Tell me about Citroen C2

[tooSavvy]

... I rummage thru these pages all the time but no one seems to snare a C2....

 

That Bad??? 

 

 

TS

[320touring]

... I rummage thru these pages all the time but no one seems to snare a C2....

 

That Bad???

 

 

TS

Savvy thing to do is not bother;)

[chaseracer]

Yep.

[hairnet]

non

 

est merde

[tooSavvy]

Crash & Burn... Cold beer over here.... 

 

 

TS

[M'coli]

Didn't dave21478 in France have a VTR one that spat its gear selector servo motors or something?

[MrFarkinBasz]

Sorry to read this - was thinking of getting one perhaps, when eventually my Micra gives up the ghost.  The dizzler variant does beaucoup de mpg I understand.

[dollywobbler]

I've heard fewer complaints about the C2 than the C3, which is odd. You'd think they're pretty similar. They're both pretty hideous to look at. Would definitely advise against flappy-paddle shift though.

[320touring]

Sorry to read this - was thinking of getting one perhaps, when eventually my Micra gives up the ghost. The dizzler variant does beaucoup de mpg I understand.

I find that recovery trucks are fairly heavy on the juice,personally;)

[dave21478]

Yarp, tis me with the VTR.

 

So....where to start....Its a pretty good wee car. Its modern, so dont expect charm or old-skool road character, but it handles well enough and is nippy, but not particularly fast. Mine has very low profile tyres so a fair bit of road noise and can be crashy on bad roads. Spacious enough inside for such a wee car and pretty comfortable. Boot is small, and folding rear seats are not the best.

Its flimsy a fuck too, inside and out.

Its all fancy with screen and menu system and stuff. You need the original stereo to access menu features like changing the clock and other options, so beware one with aftermarket headunit unless it has the expensive wiring converter.

 

The flappy paddle box, called Sensodrive, is a load of pish. These things are great on proper supercars, but Citroens cut-price version for their warmed-over city car is a pain in the ass. They can throw hissy fits of the electrical or mechanical variety at any moment. Cant be bump-started and garages dont like working on them. Even when its working, its a nuisance. Auto mode on the open road at speed is lethal - it has a habit of deciding to drop a gear mid bend and can provoke lift-off oversteer if you are pressing on. Its clutch control is harsh and it cant predict what gear it should be in, especially approaching roundabouts or give-ways where it can never decide between slipping the clutch a little in second or dropping down to first. Invariably it tries for second gear and you go for a gap and it doesnt move fast so you insinctively press the gas harder and it thinks "uh oh, should be in first" so it bangs down a gear and drops the clutch, leaving you rocketing across the roundabout with the wheels spinning. You can over-ride it and drop into 1st yourself, but whats the point of an auto if you have to over-ride it at every junction? In manual its ok....ish but there is always a half-second delay between you doing something and the car reacting, which gets really annoying.

Basically its designed for oblivious teenagers, but anyone who takes a little bit of pride in their roadcraft will find it irritates them pretty quickly.

If my Sensodrive throws another big tantrum while I still have the car I will sack the box off and convert to manual - its a relatively simple conversion with donor parts from a breakers.

 

The VTS comes with the manual box, and the HDI is available with either, I think. The 1.6 HDI has more torque than the pez versions and is apparently a rocket-ship with mega MPG to boot. The "Loeb" special editions are numbered and potentially an appreciating asset. I dont know anything about the smaller engines. 1.1 and 1.4 I think.

 

I have had a lot of different French fwd hot hatches - its a type of car I like, but the C2 has been the least impressive. Slower than my old Saxo VTR and the handling lacks feel compared to any of them.  Its got a rear trailing beam like a Nova or something rather than the usual PSA torsion bar setup and I think handling suffers for this. Electric power steering is like playing an arcade machine with zero feedback.

 

Overall, I like it, but wouldnt own another.

