Citroen eC3 – Better than Tiago EV?

Citron is taking it slow, but steady in India, with the promise of launching one new product every year and for their third launch. They have the electric version of the C3, the EC3 in India. Now we do not have a lot of affordable electric cars in India, so this one is very important. Currently its arch nemesis, the Thiago EB, has a starting price of at least 8.45 lakhs. So this one needs to back up, because the price is what is going to make it or break it in India, Music. Now much like the bigger C5 across and the C3. The EC3 is also available in two variants, live and feel this particular variant is the top variant feel with customizable options. Now this one has a lot of features which are not part of the standard vehicle, not even the top period, but a lot of features get in the customization. For example, these 15 inch alloy wheels are not part of the top variant, but a part of the three customized packs that are offered with the EC3 exterior colors. There are 13 different combination of exterior colors, but dont get too excited because the options will be between Shades of Gray, orange and white. Now coming to the overall silhouette of this car. Since this is based on the petrol version, C3, the resemblance is uncanny. So much so that on the road, the only thing that will set both of them apart is going to be the green color plate, the license plate of the EC3 that depicts that it is an electric vehicle other than that it has very subtle telltales.

For example, this E mark, which is right here orange, covers here and here which are Again part of the customization pack. The overall mini hatchback, with a Twist silhouette, is followed from the C3 to the EC3. It is like a hatchback with the proportions of a subcompact SUV. It has a very tall Bonnet. It has a extremely large body stance and roof rails that further give bit of very SUV, ish design at the front. The elements that made the C3 special like these grills, combining to make the Chevron pattern of the Citron that further go into the LED drls are the same carried forward. It also gets halogen limes and fog lamps, and these accents are what make it very quirky and stand apart, stand alone in the crowd. One rather Telltale that this is an electric vehicle is that it gets a e letter in front of the C3, which the petrol version does not the boot, its quite spacious, its 320 liters. This is more than the Thiago EV, and it also has a parcel tray. It is very important for electric vehicles to offer a good storage space because the battery, because sometimes the battery, takes a lot of space and for the EC3 the battery is right under the vehicle. So we have a lot of space here, which is a great plus Point, black lightings, all over the rear. That further enhance it SUV appeal, but the Rio also gets these orange accents up and the Citron logo and badging in the middle.

All in all its very Compact and edgy, in my opinion, the orange makes it pop and combined with gray and white. It really mutes it down as well. Battery Duties are through a 29.2 kilowatt hour battery pack that claims to charge in just 57 minutes from 10 to 80 percent, using a DC fast charger. It also gets an electric motor that produces 57 PS of fire and 143 NM of torque. Top speed is limited at 107 kilometers per hour and 0 to 60 kmph of Sprint takes 6.8 seconds, so its not particularly very quick. But yes, it does support DC fast charging, and that is good if it needs to be placed in that station. And did you hear that that was the ec32 zooming past? Well, this is the charging port it opens from inside. It gets reports for the DC fast charging. One very good thing about the particular EC3 is that it gives an option of charging your vehicle using a 15 ampere plug the same plug that we use to charge. Our laptops can be used to charge your car. However, it is very slow um as slow as it can be in that particular power Zone and it takes 10 hours 30 minutes to take it from 10 percent to 80, using the 15 ampere charger. Now I understand the conjecture around new brands entering India. This is only their third product, but one reason why Ive been continuously comparing it to Tata Tiago EV is because the battery warranty is the same as the offered by Tata on the Tiago EV, which is actually more 140, 000 kilometers or seven years, which I was Earlier for the EC3 – and I think that is really commendable – three years warranty for the vehicle and 100 000 kilometers voluntary for the electric motor.

Now, since we have addressed the battery and the charging, how can we not mention the most important thing associated with any electric vehicle, and that is the range well Citron with this EC3 has claimed a range of 320 kilometers on a single charge and that has midc Certified, however, the rear World Range, although weve not tested it, because weve got a very limited time for it: 260, kilometers or 270 kilometers. If youre driving very very restrictively, it is actually designed in a way that it will give you a lot of mileage. It does not even have export mode per se, it is standard and Eco, and the good part is the clay. Mileage is actually five kilometers more than the Tiago EV Music IE. If the orange of this interior is coming at you and making you worry a little bit, Let Me ease you and tell you that this is part of the customization bag that I mentioned at the exterior, and you can get this one in Gray as well. Now, coming to more standard versions of this interior uh, the seats are printed and in a combination of black and with orange stitching. The main attraction, however, is a 26 centimeter or 10.2 inch, touchscreen infotainment system with Android, auto and apple carplay. However, I dont know what is the problem with citroens reverse parking camera, because this also does not have a reverse parking camera it also. It has sensors but no camera.

