I had the pleasure of being loaned a new Citroen C3 a few weeks ago to take a much-needed trip down to the North Norfolk Coast. It’s one of our favourite spots in the country and since the weather’s been good, we’ve been back and forth as much as possible!
I’d never driven a Citroen before and after four years with the same car, I was slightly nervous to drive a new one. But I absolutely loved it and I was so impressed with both how well the car drives and how well I drove the car. The only downside was obviously I now want to get a new car as I’ve had a taste of how fancy this new Citroen is!
After an early start, our first stop was Sunny Hunny to take in some coastal views before it got too busy. On the drive, it was incredibly easy to adapt to the new vehicle as everything was super high spec. From air con to built in SatNav to connecting your iPhone apps to the screen, the car could literally do everything from one control panel. The steering wheel also had buttons to change the volume of the music and skip tracks (yes I’m that person), as well as cruise control, which is very swanky and convenient especially through the average speed camera checks near Hunstanton.
The modern interior blends really well with the little touches of comfort too such as fabric straps as handles to open the door and thick, wide seats that literally could have been armchairs they were that comfortable. It’s definitely harder to adjust the AC yourself (initially, but you get the hang of it) and as long as you have a handy passenger, then you’re well away!
Obviously, we were in need of a breakfast pit stop at this point so continued along the coast into Thornham. We’d never been to The Lighthouse Inn before but it was incredible, a lovely little hidden gem really. I’d love to stay there in the future as well.
One of my favourite things to do is to take the coastal road through Norfolk, stopping off to potter about at each town and taking every opportunity to dip my toes in the sea. I go to the coast as much as I can, which is why I’ve been back and forth all summer!
This time rather than hitting our usual stops of Blakeney, Holt and Wells we decided to visit Sandringham Estate and Norfolk Lavender. After all this was an adventure right? So we should probably venture out to somewhere new.
I don’t remember ever visiting Sandringham before, but I’m so glad that we did. I’m a stately home nut (mainly due to my love for Jane Austen) and the estate is stunning. You can explore the grounds, cafes, gift shops (would be a crime not to go in wouldn’t it?) as well as the house. It’s a really beautiful place to drive through and explore on foot for a few hours.
One of my favourite features about the car (besides feeling like I’m sitting on a sofa) is how large the windscreen is. The views are incredible. For context, I have a Mini and the view is far more limited and I really preferred the Citroen C3 windscreen that has a wider view of the road (and in this case the sea) ahead.
On the way back we made a pit stop into Norfolk Lavender mainly for their exceptional farm shop in all honesty, though the lavender fields are pretty too. For the almost four-hour road trip, the car was incredibly comfortable. Both as a passenger and a driver, we all felt like the car was ideal for us.
If I was buying the car myself, I’d probably get a slightly bigger engine simply as I’ve always driven 1.5L+ cars. My first car was my Dad’s Golf which my Mum reluctantly let me drive as she was worried about me as an eighteen year old new driver with a 1.9L engine. But that’s mainly personal preference as I’m simply used to bigger engines.
I’m conscious that I don’t want this review to become too Top Gear, but it’s a great car to drive, spacious and if you’re a road trip kind of person then it’s ideal. There’s tons of room in the boot, room for all the family or doggos you have to bring as well as plenty of leg room for all the passengers. It’s really spacious and would be ideal for families.
It was incredibly cool to be loaned the car for the weekend (thanks again to the great team at Citroen!) and I loved driving it to explore some new places in my favourite corner of the world!
You can find out more about the new C3 on Citroen’s website.
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