Citroen eC3

Recently the Citroen has introduced an electric variant of its compact SUV C3, and named it as Citroen eC3. This vehicle is available in two trims- Live and Feel. 

It looks similar to the regular C3, but Citroen has done some minor updates to differentiate the eC3 from the regular C3.

From the front the car looks very bold with its beautifully designed grille and airdam. Thick power bulges can be seen on the bonnet. LED DRLs provided on the car looks very special and attractive.. Headlights and fog lamps are also placed beautifully. It is an attractive vehicle from front.

At the sides you can see the 15 inch alloy wheels. The 170mm ground clearance is evident from the sides. Thick claddings provided on the doors and roof rails are making it more bold and muscular SUV from sides.

At the back, you can see the Citroen logo and eC3 badging on the tailgate. The thick bumper and the skid plate at the back is making it an SUV from this end. Eventhough the eC3 is a compact electric vehicle, it has a boot space of 315 liters, moreover a full size spare tyre is also provided under the boot floor! quiet surprising, right? 

At the interior you will get a nice dashboard, a 10.2 inch touch screen infotainment system is provided on it. It can support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Apart from the screen, beautifully designed A/c vents looks really good on the dashboard of the eC3. 

Steering wheel having audio control switches. No cruise control is available with the eC3. Driver side display is very basic and will give very minimal information like battery charge and range information. 

Seats are very comfortable and these are fabric seats. Lot of storage spaces are provided inside the eC3. You will get two cup holders at the front console, all doors are coming with bottle holders. There are spaces for keeping mobile phones. A 12V and a USB charging ports are available for front passengers.

Rear seats are also well cushioned, two headrests are provided.  But you won't get any arm rests at front or at the back. Leg room and headroom are sufficient. Eventhough it is a five seater, the eC3 is ideally comfortable for four passengers to travel on long distances. 

Eventhough it is a nice and good looking vehicle, Citroen has done some cost cutting measures by giving it a manual A/c other than a climatronic one. And one more thing is that the rear view mirror controls, a manual control knob is provided to adjust the rear view mirrors, which looks odd and outdated, it could have been an electrically adjustable mirrors.

At the driving department, the eC3 gives a calm and relaxing driving experience. It houses a 29.2kWh battery pack and powers the electric motor which  produces max.power of 56.22 bhp and 143Nm max.torque. The power comes in a linear manner and it can do the sprint from 0 to 60 kmph in 6.8 seconds.

The battery can be charged from 0 to 100 percent in 10hour 30minute with the onboard charger through a 15Amp socket.

But it can be charged in 57minute from 10 to 80 percent with a DC fast charger.

The eC3 is provided with two drive modes-Eco and Standard drive modes. The claimed range of the car is 320km, which makes it an ideal car for city use.

Important Figures.

• Length: 3981mm
• Width: 1733mm
• Height: 1586mm
• Ground clearance: 170mm
• Boot space: 315 liters
• Wheelbase: 2540mm
• Seating capacity: 05
• Kerb weight: 1302kg
• Gross weight: 1716kg
• Battery capacity: 29.2kWh
• Max.Power: 56.22bhp
• Max.Torque: 143Nm
• Top speed: 107kmph
• Acceleration 0 to 60kmph-6.8 seconds.
• No.of drive modes: 02
• Charging time 0-100%: 10hr.30min.(15A socket)
• Charging time with DC fast charger (80-100%): 57min.

Warranty offers

• High Voltage Battery Warranty for 7 years or 1,40,000 km (whichever is earlier)
• Electric motor warranty for 5 years or 1,00,000 km (whichever is earlier )
• Standard vehicle warranty for 3 years or 1,25,000 km (whichever is earlier)

At the safety side, the eC3 comes with dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors, child safety lock, high speed alert and connected car features like Geo-fencing etc.

In conclusion, the Citroen eC3 is a nice and compact electric SUV with a very decent range of 320km. It also having a good boot space also. Definitely you can consider this vehicle if you are in search of an electric vehicle or a compact car of its price range of Rs. 11 to 12 lakh Ex.showroom

If you want to compare the eC3 with another vehicle just check the Tata Tiago EV.

As always, Drive safe & Happy Driving.

Note:All images used in this blog has been taken from Manufacturer's website for presentation purpose.