Rare for a reason? Citroen C-Zero
Discussion
This weekend I had plans to buy a cheap little automatic runaround as life plans can be awkward with just the one car, budget of up to 1500 quid but that soon rose to 3000 as I was stunned by the prices of used cars now, no wonder SOTW raised the price limit. One sadly fruitless trip on Saturday later (a round trip of almost four hours to find a car with a substantial oil leak) decided that would lessen the search distance and be patient. Being patient didn't work when spotted the next day that there was a high mileage EV available just a few miles up the road from us. And with a real life range of about 65 miles I was glad it wasn't too far to travel!
I didn't even know these cars existed but this car with it's tiny range, skinny tyres and minimal space has somehow averaged about 9k per year. It must be one of the highest mileage ones out there. On the plus side, regular use seems to have kept the battery in good condition and the paintwork is surprisingly unmarked. Can't imagine it did many motorway trips although top speed is meant to be 80mph. I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to try that!
Everything seems to work, aircon hits the range hard but with electric windows all round kinda nice to put them all down as it is a very airy car. And it is a car, not a quadricycle thingy, apparently got a 4 star NCAP back in the day. Hard to believe that Citroen sold these for 10 years in the UK, seem to have been priced about £26k but I paid about a tenth of that. Looks like there are only 250 in the UK so a pretty unusual vehicle. Mitsubishi and Peugeot also had identical versions out.
No road tax, insurance was cheap, servicing is basically the MOT and a pollen filter change, aircon works, great for trips to work, etc. Gotta admit, I kinda like it. And the interior looks like new, whatever materials they used might look cheap but you'd believe me if I said it had only done 9000 miles in total, let alone 90,000! Fun fact, the battery coolant service schedule is every 20 years. So that is something to pop in the diary. Fun fact 2, the Mitsubishi version came with a couple of other drive modes, one which is more regen brake heavy. Oddly Citroen/Peugeot versions didn't have this available in the gearbox gate but all the software/hardware was available. So someone has replaced the gearbox gate cover with one from the Mitsi which allows the gear lever to be shuffled down further and now I have those driving modes available too. Cannot fathom why all three cars didn't come with that available.
Photos to follow! Know it's not an exciting PH sports car but sometimes it can nice to see something a little different.
I didn't even know these cars existed but this car with it's tiny range, skinny tyres and minimal space has somehow averaged about 9k per year. It must be one of the highest mileage ones out there. On the plus side, regular use seems to have kept the battery in good condition and the paintwork is surprisingly unmarked. Can't imagine it did many motorway trips although top speed is meant to be 80mph. I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to try that!
Everything seems to work, aircon hits the range hard but with electric windows all round kinda nice to put them all down as it is a very airy car. And it is a car, not a quadricycle thingy, apparently got a 4 star NCAP back in the day. Hard to believe that Citroen sold these for 10 years in the UK, seem to have been priced about £26k but I paid about a tenth of that. Looks like there are only 250 in the UK so a pretty unusual vehicle. Mitsubishi and Peugeot also had identical versions out.
No road tax, insurance was cheap, servicing is basically the MOT and a pollen filter change, aircon works, great for trips to work, etc. Gotta admit, I kinda like it. And the interior looks like new, whatever materials they used might look cheap but you'd believe me if I said it had only done 9000 miles in total, let alone 90,000! Fun fact, the battery coolant service schedule is every 20 years. So that is something to pop in the diary. Fun fact 2, the Mitsubishi version came with a couple of other drive modes, one which is more regen brake heavy. Oddly Citroen/Peugeot versions didn't have this available in the gearbox gate but all the software/hardware was available. So someone has replaced the gearbox gate cover with one from the Mitsi which allows the gear lever to be shuffled down further and now I have those driving modes available too. Cannot fathom why all three cars didn't come with that available.
Photos to follow! Know it's not an exciting PH sports car but sometimes it can nice to see something a little different.
Mrs V. drives a Mitsubishi i-car - the 660cc petrol variant . It's essentially a Smart car with 2 extra seats and it is perfect for a small family as a local car. The wheel at each corner gives a long wheelbase and a surprisingly compliant ride. It could do with a smidge more sound deadening/insulation to bring it up to supermini standards.
