Test Drive Skoda Citigo 5 doors since 2012 hatchback

Microbe

We understand the viability of Skoda Citigo microorganism in Russia

and the streets of European cities full-full microbes: Fiat 500, Smart, Peugeot 107, Renault Twingo, Citroen C1. Skoda decided not to stand aside and contributed to the contamination of the area. We are talking about the smallest car from the Czech Republic Skoda Citigo.

The atmosphere on the presentation of the Citigo Compact Skoda Skoda is strange. Despite the fact that in the fall, the car must be available in Russia, no one in the European leadership of the company, nor in the Russian representation of special optimism about future sales in our market has not experienced. It is clear why this car was created primarily for Europe.


The appearance of Skoda Citigo is not causing, but also without excessive modesty.

If quite briefly, then Skoda Citigo is the same Volkswagen Up!, On which we traveled a little earlier and which in Russia will not be sold in Russia. But Sitigou, with a little other design front and new rear lamps, will be. He has the same proportions, the same silhouette, and indeed the body exactly the same twins.


Although Skoda showed a little later her twins from Volkswagen, looks Citigo slightly painted and easier. Logic is clear: no hierarchy is not supposed. Skoda will be addressed below the VW and positioning, and at a price - from 9450 euros, 400 euros cheaper than APA. Thus, the Czech microcard will be accessible to all its European competitors: Fiat 500, Toyota IQ and even Veteran Peugeot 107, which in Germany is worth a minimum of 9650 euros.

Only here the Citigo's physiognomy of the first car of the Czech company with a new emblem slightly strung out: it can be seen that first came up with an AP and only then they launched his face from Skoda and Seat. In addition, the branded Skoda (for saving, monochrome) suddenly moved from the radiator lattice to the hood, from which the supercompact intended for Europe became a little similar to the Asian.

In general, Citigo turned out pretty. Good eyes, a little falling roof, like a chisel shot on the bodies, many windows and tiny wheels. At the same time, I would not say that Citigo looks like a toy. Opposite the serious guy, unlike a merchant VW Up!


The body shape, aspiring to one-bills, unequivocally makes it clear that the inner space of a very small car (3563 millimeters in length and 1645 millimeters in width) tried to use maximum.

By the standards of their class, the place in Citigo is quite enough, but to say that inside is spacious, mean to sit.

Well, at least the driver does not arise the elbow feeling with a passenger between the seats is quite a long distance. Landing, of course, is much more vertical than I would like, but quite acceptable, and the chair with an integrated headrest (remember the VAZ-2107?) It turned out to be comfortable. The steering wheel is adjustable only on the angle of inclination, but it does not deliver special inconvenience: you can find a suitable landing in a couple of minutes.

On the center panel, the removable screen, affordable for the extra charge. Here you have navigation, and music, and on-board computer. It sticks out on a separate leg, but the foreign object does not look in the cabin. To use the touchscreen, freely rotating in two planes, maybe the driver, and the passenger. And the main thing it can be removed and carried with it that in some European countries will not be completely superfluous.

Interior

The Skoda Citigo interior is stylish and quite modern, despite the expectant for the car of the budget segment of materials. There is even naked (painted under the body color) metal on the doors.


The front seats at least adjustments, but the profile is convenient. Only in steep turns there is a lack of side support. On the inner sidewalls, the backs are made funny mesh pockets.


Fishka expensive modifications Screen on the front panel to which you can display information about the car and the navigation control interface, telephone and music. It can be removed and pick up.

In the laconic dashboard in the lower left corner, an inconspicuous tachometer was attached, which, nevertheless, is optimistic up to 8000 revolutions per minute.

Isn't a sports car? But the three-cylinder liter motor who broke down at idle and forced the car at startup a little flinched with all the body, says about the opposite: three cylinders they are three cylinders. Even light vibration is felt, despite the swinging engine support and additional dampers.

However, such a motor sounds quite decently for an odd number of cylinders. And on high speeds, it is also grieved, like a frightened twenter.


On the rear seats are more or less spacious. On the backs of the front seats there are convenient recesses (but there are no pockets - they are on the side), and the feet, even in winter shoes, are easily placed under the seats.


It turned out to be closed on the back row in the three-door car at all not comfortably: narrowly, closely, easy to hurt the body and get stained. And the Easy Entry system is not at all such a simple: shifting the chair forward, it is necessary to put it back to the desired position manually. Fifteen, of course, more practical.

To begin with, we chose the most weak, 60-strong version for which high speed is the only chance to survive even in the city. Despite the fact that the main pair in the gearbox with this motor was slightly shortened than on a more powerful modification, from the styer in the Citigo sprinter can only be transformed with the operational operation of the gas and the transmission lever. Fortunately, there is no complaints to the switches: clear work and good selectivity of the mechanism.


1. On the right side of the central console there is a special photo holder. Or for icons. It's not the same for everybody.
2. On the opening handle placed a special hook to which you can hang a light bag.
3. On the sidewalls of the backs of the front seats - special mesh pockets, accompany even the half-liter bottle.
4. In the niche of the central tunnel, in addition to a small shelf, the cigarette lighter sockets and the ESP shutdown buttons, a convenient holder for a mobile phone is located.
5. The first box is not very big. Inside bare plastic.

But such a motor is clearly not enough such a motor. Higher, fifth gear only under the slide. Obgon on the third, which is enough of up to 140 kilometers per hour!

If you can sometimes go to half a day in the city, then on the autobahn, the right pedal has only two positions: on and off. Here Citigo turns out to be frankly weak.

