28: Citroen C3 – comfort is king in the best supermini around

We find ourselves in a bit of a tug-of-love between the Citroen C3 and the Seat Ibiza for the crown of best supermini, and this week it's the Citroen in the ascendant.

Next week could be a different story, but the C3’s appeal is all in its quirkiness. Not old-fashioned Citroen mechanical quirkiness, mind you (and more’s the pity…) but quirky, distinctive styling and an interior that makes you smile every time you sit in. Helpfully, it’s also good to drive too.

Not in a snatching-a-quick-downchange-before-clipping-the-apex sense. Even though the C3 competes in the World Rally Championship, it's no drivers' car. But it is relaxing and easy to drive, with light (overlight?) steering and a properly comfy suspension setup, in the classical French style.

The 1.2 PureTech three-cylinder petrol engine has sufficient guts without a turbo, but if you budget stretches to the one with the compressor, all the better. Diesel version super-frugal but superfluous. The downside? Like most current superminis, the C3 gets very expensive, very quickly.