfection was never something it possessed.

At least coolant has not moved an appreciable amount in some time.
 
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