Whether you’re looking for a city run-around or a car that’s big enough for a small family, look no further than the Skoda Citigo.
One of the first things you’ll notice about the Skoda Citigo is that it looks a lot like the VW up!. That’s mainly because the two cars are basically the same, just with different trim specs and a slightly different front end, so you’ll have to excuse me for making comparisons between the two.
Now, you’d probably assume that the VW would be the obvious pick over the Skoda, however, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Well, except in this case. That’s because the front end on the Citigo is much better looking than the up!, so on first impressions, the Citigo wins it. The up! is a bit lacking in the grille department and the grille can often give a car the character it needs to be a good seller. And that’s where I think the Citigo has the upper edge.
The Citigo has a bigger grille and I think it looks more suited to a younger audience, compared with the up!, which looks more like it’s the motor for an older person who’s looking to trade in their car for something a bit smaller.
The Citigo I tested was the 3-door 1L 60hp Ambition model. It looked the business with it’s black 14” Apus alloy wheels, not to mention the black decorative foils on the roof and along the sides and it has everything you could expect from a new car – CD player, electric windows etc. There’s just one little problem there though. I found it a bit annoying that I couldn’t roll down the passenger side window from the driver’s side, which you can do in most other cars. Instead you have to reach all the way across to the passenger’s door in order to make the window go down. It’s not the extra effort that annoyed me; it just did for some reason.
Surprisingly roomy for a small car
If I were to buy a Citigo I’d definitely fork over an extra €500 for the 1.0L MPI 75hp engine. The 60hp engine is a bit slow off the mark, but then again, that’s just me being a 20-something-year-old.
Skoda was sure to fit out the Citigo with some of their ‘Simply Clever’ ideas that feature on most of their other models (the Rapid for example). These include multiple storage compartments dotted around the car, a handy parking ticket holder and hooks on the B pillars for hanging up your jacket.
As for comfort, the Citigo holds up remarkably well. It’s home is obviously the tight, winding streets of the city, but it can handle itself on motorways too. However, you won’t be going 160km/h anytime soon either.
All in all I enjoyed the little Citigo and it would be a great little motor for a new family or for someone who’s looking for their first new car. The starting price for the Citigo is €9,995 which comes out around €1,000 cheaper than the up!. You can also buy a Citigo from just €99 a month thanks to Skoda’s new finance offer, so that’s sure to make it a little more attractive to the younger market too.
One thing is for sure, it’s a small car with a big future ahead of it.
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