Citroen C3 versus its closest competitors — Tata Punch and Renault Kiger

India being a price-conscious market means we are always obsessed with how affordable a car will be. It’s a pressure every manufacturer in the Indian market has had to tackle in their own capacity. But the question I’d like to ask you is, do you want to save money while buying a car or do you want your money’s worth?

Citroen India recently launched the C3 in the SUV-inspired B-hatchback segment at 5.71 lakh rupees and its topmost trim with a turbo engine is available at 8.05 lakh rupees. At this price point it does undercut the Tata Punch and more so the 1.0-litre turbo variant of the Renault Kiger that is priced between 9.49 - 10.62 lakh rupees.

So yes, on paper it is the C3 that offers you a more powerful turbo variant at a more affordable price but what about features, creature comforts and safety tech?

Firstly, looks are subjective so I won’t go into that aspect but in terms of dimensions, the Renault Kiger is the longest and widest car while the Punch is the tallest in this trio.

The Kiger also offers you 405-litres of boot space which is the maximum boot space in this segment with an option to carry luggage on the roof carrier as well.

I don’t know about you but I never took to tiny cellphones and neither do I like my infotainment screen to be small, I find it rather distracting so the C3 scores brownie points in my books for offering a larger, 10-inch touchscreen infotainment that offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto while the other two offer a 7 and 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system.

But it’s the Kiger only that offers the option of a wireless charger in its top most trim, a definite stand out feature in this price band. The Kiger also offers front and rear arm rests, adjustable rear head rests and most importantly rear ac vents which you wouldn’t actually expect in smaller SUVs, though the air conditioning in the Citroen and Tata aren’t anything to complain about.

While we are on the topic of cooling the cabin Citroen decided to skip automatic climate control which the other two offer! The Kiger it also impresses with segment-first drive modes.

Now Tata Punch and the Renault Kiger offer a cooled glove box & electric ORVMs which the Citroen does not!

The Tata Punch steps up in the safety department by offering 2 airbags, front fog lamps with cornering function, reverse parking camera with guidelines, auto headlamps and rain sensing wipers. To wipe out any doubts the Punch also boasts of a 5-star safety rating in the Global NCAP.

Tata Motors also offers a Punch Creative iRA Pack in the top trim that allows you to stay connected with your car via a phone app, allows you to activate remote commands, check live diagnostics, vehicle safety features, etc.

We love our colour options and the more dual-tone options the better. In this department the Punch offers you 8-dual tone options, the Kiger offers 11 in total,  7-dual tone colour options while the Citroen C3 offers 10 colour combinations, 2 dashboard colours and 8 body and roof graphics. That’s a lot of choice!

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But there are quite a few features amiss in the Citroen C3 in the bargain for better pricing like the lack of a rear windshield wiper or defogger, electrically adjustable mirrors, ISOFIX child seat anchorage, rearview camera though it does come with parking sensors. All these are features are available in the other two cars though.

But here’s where Citroen holds some trump cards, Citroen is offering you 56 customizable options. So you can add a front fog lamp, a front dashcam, a rear spoiler, front & rear skid plate, your choice of alloy wheels and some chrome inserts! But all of this you see comes at an additional cost which could very well price this car in the very same price bracket it seems to have undercut at present.

A quick scan through the engine options is a must so the Tata Punch & Citroen C3 offer 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engines which offer somewhat similar power and torque outputs. While the C3 engines come mated to a 5 & 6-speed manual the Punch comes mated to a 5-speed manual and an AMT gearbox.

In all this the Kiger offers a 1.0L naturally petrol engine with the choice of a 5-speed manual or AMT gearbox, doesn’t sound as appealing right? But what the Tata does not offer is a turbo variant which the C3 provides in its most powerful guise, a 1.2l turbo with a 5-speed automatic gearbox compared to the Kiger’s 1.0L turbo with the option of a 5-speed manual & a CVT gearbox!

So coming back to which one is a value for money proposition.

Priced between 5.71 – 8.05 lakh rupees the C3 is offering you the choice of a 1.2l petrol turbo engine with the choice of a 5 & a 6-speed manual gearbox, the largest wheelbase, a 10-inch touchscreen, 10 colour options to choose from, 56 customization options.

The Tata Punch priced between Rs 5.83 – 9.49 Lakh is offering you a 1.2l petrol engine with a 5-speed manual and AMT option, packs in a lot more essential safety tech along with a 5-star safety badging & the iRA connected car tech.

Though the Renault Kiger seems to be the costliest proposition in this comparison while offering the least powerful engine options packs in plenty of features and safety tech to justify its pricing.

From segment first drive-modes, rear ac vents, cooled glove compartment, wireless smartphone charger, adjustable rear headrests, an additional roof carrier, rear defogger, wiper & washer, this seems to be a well specced car.

So coming back to the question I started with, the segment these cars belong to are neither an entry-level segment nor are they very premium offerings so would you rather save money or get your money’s worth? Let us know in the comments section which of these cars would be your pick, what are some of the features you think you can do without while which are absolute essentials.

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