I remember telling a colleague back in 2013 that I'd bought the missus a 4 seater, rear engined, RWD, turbocharged car and he thought I'd got her a 911 Turbo.
Certainly there is a small amount of front end bobbing similar to the 911 from the front suspension.
Despite 660cc it was the fastest car in the universe away from traffic lights... up to 20-30mph. We used it for everything. Trips to the coast etc. The only downer is on windy days, and windy days on motorways is a no no with butt clenching as you get buffeted by winds and HGVs.
Here's a challenge for you: Park the C-zero until you think you are about to hit the car in front. Then get out an marvel at how far away from the car in front you really are!
I remember telling a colleague back in 2013 that I'd bought the missus a 4 seater, rear engined, RWD, turbocharged car and he thought I'd got her a 911 Turbo.
Certainly there is a small amount of front end bobbing similar to the 911 from the front suspension. Despite 660cc it was the fastest car in the universe away from traffic lights... up to 20-30mph. We used it for everything. Trips to the coast etc. The only downer is on windy days, and windy days on motorways is a no no with butt clenching as you get buffeted by winds and HGVs.
Here's a challenge for you: Park the C-zero until you think you are about to hit the car in front. Then get out an marvel at how far away from the car in front you really are!
Whoever bought this one originally skimped on the option list. Yes, the one optional extra. You could spend another £450 on a remote control to start/stop air con and charging. I'm assuming the remote is about the same size as the car...
This is a stock photo but identical to mine inside, does everything needed for a short journey. Note the slightly aftermarket looking radio/bluetooth. You can spot that the autobox only goes down to D.
But on a Mitsubishi MIEV it goes all the way past D to B(rake) and C(oast). Fair play to the first person to realise this and take a Dremel to the interior of their Citroen. Quite the mod!
This car is under 1.5m wide. That is narrower than the original Smart car. Car park spaces should be easy to navigate as a result. I will see how close I can park without crashing into someone elses pride and joy!
This is a stock photo but identical to mine inside, does everything needed for a short journey. Note the slightly aftermarket looking radio/bluetooth. You can spot that the autobox only goes down to D.
But on a Mitsubishi MIEV it goes all the way past D to B(rake) and C(oast). Fair play to the first person to realise this and take a Dremel to the interior of their Citroen. Quite the mod!
This car is under 1.5m wide. That is narrower than the original Smart car. Car park spaces should be easy to navigate as a result. I will see how close I can park without crashing into someone elses pride and joy!
Yeah I'm not surprised it didn't sell that many..Have you read the EuroNCAP report in detail?
"Inspection of the car after the frontal impact showed that several structures had reached the limit of their load-bearing capacity.
The passenger compartment was judged to be unstable as the vehicle might not be able to withstand an impact at a higher speed.
As a consequence, the score for the driver's chest was penalised and protection of this body region was rated as marginal.
Most of the floor in the driver’s footwell was heavily distorted and this too was penalised, leading to a marginal rating for protection of the driver's feet and ankles.
Structures in the dashboard posed a risk of injury to the knees and femurs of both the driver and passenger. In the side barrier impact, the driver's door opened and the car was penalised, although dummy readings showed protection was at least adequate.
However, in the more severe side pole test, dummy readings of rib compression indicated poor protection of the chest. Protection against whiplash injury in the event of a rear collision was good.
No problems were experienced with the high voltage electrical system which powers the vehicle: the battery was properly isolated from the bodyshell and was not damaged during the tests."
Source: https://www.euroncap.com/en/results/citro%C3%ABn/c...
"Inspection of the car after the frontal impact showed that several structures had reached the limit of their load-bearing capacity.
The passenger compartment was judged to be unstable as the vehicle might not be able to withstand an impact at a higher speed.
As a consequence, the score for the driver's chest was penalised and protection of this body region was rated as marginal.
Most of the floor in the driver’s footwell was heavily distorted and this too was penalised, leading to a marginal rating for protection of the driver's feet and ankles.
