Photo: mobile.de
When Citroen released the all-new C3 supermini, it said something along the lines of "you can order it without the Airbumps, but why would you want to?"
Well, you'd want to because some folks don't like fake crossovers. So that got us wondering what the C3 would look like without the Airbumps. There was only one press photo, so we had to do a little bit of extra digging.
When in doubt regarding any European car, it's best to check the inventory of dealerships, especially German ones. We found plenty of C3s in teal, red or blue, all without the protective rubber elements.
But it turns out that the differences are insignificant, almost impossible to spot by the untrained eye. In place of the rubber bumps, the "naked" C3 has a thick oval styling element.
The C4 Cactus which started us off on the protective journey has Airbumps on the bumpers as well. But here, it's just regular black plastic, still resilient to damage, but more easily scratched.
The bumps are made from Elastollan HPM, created by the BASF Corporation. It's the first thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) that can be used on the vehicle exterior. On the Cactus, Rehau makes the side Airbumps, and Faurecia produces the ones at the front and back.
In case an owner gets tired of the color of the Airbumps on the Cactus, a full replacement pack costs less than $1500. Individual panels start from less than $120, and an owner can swap them at home.
After looking at about three dozen C3s on mobile.de, I can see that Citroen has learned something from the Cactus: adding even more color. Also, most cars were specced in the top FEEL trim level, yet are still relatively cheap at around €16,000.
Something else that's peculiar is the fact that almost all come with the 1.2-liter PureTech82 gasoline engine. With something like the Skoda Fabia, it's usually the TDI, but here, customers aren't going for the diesel option or the dealerships have more in stock.
I think this has to do with affordability. The other engine options are the turbocharged version of the 1.2, delivering 110 PS and the 1.6 BlueHDI. But both would increase the price by about €2,000, thus placing the C3 in the way of firmly established rivals like the Fiesta, Polo, and Clio.
When in doubt regarding any European car, it's best to check the inventory of dealerships, especially German ones. We found plenty of C3s in teal, red or blue, all without the protective rubber elements.
But it turns out that the differences are insignificant, almost impossible to spot by the untrained eye. In place of the rubber bumps, the "naked" C3 has a thick oval styling element.
The C4 Cactus which started us off on the protective journey has Airbumps on the bumpers as well. But here, it's just regular black plastic, still resilient to damage, but more easily scratched.
The bumps are made from Elastollan HPM, created by the BASF Corporation. It's the first thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) that can be used on the vehicle exterior. On the Cactus, Rehau makes the side Airbumps, and Faurecia produces the ones at the front and back.
In case an owner gets tired of the color of the Airbumps on the Cactus, a full replacement pack costs less than $1500. Individual panels start from less than $120, and an owner can swap them at home.
After looking at about three dozen C3s on mobile.de, I can see that Citroen has learned something from the Cactus: adding even more color. Also, most cars were specced in the top FEEL trim level, yet are still relatively cheap at around €16,000.
Something else that's peculiar is the fact that almost all come with the 1.2-liter PureTech82 gasoline engine. With something like the Skoda Fabia, it's usually the TDI, but here, customers aren't going for the diesel option or the dealerships have more in stock.
I think this has to do with affordability. The other engine options are the turbocharged version of the 1.2, delivering 110 PS and the 1.6 BlueHDI. But both would increase the price by about €2,000, thus placing the C3 in the way of firmly established rivals like the Fiesta, Polo, and Clio.
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