| A Week at the Wheel | Herts, England | Citroen C2 VTS HDI |

Inside & Out:

Designed from the start to appeal to a younger audience the Citroen C2 remains fresh looking despite its advancing years. It has always looked particularly appealing in the VTR and VTS guises where deeper spoilers, larger alloy wheels and a neat roof-mounted spoiler give the city car some added muscle. Those additions used to be limited to customers wanting a petrol engine, but Citroen has added a sporting diesel to the range by putting a 1.6-litre HDI turbodiesel engine under the bonnet of the VTS to create the C2 HDI VTS.

It might look good inside, but the interior lets down the package. There's nothing wrong with the styling, the neat circular vents and pod-like instruments looking the part, but the materials they're built from are disappointing. The C2 has always felt flimsy inside and age hasn't improved it. It's why we've given it such a low score. Otherwise, it's well packaged, with passenger space being the priority over luggage capacity - the boot is tiny.

Engine & Transmission:

Diesel hot hatches, particularly from France, are not new. But they're still not that common, certainly among the smaller city/supermini segment. The concept works though; the C2 HDI VTS's 1.6-litre engine might only have 107bhp, but the ample 192lb.ft of torque is enough to shift the C2's minimal bulk. It's not the quietest diesel out there on start-up, but once on the move refinement improves. What it lacks in character over its petrol alternative it more than makes up for in mid-range punch, the 1.6-litre HDI unit turning the C2 into a far more capable and comfortable long-distance proposition. The five-speed manual transmission is rather long in throw and has a characteristic vague feel across the gate. The engine is so rich in torque it'd benefit from a longer fifth gear - or indeed a six-speed unit - to further enhance economy on longer runs.

Ride & Handling:

The C2's natural environment is around the town in regular guise, it coping well in city streets with an accomplished ride. However, the HDI engine opens up a wider range of possibilities and it's great fun. The ride and handling are nicely judged, grip levels being high, the C2's suspension smoothing the worst lumps and bumps out of our roads, but not at the expense of body control. It's a touch softer than most hot hatches, but all the better for it. It's a car that works well being driven within its limits though; start pushing that diesel engine towards the red-line and throwing it into corners and it all begins to get a bit messy. Few will ever try though, as it's huge fun at sensible speeds anyway.

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:

VTS is pretty much at the top of the C2 range so it comes well specified as standard. There's air conditioning, more airbags, ESP and all those sporty additions to the body, but we'd like to see a few more toys in the standard kit list. However, that's forgivable here, as although the sticker price is £13,595, speak to your Citroen dealer and you should be able to get a significant reduction or cashback offer - making it a far more appealing package. It's economical too; the combined fuel consumption figure of 64.2mpg impressive and with CO₂ output of just 119g/km you'll be able to drive it into London Congestion Charge free - at least until the goalposts are moved again.

Overall:

Citroen's C2 VTS was always been an amusing steer, but the fitment of the 1.6-litre HDI turbodiesel engine has added some maturity to the drive. It's still great fun, but it benefits from the more rounded ability of the turbodiesel, making it a car you'd be happier to do longer distances in. The interior materials are still terrible, but ignore that and you've got an entertaining, yet frugal hot hatchback.