Why Do We Love These Wee City Bugs?

[ShetlandC1]

I feel these wee motors are the freshest cars to hit our roads since the majestic MINI..... i just love them, my son however thinks i have banged my head and need treatment...

 

 

What is it about this wee car that has us all in a high gear ?

[TurboSlag]

Well, it's that indefinable mix of qualities that makes them so cheeky.

 

Not a rocket ship, but quick enough. Lively handling and a general 'big car' feel. Cheap running costs in fuel, insurance and tax always make me smile. Wrap it up in a fairly reliable (more so than any current Citroen or Peugeot by a good margin) and attractive package at a bargain basement price and it's a winner.

 

The Twingo is a poor pastiche of the C1/107 and is heavier, less economical and more expensive, but it's easy to see which car inspired it. The forthcoming Fiat Topolino and VW diddy-car are visually almost perfect carbon copies of the C1/107, yet you can guarantee they won't match all the attributes of our wee beasties

[downsman]

Turboslag put it very well :rolleyes:

 

I think the main reasons are:

1. Light weight- means the economy and performance are better than you'd expect, and the skinny tyres have an amazing level of grip :angry:

 

2. Characterful engine- it's always willing to rev and sounds better than a lot of much more expensive cars, but it has enough torque to keep up with traffic without too much effort.

 

3. Cheeky looks :lol:

 

4. It is a proper new modern mini car, that gives you a lot of space in a tiny package. The new MINI and Fiat 500 are both a pastiche of the originals which are bigger have less space relative to size and cost more. I think you could argue the C1/107/Aygo are much more the true descendants of the original mini than the current one :)

[ColinC1]

Well I went from a two seat Smart Fortwo to the four seater C1, so I was stepping up to a bigger car :rolleyes:

 

The funny thing is I bought the Fortwo because of the fuel economy of 60 MPG, yet the C1 delivers just about the same, and has a far smoother engine, gearchange and ride.

 

My biggest dissapointment with the Fortwo was the cost of repairs, like £400 for a new front spring requiring total dismantling of the front bodywork to get to it. Also much of the car was reliant on complex CPU controls, which had a tendency to go weird sometimes, requiring a CPU reboot, ie, switching off and trying again, much like the old Windows 95 computers :lol:

 

Don't get me wrong, I loved the quirkiness and funky looks of the Fortwo, but it was a headache once the two year warrenty ran out, and it no longer was an economic car, due to garage costs.

 

I am really happy now on having a reliable C1, where you know the drivetrain is going to work properly, and the brakes are going to do the right thing :angry: