Small wonder Citigo's a success

Skoda Citigo SE 1.0 MPI (Price, as tested, £9,735)

ON THE ROAD:

FACED with a round-trip of 400 miles, a tiny four-seater with a 1.0 litre engine would not be my car of choice. For that distance surely an executive saloon with 2.0 litres at least under your right foot would be the order of the day.

How wrong I was. Our little Citigo performed admirably and more than made me eat my words.

More than able to hold its own once on the motorway, it has a top speed of 99mph and gets to 62mph in 14.4 seconds, it is, however, best suited to the town or the city. Its go-kart like handling is the nearest I have come to how my little Mini used to feel. A great turning circle, decent ride and smart turn of speed make it the kind of car well capable of brightening up an otherwise dull day.

ON THE INSIDE:

THE Citigo is a cousin to the plusher VW up! and the SEAT Mii. It's not as nice inside as the VW, but it more than measures up to the Mii and, for that matter, most, if not all, other city cars. The buttons and switches are a bit mundane and the stereo leaves a lot to be desired given what else is on the market these days, but it serves a purpose, all is easy to use and it appears well made. The car's shape and dimensions mean its light and airy and seeing out is no problem whichever direction you choose to look.

WHAT DO YOU GET:

OUR car came with fetching optional 15ins black alloys, body coloured door mirrors, CD player with Aux input, daytime running lights, electric front windows, Electronic Stability Control, Head thorax side airbags, height adjustable steering wheel, manual air-conditioning, remote central locking, speed sensitive power steering, split folding rear seats, tyre pressure monitor. We also had an optional steel spare wheel included.

HOW PRACTICAL IS IT:

WITH two adults on board there was more than enough room to push the seats back and stretch out. Even with two of three kids in the back, we were all able to get comfy. Parking is no problem at all, as you might expect. It barely takes up any room on the street or in the supermarket car park. The boot is deep and while its not of saloon standards, it is still capable of carrying a decent load. The seats also fold 60:40 if you need to carrying larger items. There are also several storage bins in addition to the glove compartment.

RUNNING COSTS:

THE Skoda is cheaper than the up! and the Mii for pretty much the same car, so that's an important factor to bear in mind.

Skoda reckon you should be able to get almost 63mpg, and while I wasn't able to find out what we achieved, I didn't need to fill up at all, despite a week of commuting and the aforementioned day out and back. CO2 emissions on our car are 105g/km.

VERDICT:

ONE of the best city cars out there

ALTERNATIVES:

VW up!, SEAT Mii, Fiat Panda