MOTORS
Edited by Mike Torpey
by MIKE TORPEY
S
KODA aims to reach across the generations with its new baby the Citigo. Small, smart and most definitely agile, this mini marvel signals the start of an ambitious three-year journey that will see a completely new or revamped model launched every six months. The Volkswagen-owned Czech company is riding the crest of a wave at present on the back of a record year for sales in 2011 – even without any new cars to shout about – and the momentum has continued into this year. Now the Citigo, set to hit the streets in early summer, is the springboard for the latest chapter in the brand’s 117-year history. It is Skoda’s first venture onto the city car scene and although prices won’t be announced until next month’s Geneva Motor Show they are expected to start at around £7,750 for the three-door model, with a £350 premium for five-door. While purchase price, running costs and a rock bottom group one insurance rating will make the Citigo attractive to younger drivers, the number crunchers at Skoda have taken into account figures which they say reveal the average age of city car buyers to actually be 49. Appealing to as wide an audience as possible has been a priority and the result is a distinctive model that’s stylish yet sensible. The latest Skoda works on both visual and practical levels in that it looks bigger than other city cars and has small dimensions – 3.56 metres long and 1.64 metres wide – yet amazing interior space. You can fit a pair of six-footers in the back, provided the front seats aren’t slid fully back, and even then the front seat-backs are scooped out for better knee room. Skoda is claiming the largest load area in the class, bar stablemates the Volkswagen up! and SEAT Mii, and there are plenty of stowage options plus nets – a favourite of Skoda designers. A pair of new lightweight 1.0-litre petrol engines with a choice of 60 or 75bhp are up for grabs and both can be ordered with a Green tec package incorporating start-stop, brake energy recuperation and low rolling resistance tyres. Cars featuring both engine displacements were available at the international launch around Lisbon, where motorway, urban, city centre rush hour, rural and coastal drives allowed the five-door Citigo to be tested to the maximum. And it’s a car that doesn’t disappoint either. Nippy and manoeuvrable through busy streets and precise on faster roads, the little Skoda performs better than figures of 0-62mph in 14.4 seconds (13.2 for the 75bhp model) would suggest. Only on uphill sections did the
TALK OF THE TOWN:The new Citigo is Skoda’s first venture into the city car scene
Skoda’s mini marvel is a real city slicker lower power car struggle, which is no real surprise and certainly not a good reason to be put off it. On the positive side, the five-speed manual transmission is light and easy while a fuel figure of an average 62.8 miles per gallon plus CO2 emissions of 105g/km aren’t to be sniffed at. Go for the leaner Green tec and consumption is 68.9mpg and 96g/km, or 67.3 and 98g/km for the higher powered car. Three trim grades – S, SE and Elegance – will be available from launch and an automated manual ASG transmission joins the range just before Christmas. Diesel is not part of the plan though. Skoda’s catchphrase for the car is City Clever, something underpinned by neat features like a slot for your mobile phone, bag hook on the glovebox and photo
holder on the dash. Safety is also a priority with, for the first time in a Skoda, head-thorax side airbags for driver and front passenger plus the option of City Safe Drive, a new brake assistance system based on a laser sensor that is activated automatically at low speed when there’s danger of a collision. Add equipment like heated front seats, air-con, parking sensors, cruise control and panoramic sunroof as standard or optional kit, depending on model, plus a portable sat-nav on Elegance and the Citigo seems sure to prove a serious contender in what’s a very competitive area of the car market. It feels quite classy inside and looks attractive too – but then it has been designed by one Josef Kaban, the man who styled the Bugatti Veyron.
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LITTLE STAR: The new Citigo is the springboard for the latest chapter in Skoda’s 117-year history
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