Now one of my favorite bits, which can also be polarizing for consumers, is this the drive mode? Selector for this particular car, you get a knob like feature which is also present in the bigger sibling. The C5 air cross. However, in a more bigger and more elaborate form, this one just goes reverse neutral and drive. It also has an eco mode uh. It has two modes, two driving modes, Eco and standard. Once you set off the car its in standard mode. If you want to save more charge, you can switch it into Eco and just go. It gets a manual handle, it does not get a armrest, but it does get cubby holes here at the front it gets no wireless charging, it has manual controls for AC for volume, and it also gets a USB cable right up here now there are manual controls For the light, the rear view, camera is also manually adjustable. There are, however, scratchy and hard plastics around the cabin as well, but theres also shiny material which balances it out very nicely. This is the key of the vehicle you put it inside and you turn it on, and it just turns on. You get the switches for the lights here that are also manual and the control to open the charging. Boot is also here now we are at the rear seat of uh EC3, and since this is a very tall vehicle, uh 1600 millimeters in height with the roof rails, the Headroom, as you can say, is adequate for a small person.

Like me, my height is five. Four, the driving with the driving seat as per my driving style. There is ample amount of leg room, however, seating three people side by side is going to be a bit hassle. What is good is that it gets three seat belts, although it does not get three headrests sitting. Uh two people here will be a very comfortable job. You get a a decent amount of glass area. There are Two magazine holders. There are cubby holes at both doors theres, also, two charging sockets at the rear, which is a nice touch. You also get a bottle holder and controls for your window are down right here. As for the seats, the under thigh support could have been a little bit better and the bolt string is, however, on the good side. The absence of any tunnel in the middle actually makes it a little bit better for three small adults to sit here. Foreign Music EC3, the electric counterpart of its C3 hatchback Patrol hatchback. It is primarily being positioned as your daily driver as your family car as an individuals daily route and means of Transport for work for trips, leisurely activities and Lexington. Now, since Ive not mentioned it enough that the prices are not yet revealed, we can actually figure out what it should be, because the Thiago EV, where it is being positioned in the market right now, is the most affordable, hatchback most affordable, electric hashback at a static Price of rupees 8.

45 lakhs now coming to the EC3. Well, it is okay, we are at one kilometer stretch, stay straight stretch of the backboard drag, so lets gun it out. Okay, yes, it goes all the way 107 and then it starts is it which actually is more than enough for this size and stature for the car, a tight corner here it handles the wheel. I cannot complain about the handling they have managed to balance out the battery so beautifully on this car that you dont actually feel that theres a its disproportionate or its lugging at one side, the body roll is come, is controlled. Well now, obviously we are on a race track. This is not real life conditions and there are no speed bombs and a pothole. So for that we really have to take it out soon, but high speed, stability and control is quite impeccable. I have to say that this is in size, the bigger than the Thiago EV as Ive mentioned, and it goes more towards the punch section. It has a very subcompact suvish stance, but it handles extremely well cornering is not a problem at all. Im cornering this at 60, while the theyve Limited at 30 Im not very proud of that, but look how beautifully it handles itself now, theres, one more thing that there is no actual uh, pin you to the seat sort of a mechanism at any point in time. Even if youve done it like really really hard, it will leverage just like get off like like an arrow, but it has a very linear, particularly it takes time.

So coloring is what it enjoys most, maybe not high speeding and thats thats pretty much all right. It builds up speed, very nice. I just made it to go one speed automatic transmission that is the same toggle as bc5 air cross, its the biggest sibling, of course, in a much muted design. It has reverse neutral and drive yard and drive. It has two modes standard and Eco, so obviously its not actually looking to push its limit. Is it otherwise, you would have had a sport mode, Music, foreign between 10 to 12 lakhs and kill the competition instead of killing the product, because what the country needs right. Now is Affordable, electric cars and this just could be it. But if you are in the market to buy an electric vehicle that could be your daily driver as well as something that you like to take up on the hills and on the highway and a little bit out of the city, the Citroen E3 might be.