The Citroen-S-Elise is a front-wheel drive sedan of the C segment, a copy of the Peugeot 301 model. Cars are built on the same platform, have the same engines, transmissions. Their main difference is appearance. Often this is why the word "Citroen" motorists also mean "Peugeot".
If there is a desire to purchase one of these models, then first of all you will have to choose the design and equipment, since in technical terms they are identical. In general, the cost of cars will also not play a decisive role, since the additional options compensate for the difference in price.
Prospects
One of the main problems of the French concern is the high cost of cars, due to the fact that they are not collected on the territory of Russia. They are delivered from Spain, so the total cost will include not only production costs, but also transportation costs plus customs duty. This all seriously prevents the Citroen-S-Elise from competing with its main opponents: Renault Logan, Hyundai Solaris and others. This is due to the "local" assembly and the fact that they have preferences provided by law.
It is also interesting how the company intends to avoid competition between its own cars. It is clear that S-Elise cars will not cost much, but PSA has several interesting sedans that can strengthen the company's position in the compact class - Peugeot-308 and C4-L. Despite the fact that they have increased dimensions, the assembly and sale of the first are organized in Kaluga, and the second has recently appeared on the automotive market.
Given the fact that the French concern is not very popular in the domestic market, it will be delighted even by the small success that Peugeot-301 and Citroen-Elise cars can bring to it. Owner reviews give the French hope for a certain demand from the Russian consumer.
The car is built on the C3 platform, which is also only a plus. The car is notable for good control, high-quality suspension work, the settings of which for the first six months will not have to be changed exactly. Test drive "Citroen-Elise", although it showed the quality of drum brakes, but in our time they are rare. Rims, although not durable, but their maintenance is much simpler.
The disadvantages of the Citroen-S-Elise model
Reviews about the car indicate a certain inconvenience in the cabin. Firstly, the steering wheel provides for adjustment only in height. Secondly, setting up a chair for yourself can take at least five minutes. If you need to open the window, you have to reach the very base of the center console. The latter is not critical, since even at BMW they once sinned, and the quality of German cars is much higher than the Citroen-S-Elise. Reviews of car enthusiasts also indicate a low quality of upholstery materials and build quality in general.
The French car is far from ideal, like most other models in this segment, and requires improvements. These are almost all of its shortcomings. The rest of the reviews note that it is quite interesting.
Design
The car has an attractive appearance. Given the budget model, French designers had to save a lot, but even so, she got a pretty good looks. Someone may say that the car is outwardly inferior to its main competitors, but this cannot be clearly stated.
Interior
The developers of the model say that it does not have the most spacious interior in its class, which is difficult to disagree with. A lot of free space still does not make the sedan five-seater. But even with this, on the sofa, three people can accommodate without problems, and two even more so. French engineers also raised the roof. Thanks to this, tall people can easily accommodate in the cabin, as well as the ceiling of the Citroen-Elise car will remain for a long time. The photo of the salon clearly confirms its outstanding (as for its class) capacity.
About the front of the cabin mentioned above: the steering wheel is adjustable only in height and the seats are not very comfortable, of course, are not encouraging. But these disadvantages in this segment do not look so deplorable. Logan and Solaris, for example, have no more comfortable seats, and adjusting them may take even longer. For official test drives, the French company provided models equipped with all kinds of options, so the impressions of them and the production versions can seriously differ.
Engine
We can say with confidence that the car is good on the road. It has good dynamics and speed.
Surprisingly, the car is equipped with a 120-liter German-French engine not popular on the domestic market. with., and age 1.6-liter V4 engine. True, it was modernized by the VTi system, having received at the same volume increased torque and 115 instead of 110 liters. from. To say that the Citroen-S-Elise car began to drive much faster - it is a lie to yourself, but there is enough reserve of speed. Motorists recommend driving with automatic transmission.
Transmissions
A 5-speed manual gearbox with a familiar swinging curtain is far from the best option. To spin the engine, of course, will turn out stronger, but this will not affect the maximum speed. In addition, additional noise will appear, and fuel consumption will exceed the figures declared by the manufacturer.
Automatic transmission is simpler and better. The old four-speed transmission, time-tested, is its advantage. She does not have enough time for the German engine, but the engineers managed to balance the settings of the motor and gearbox as much as possible. Thanks to this, losses during acceleration were significantly reduced, and gear shifting became smoother and clearer. An engine with automatic transmission will not show miracles on a high-quality road surface, but in the city it works very efficiently.
Suspension
This also applies to the chassis. The steering wheel is lightweight and not very sensitive. At the same time, the Citroen-S-Elise car confidently holds the road not only in a straight line, but also in turns and turns. In technical terms, the car is in no way inferior to its competitors, moreover, in many ways surpasses them.
The sedan is quite comfortable, but on the rubble and serious irregularities, the body shakes pretty much, and on speed bumps it’s even worse. But this happens, in particular, if the speed is too high. It is worth paying tribute to the excellent smoothness of the car. A little unexpectedly, the soplatform C3 is tougher on the road.
But there may be problems with the brake system. At the official test drive in Barcelona, the drums coped with their task, but after 10 km of the segment in an aggressive driving style, they overheated significantly. This did not affect their effectiveness, but there is no certainty that after several such rides, the drums will not malfunction. But this is hardly a serious flaw. At a minimum, fans of fast driving will not buy a car, since it was created for other purposes. In general, the model is quite high-quality, spacious, which will give it the opportunity to take its rightful place in the car market.
Car "Citroen-Elise": configuration and price
The basic equipment of the French sedan is equipped with an exclusively 72-horsepower 1.2-liter engine, working in conjunction with a 5-speed manual transmission. Its cost varies in the range from 455,000 to 512,000 rubles.
The second equipment includes a 5-speed manual transmission or 4-speed automatic transmission (since 2013 they offer 5AKPP for the 1.2-liter engine). It is supplemented by an airbag, air conditioning, fog lights, the ability to adjust the driver's seat height, heated seats. Its cost is 510 000-680 000 rubles. Also available for the car are cruise control, parking sensors, ESP and a number of add-ons.
The luxury version of the model is offered with the same transmissions: 5MKPP and 4AKPP. It can be purchased for 605,000-705,000 rubles.