Published: Friday, 26th March, 2010 11:00am

A glass act for bird lovers...!

The Zenith panoramic windscreen offers a new, improved view of the world above for owners of the quirky Citroën C3 supermini

The Citroën C3 at Killykeen Forest Park last Thursday, March 18. Contact Bradys Cavan on 049-4331833 for more details on the C3 and other Citroën models.
Pic by==: 97

If you like birds you'll love the Citroën C3 with the Zenith panoramic windscreen. No other car on the solid side of a convertible will allow you a better view of your feathered friends.

Driving around on a bright sunny day you'll feel like reaching for the sky, as the C3 lifts your mood and shortens the distance to your destination. The French manufacturer must have been looking skyward when it named the huge windscreen zenith (dictionary definition: the point of the heavens directly above an observer), as it's the birds and the trees, the clouds and the sun - when it appears - that dominate the view from inside the car.

The driver will be concentrating on the road while the passengers look out for blackbirds and pigeons of course, and fortunately that's a pleasure too, as Citroën has built a car to challenge the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo.

It's a solid little machine to drive, especially the test car from Bradys Cavan, which had soft-touch finishes to the dashboard and door interiors, comfortable supportive seats and plenty of space for a supermini.

The steering is clever, as it's extremely light when you're moving slowly, though it tends to self-centre disconcertingly quickly, but develops plenty of feel at higher speeds. It connects to a pair of front wheels that offer an inspiring amount of grip in the corners and you operate it using a flat-bottom steering wheel that gives your knees a little bit more room.

That's a neat touch and it shows Citroën might be regaining some of the flair it was known for when it made much quirkier cars.

The huge windscreen ensures the cabin is a bright and airy place to be and visibility is excellent. The door mirrors also seem huge when you look in them (you can see loads) but they're well designed and don't spoil the clean lines when you look at the car from the outside.

Citroëns were always known for their ride quality and the C3 had no problem with the potholes between Cavan town and Killykeen Forest Park. It was composed and sure footed enough and a comfortable place to spend time.

The test car, a VTR, had the economical and eager 1.4 litre diesel engine, plus extras such as cruise control, curtain airbags, air conditioning and that steering wheel is covered with leather, a nice touch of luxury in a small car.

It's a competitive package, the C3, and well worth considering if you want something a bit different, but it's dominated - in a good way - by its zenith. That windscreen is what lifts the little Citroën out of the normal and if not into the heavens, perhaps into your heart.

And in case you're thinking you could get too much light and sunshine with so much glass area, don't worry as you can slide a cover forward to the where a conventional windscreen would be, so you have the best of both worlds.

It's a glass act you might say!

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