These small hatchbacks may be cheap, but will they make you feel cheerful if you buy one? Let’s find out
Photography: Malcolm Griffiths
NEW Dacia Sandero
1.0 TCe 90 Expression
List price £13,995
Target Price £13,863 Despite a small price increase, the recently facelifted Sandero continues to offer a lot of car for the money, being bigger and more powerful than its rivals
Kia Picanto
1.0 DPi ISG 2
List price £14,140
Target Price £13,389 We’ve always been fans of the Picanto’s grown-up feel and nimble handling, but can those things make up for its diminutive size and modest power in this company?
NEW Citroën C3
1.2 Puretech 83 S&S You
List price £13,995
Target Price £13,995 This new entry-level version of the C3 packs a familiar 1.2-litre petrol engine and, as with all Citroëns, promises to make comfort a high priority
the front of the C3, it also has the worst over-the-shoulder visibility of our trio, due to its chunky rear pillars and tapered side windows. The Sandero and Picanto benefit from relatively thin pillars and tall windows. If you’re a nervous parker, you’ll find that the Sandero is the easiest to squeeze into a tight space, thanks to its standard rear parking sensors and rear-view camera, neither of which you can have on its rivals in these trims.
In terms of interior quality, the Sandero is much better than you might expect for the price. Yes, there are plenty of hard plastics in evidence, but Dacia has borrowed a trick used by Peugeot for years and has fitted fabric inserts on the doors and across the face of the dashboard that lend it a plusher feel. Other touches such as chrome-edged air conditioning knobs help to lift an otherwise fairly functional interior.
The C3 makes even more of an effort to look good inside. From the art deco air vents to the tactile door pull straps, everything has been designed to be interesting to look at, rather than purely functional.
The C3 lets itself down, though, when it comes to material quality, with its plastic steering wheel feeling decidedly cheap and the air-con controls feeling very light and flimsy. By comparison, the Picanto’s interior looks rather sombre – the hard plastic on the dashboard is devoid of colour – but its buttons and stalks feel reassuringly solid.
SPACE AND PRACTICALITY
Front space, rear space, seating flexibility, boot
Unless you’re way beyond six feet tall, you’ll fit just fine in the front of any of our contenders, but it’s worth noting that the Picanto’s narrow interior might leave you feeling a little hemmed in around your shoulders.
Oddment storage space is plentiful, with each car having a pair of cuphold
