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Citroen's C2, a fairly popular citycar over on the continent, has been refreshed. In addition to a new cutesy front fascia, it will now feature a 110 hp diesel engine (in some countries this has already been available as the "hot" model). There are some suspension upgrades too, but perhaps most important to buyers in this segment is that the C2 with the 1.6 turbo-oilburner will consume only 4.4 liters/100km, or 53 US miles per gallon and yet still cranks 175 lb ft of torque.
6 Comments on “Citroen Refreshes C2, Now With 53mpg...”
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The same engine as in the Mini Cooper D in a lighter and simpler car… interesting.
The Cooper D has a engine start/stop system and a few more tricks though, so it gets a 3.9 l/100km (60.3 US mpg) rating.
But those hybrid folks will tell you this would be the most damaging 50 to 60 mpg you could ever experience. Which means you’ll never see government tax breaks and other goodies to car companies that are thinking about bringing these to the USA.
That and diesels cost a lot. Americans loathe to pay more for a diesel when they could get a “green” hybrid for the same or less money. A few people would gladly post on a blog about how they want a diesel. But there aren’t enough people who exist in reality that would plunk down their hard earned money on an efficient diesel when they were finally presented the opportunity.
the diesel premium is lower than the hybrid premium
not only because its simpler, but because the dealers don’t tack on the “smug” premium like they do with a hybrid car.
But those hybrid folks will tell you this would be the most damaging 50 to 60 mpg you could ever experience.
Huh???! Holydonut, could you please explain this? Doesn’t make sense to me. This car sounds interesting to me.
Nope, us Americans would never want anything like that. Unique looks, decent performance, and great mileage. Nope wouldn’t want that. Got to get me another Ford Excursion V-10 in case I need to haul the family, the in-laws, and their in-laws. Oh and our ski-boat and 6 horses.
Nope, never want of those…
Dave – most hybrid proponents cite the high concentrations of certain exhaust gas particulate emissions in diesel engines. So ignoring MPG, they assert that an efficient (high MPG diesel) is nowhere near as “green” as an efficient petrol hybrid. The NOX emissions are considered the most damaging and diesels don’t do well here.
Once you factor in the kick-back that the US government gives to hybrid buyers along with the HOV exclusions – it usually turns out that it’s “cheaper” to get a hybrid versus a diesel – even if the diesel has a lower MSRP. Plus diesel fuel is expensive compared to petrol in the USA (looks like a 25% premium right now @ the pump down the street). I’m sure maintenance is an issue; but almost all Insight and Prius buyers know the manufacturers are going to be footing the bill on some replacement batteries so it’s a moot point for the buyer.