Citroen C3 is a cute, chic little charmer

It is not fond memories of the golden beaches of KwaZulu-Natal or the splendour of the Cape winelands that will remind me of the recent long weekend we had.

Nope. And as much as I would love to have tested the waters of Ballito and sampled the fruit of the vines in tranquil Paarl, I was left behind in the relatively uninhabited Jozi.

Which was fine, because I had the company of the little Citroen C3 1.6 HDi Seduction and time to acquaint myself with it.

While its sibling, the DS3, has received accolades and awards recently - and deservedly so - the C3 seems to have slipped under the radar since its local launch late last year - which is a pity, because it is a car that, for a reasonable price (R209000), ticks all the right boxes.

Take, for example, fuel economy. Around town, or the urban cycle, as manufacturers like to refer to it, Citroen claims you will get 5.3l/100km from the diesel engine. Mighty impressive? Well I managed to beat that!

With sensible driving and not hammering the begeebies out of it, I returned just 4.8l/100km - a little more than 1000km from its 50 litre tank over a two-week period.

Really, you can't argue with that. With the fuel price rising steadily, and depending on your circumstances, it's worth looking at a vehicle that will not drain your pocket every time you refuel.

That's the one aspect that gets the thumbs-up.

Next, the design. Although it won't jump out at you at the traffic lights, the C3 has that familiar five-door hatch look, with five-spoke alloy wheels that add a bit of bling.

Most notable in the design is the introduction of the Zenith windscreen which , dramatically increases the amount of light allowed into the cabin through a 1350mm sheet of glass.

I must admit though, I found this more gimmicky than practical. It may be useful in dull, cloudy Europe but here in the land of sunshine it is superfluous to requirements.

One thing I did enjoy about the C3 is the well laid out interior - just the right amount of shiny, brushed aluminium is used while the front glovebox is set into the dashboard, allowing for more passenger leg room.

Speaking of the dashboard, it is crafted from that cool soft-touch rubber which always adds a bit of class, no matter what vehicle you find it in.

The instrument panel is pretty straightforward - your aircon and radio-CD are both easy to reach and your cruise control is next to the steering wheel, is . There are electric windows all-round, with one-touch function up-front to round off the comfort list.

A four-star NCap safety rating is highly-valued in this category of vehicle, and the C3 has it, thanks to the introduction of ABS brakes, electronic brake distribution (EBD) emergency braking assistance (EBS), six airbags and a steering column that retracts when the car is involved in a head-on collision.

Add to the above features such as rain-sensor window wipers and automatic headlights and you can understand why I would describe this vehicle as one that is extremely well-rounded.

There is no doubt Citroen has upped its game recently, after a number of years in the wilderness. The C3 is an example of that progression.