[wuvvum]

Yep, what Dave12345678 said.  Mine was a Furio rather than a VTR, so had the old 1360cc 8-valve engine from the AX, but my enduring memories of it are a pleasant (if slightly gutless) drive, decent handling and grip, so-so fuel consumption and flimsy trim, the whole spoiled by that god-awful gearbox.  I never had any actual faults with mine (it had had a LOT of money spent on it by the previous owner), it was just generally rubbish.  Had probably the fastest wipers of any car I've owned though (with the possible exception of the MGB when the voltage regulator had a "moment" a few weeks ago), which came in handy when I got caught in the monsoon we had last summer.

 

I would think one with a manual gearbox would be a decent enough runaround - although I'd avoid the 1.1, what with the 1.4 not being exactly quick.

[dollywobbler]

Depressing really. Citroen had a pretty-decent semi-automatic gearbox working in 1955, with far fewer problems. C-Matic was even better, albeit sluggish. I have to say, if I wanted a small little hatchback, I'd be checking out Japanese and Korean tin. Small Suzukis seem fun.

[panhard65]

My girlfriends lad has got a C2 and it is nothing special but does the job. I would stay well clear of the auto though as they are total crap. Other than that they are like anything else modern and just as reliable as anything else if you get a basic one (8 valve).

[MrFarkinBasz]

Right, so Suzuki Swift GLS 1.0 for my future hypermiley stylie commuter driving.  But only once my Micra kicks the bucket.

[gordonbennet]

We had a C2 VTS 1.6 HDi manual for two years, SWMBO loved it, it had a remap to 140hp which also bought start of the torque band down to about 1200 rpm and it went like fuck especially if you kept the revs down and used the torque, she was an original Mini CooperS girl so relived her youthful exuberance showing some quite sporty stuff how it should be done....never grew up and has no intention, she's a bloody sight worse in the Scooby mind cos it sticks like shit to a blanket.

Driven sensibly it would do between 50 and 60mpg, but run at around 80 and it would drop sharply, not a very arsehole shape.

 

195/45 x 16 tyres with concrete srpings for bone jarring ride, and the road roar sod me...fitted some additional (well when i say additional Cit put sod all in when then made it) insulation material and it did cure a lot of the noise...there's bog all covering the rear wheel arches and boot floor other than a bit of plastic trim, so if you want one spend a few hours soundproofing it, worth the time.

 

My workmate had a manual 1.4 HDi, which he serviced meticulously, last time i saw him it was on well over 140k miles and still returning over 60 mpg on his A road commute, his best was 71mpg, calculated, not relying on the dash.

 

My Mrs would have another, she loved the VTS.

 

Don't touch an automated manual of any make with a bargepole, but the ones in these are awful, but then so are all the other bastards, including the fuckin hopeless ZF autotragic in my lorry.

[Lacquer Peel]

I have had a lot of different French fwd hot hatches - its a type of car I like, but the C2 has been the least impressive. Slower than my old Saxo VTR and the handling lacks feel compared to any of them.  Its got a rear trailing beam like a Nova or something rather than the usual PSA torsion bar setup and I think handling suffers for this. Electric power steering is like playing an arcade machine with zero feedback.

Yep, a torsion beam. Hi-tech* and refined*. Ditching the rear torsion bars on small/medium PSA cars ruined their ride and handling.

[Christine]

C2's are still "new" right? Well i know one thats got rust holes in the sill ..

[Uncle Jimmy]

Yep, buy a Jap. A 90s Corolla.

[Hendry]

The C2 "Code" special edition is future autoshite for sure. Tan leather interior.

 

When I worked for Citroen the 1.6 VTS was quite good fun, they are better than C3s and don't look too bad IMO. They were cheap, rattly, tinny and flimsy as fuck however. Wouldn't buy one.

[Talbotman]

C2s are surprisingly strong little beasts. Engines in the Petrol are simple to affairs in 8 or 16v flavours and are simple to service. As with all Noughties Psa stuff the indicator stalk comms units are prone to wear and fail with heavy use, and the electric power steering ecu can play up. As has been said keep away from the sensodrive cars as the activators and associated gubbins throw up wobbles with age. However a tidy 1.1 or 1.4 petrol is an eminently tidy little car with good parts availability and cheap servicing and insurance costs.