Structures in the dashboard posed a risk of injury to the knees and femurs of both the driver and passenger. In the side barrier impact, the driver's door opened and the car was penalised, although dummy readings showed protection was at least adequate.
However, in the more severe side pole test, dummy readings of rib compression indicated poor protection of the chest. Protection against whiplash injury in the event of a rear collision was good.
No problems were experienced with the high voltage electrical system which powers the vehicle: the battery was properly isolated from the bodyshell and was not damaged during the tests."
Source: https://www.euroncap.com/en/results/citro%C3%ABn/c...
Forgot to say, has a year long MOT with no advisories (the front had new discs and tyres a couple of months ago). It's not an ideal car for many but as a second car in the family think it'll work out alright.
A third fun fact about this car. It is silent. Completely. No artificial noise as low speed or when reversing. But if you have the climate control switched on you can really here the various pumps working. Bit disconcerting at first but contemporary test reports said the same. It also likes to beep a lot when first switched on, reminding you to shut the door, plug in belt, etc. Like being berated by a safety conscious R2D2.
A third fun fact about this car. It is silent. Completely. No artificial noise as low speed or when reversing. But if you have the climate control switched on you can really here the various pumps working. Bit disconcerting at first but contemporary test reports said the same. It also likes to beep a lot when first switched on, reminding you to shut the door, plug in belt, etc. Like being berated by a safety conscious R2D2.
The other advantages of this car are:
(1) If your passenger doesn't close their door properly you can reach over without leaning over to close it.
(2) If you drop something in the cabin, it's nearly always within reach!
(3) If someone parks badly in a bay, it's no bother because your car is so narrow.
(4) The amount of narrow gaps that you can filter through. On narrow country lanes, you and any opposing car do not need to stop because you can both fit through.
These never sold in high numbers, although the £5k grant helped. I think so many were written off from simple damage or battery issues.
Have you found the "secret compartment" yet?
(1) If your passenger doesn't close their door properly you can reach over without leaning over to close it.
(2) If you drop something in the cabin, it's nearly always within reach!
(3) If someone parks badly in a bay, it's no bother because your car is so narrow.
(4) The amount of narrow gaps that you can filter through. On narrow country lanes, you and any opposing car do not need to stop because you can both fit through.
These never sold in high numbers, although the £5k grant helped. I think so many were written off from simple damage or battery issues.
Have you found the "secret compartment" yet?
raspy said:
Yeah I'm not surprised it didn't sell that many..Have you read the EuroNCAP report in detail?
Not sure it is terribly rated as a small city car? Report isn't scathing, I just looked up some other cars that were graded around the same time. Plenty of other four stars out there and the Suzuki Celerio has worse scores across the board and only got 3 star NCAP when tested. As did the 2012 Aygo test. Report seems to be at the same level as the 2011 Panda which would seem comparable? Agree that it's not the last word in safety but in the scheme of things am sure it is considerably better than many older mini sized vehicles?
Plus, it's rear wheel drive so doesn't that mean I'll oversteer my way to safety?
vikingaero said:
The other advantages of this car are:
(1) If your passenger doesn't close their door properly you can reach over without leaning over to close it. OR I CAN STOP MY VICTIMS FROM ESCAPING
(2) If you drop something in the cabin, it's nearly always within reach! LIKE THE DUCT TAPE OR CABLE TIES
(3) If someone parks badly in a bay, it's no bother because your car is so narrow. MORE PIES FOR ME THEN!
(4) The amount of narrow gaps that you can filter through. On narrow country lanes, you and any opposing car do not need to stop because you can both fit through. OR DRIVE UNDERNEATH LORRIES
Is the secret compartment the weird little thing above the glovebox. I managed to get it open and looked like you could fit a whole set of post it notes in. Unless there is another one? TELL ME THERE IS ANOTHER ONE???????!!!!!!!(1) If your passenger doesn't close their door properly you can reach over without leaning over to close it. OR I CAN STOP MY VICTIMS FROM ESCAPING
(2) If you drop something in the cabin, it's nearly always within reach! LIKE THE DUCT TAPE OR CABLE TIES
(3) If someone parks badly in a bay, it's no bother because your car is so narrow. MORE PIES FOR ME THEN!