However, what else to expect from a 60-strong car, which weighs more than 900 kilograms? But in the counterweight, the weak motor is a decent sound insulation, and the prevailing, but not annoying ringing voice of the motor only merry. Plus, amazingly tuned chassis.

This Liliput is so stable on a straight line, which since after time he made me taste with the testimony of the speedometer: we really go 150? What is the resistance at high speed, what a naughty attitude to small irregularities! So, maybe it's time to roll off the highway on serpentines?! Moreover, at this point, we were just ready to transfer to a more powerful 75-strong Citigo option.


The kid of Skoda is not afraid of the highway, but it is best to feel at the narrow urban streets.

This motor is definitely more correct and secure choice. With the same magnitude of the torque, for some reason it no longer requires constantly being in the last third of the tachometer scale, and on narrow serpentines it allows you to use even the third gear, despite a longer pair.

But the main thing, with this engine it is even better to understand the hidden potential of the chassis. It seems to have rolls, and a light routing in turn sometimes arises, but what a striking stability! Citigo clings to turn to the latter, and the speed he develops in turns is able to scare most of the potential owners of this car.


Citigo is a typical case when the suspension is much superior to the possibility of the engine. Perhaps based on some RS version? After all, the Volkswagen has a charged turbine of 110-strong UP! GT.

After the trip, I specifically went to look at the dimension of the tires: 175 millimeters, as eight-nine was used before, but at the same time a stunning chain.

And the drive settings of the Citigo chassis did not make a stool from it: small seams machine passes unnoticed and even on a blocking ride very smoothly for the baby of such sizes. But the major pits of the small trap does not like shuddering all the Taulders. But have you seen a lot in Europe?


Green, red, yellow? Yes! The main thing is not black.

In the city of Zagnaya Palaughter, in which Citigo in our hands fell in the mountains, and on an infinite autobahn, replaced by calm. It is no need to tear a voice: 75 forces for European megalopolises with their high-speed restrictions on 50-kilometers per hour and cruel fines, grabs with a margin.

It is here, in the city, all the delights of small trains are suddenly becoming completely obvious: efficiency, compact dimensions that leave enough space for four people and the capacious, for the needs of the city dweller, trunk. All this in Europe is extremely appreciated, and all this new Citigo has!


Optionally, Skoda Citigo can be equipped with the City Safe Drive system, which is automatically activated at urban speeds (from 5 to 30 kilometers per hour) and provides a complete stop of the car in front of the obstacle that suddenly appeared. For example, in front of a sharply stolen machine.


But it works only in cases where the driver does not prescribe (even partially) on the clutch pedal or brake.


At low speed, the system works fine. But if you get involved at least a little faster 30 kilometers per hour, then there may not be enough space for braking - the system works at the very last moment.

The city of its territory. Here he is at home. Here he is a frequenter of shops and summer cafes, swables, a bird in a flock, a fish in water is one of the thousands of those like him in size, but not like on suspension, equipping, novelty and, most importantly, for the price. So maybe in vain the Skoda management is so pessimistic about the Russian Citigo sales? One colleague, for example, after the test said he was ready to change Fabiu's wife on Citigo.

But the question is how many more kids from the most modest European class and in domestic streets are rarely found, and then only in major cities. Small, poorly equipped, insolidated bugs, about so the microllers include the majority of Russians, allowed to buy a new foreign car.


Skodovtsy say that 251 liters of the useful volume of the luggage compartment is the best result in the class. So there is - a comparable trunk can only be found on cars class V. Volume can be increased almost to a cubic meter, if you fold the backs of the rear seats, but the step will remain.


The side walls of the luggage compartment, which are neatly covered with packages on the previous photography, do not really have any trim just painted metal metal.


Double bottom, like VW Up!, Citigo has no. But there is a minimum set of tools, jack, emergency stop sign and a dance.

The Russian representative office of Skoda, in fact, there is only one serious hook: when the Citigo appears in the fall in the Russian Federation, it can be immediately equipped with a robotic transmission, and it will become the most affordable model of the company with a machine gun. But if we compare prices for a large size of Fabia 1.6 automatic transmission (from 549 thousand rubles) with European prices on Citigo (from 9450 euros for three-year on the handle), then the difference will be small. And taking into account the Russian import duties, it will decrease at all to a minimum.

And this means that Citigo is likely to become a purely image model for the Russian Skoda, lifting the role of a potential bestseller with a budget sedan Rapid, whose presentation is promised to spend until the end of this year. And there, you look, and up to the full sitikars.

Alternative
The newest car in a small class from Kia Picanto sold in Russia. There is a version with a three-cylinder (1.0 liter) 69-strong engine and four-cylinder (1.2 liters), 85-strong. The first comes only on the handle, the second only with a four-stage automatic machine. Prices from 369,900 rubles, and Picanto 1.2 is worth a minimum of 489,900 rubles.

In Europe, Fiat 500 is one of the key players in segment A. To Russia, this model will return very soon, but 500-ka prices are not cheaper: from 552 thousand rubles per version with a 69-strong motor 1.2 and a mechanical transmission in a simple pack of POP. Top sport will be at all at all in indecent 685 thousand rubles - even the top solaris is slightly cheaper.

PEUGEOT 107 - Almost the most popular microlo in the Russian Federation - it is quite inexpensive: from 380 thousand rubles for a three-door model with a 68-strong engine and handle. A well-equipped version will cost 434 thousand rubles, and another 23 thousand rubles will have to pay for the robot. Interestingly, the twin of Peugeot 107 - Citroen C1 - it's a little cheaper: from 350 to 436 thousand rubles.
 

A source: Magog Motor [March 2012]