The C2 is not popular in Australia, as it competes in a highly competitive segment of the market with such highly desirable cars as the Volkswagen Polo, Mitsubishi Colt, Peugeot 206 (and the new Peugeot 207) together with the Suzuki Swift. The competition makes it tough for the quirky Citroen.

The Citroën C2 is the basis for Citroën’s Junior World Championship Rally Car, the Citroën C2 Super 1600, and is even powered by a road going version of the same engine, a 1.6 litre 80 kW engine.

Completing the drivetrain is SensoDrive, Citroën’s sequential manual gearbox that blends the convenience of a gearbox that changes its own gears with the ease of clutch-pedal free operation or complete self-shifting mode.

The Citroën C2 has been designed from the start to be a compact alternative to the Citroën C3, so although it sits on Citroën’s “Platform One”, which is shared with the C3, there are no common body panels and, with its lower roof line and shorter overhangs, along with its different styling, the Citroën C2 presents a very different character to the C3. From the 16 inch alloy wheels with the low profile 45 series tyres, via the deep drawn bumpers, the Citroën C2 is designed to be a sporty model, believe it or not!

This profile continues inside because while it has a dashboard derived from the Citroën C3, it has its own unique seats and interior fittings. The gear knob and door handles are finished in translucent plastic that is colour matched to the cloth trim used in the door panels and the side bolster sections of the standard seats. The centre sections of the seats use a form of cloth similar in design to that used in training shoes that allows more air ventilation than normal cloth.

The back seat and load area of the Citroën C2 are unique. For a start, access is via a split rear hatch, which means that loading the car be done in the tightest parking spaces.

The top section is more than an opening window, it also pulls the standard rear parcel shelf up and out of the way when it opens. The locking mechanism is electrically operated for safety, security and ease of use.

Citroën has decided that it is better to have comfortable, flexible seats for two in the back of the C2 rather than a compromised three seat bench. So the C2 has two full size seats which can slide backwards and forwards separately to offer either more boot space or more leg room. Not only do the backs of these two seats fold forward, boosting space, they can also be flipped forward with the assistance of gas struts – another unique feature – to take the load space up to 879 litres.