(4) The amount of narrow gaps that you can filter through. On narrow country lanes, you and any opposing car do not need to stop because you can both fit through. OR DRIVE UNDERNEATH LORRIES
The jack is in a weird place under rear seats?
Our driveway is an odd shape so this fits perfectly on the short bit as you can see! Don't have anything ICEy now, just this an an ID3 for longer journeys. Didn't plan to be an EV family, just circumstances suited us.
Was looking at service schedule, seems to be MOT check and then:
Gearbox oil - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW6liZWTBgo (every five years or 60k)
Pollen filter - yearly
Brake fluid - every two years
Engine coolant - every twenty years
Appears that any MOT place can test an EV as easily as an ICE car?
Was looking at service schedule, seems to be MOT check and then:
Gearbox oil - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW6liZWTBgo (every five years or 60k)
Pollen filter - yearly
Brake fluid - every two years
Engine coolant - every twenty years
Appears that any MOT place can test an EV as easily as an ICE car?
Bonefish Blues said:
MBVitoria said:
I'm strangely drawn to it. Still looks reasonably modern. Cheap as chips to run around town and presumably gets around all the ULEZ stuff. Love it!
Ami or this?Heart vs head.
Indeed, I need it for a couple of trips to the work Park n' Ride, and going to play football 3 times a week. Plus occasional pop to the shops. Reckon I'll charge it once a week. I like it because it's a little different but not so much it draws attention. Currently debating whether to spend a tenner on making it immaculate... by replacing the broken pop out keyfob (you get one remote key and one normal key with the car). That'll be a sign that it might be a keeper!
It also has a name now. It is No Face from Spirited Away. Mainly because of the front of it!
It also has a name now. It is No Face from Spirited Away. Mainly because of the front of it!
Bonefish Blues said:
MBVitoria said:
I'm strangely drawn to it. Still looks reasonably modern. Cheap as chips to run around town and presumably gets around all the ULEZ stuff. Love it!
Ami or this?Heart vs head.
Crash protection might not be brilliant but is it really any worse than many of the cars that PHer's are driving or indeed other contemporary small cars? I'm not sure I'd want to have a head on in a TVR Tuscan either but it only ever seems to be small city cars that people worry about safety with. I know when we had a Smart FourTwo, most people who spoke to me about it banged on about how unsafe they were but I had a 1995 MX5 at the same time and nobody ever mentioned safety in context of that.
My thoughts too, GW, seems safer than the 20 year old Mazda 2 it is replacing. Bloody love the Ami but that only does about 30mph and would be a proper city car, not sure could take it out on longer trips.
In winter I'm wondering about popping an electric fan heater (plugged in the house) in there in the morning to defrost it. Or maybe put the car heater on when it's plugged in to charge anyway. Not sure which will work out better. Alternatively I'll pop the car into a padded A4 envelope to keep it from frosting up!
In winter I'm wondering about popping an electric fan heater (plugged in the house) in there in the morning to defrost it. Or maybe put the car heater on when it's plugged in to charge anyway. Not sure which will work out better. Alternatively I'll pop the car into a padded A4 envelope to keep it from frosting up!
mikeyr said:
My thoughts too, GW, seems safer than the 20 year old Mazda 2 it is replacing. Bloody love the Ami but that only does about 30mph and would be a proper city car, not sure could take it out on longer trips.
In winter I'm wondering about popping an electric fan heater (plugged in the house) in there in the morning to defrost it. Or maybe put the car heater on when it's plugged in to charge anyway. Not sure which will work out better. Alternatively I'll pop the car into a padded A4 envelope to keep it from frosting up!
I presume these cars were built before we used apps to pre-heat the car? Heating while plugged in sounds a good bet if it will let you. Even better if you can then lock it and go back indoors. In winter I'm wondering about popping an electric fan heater (plugged in the house) in there in the morning to defrost it. Or maybe put the car heater on when it's plugged in to charge anyway. Not sure which will work out better. Alternatively I'll pop the car into a padded A4 envelope to keep it from frosting up!
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