Skoda made their first joint venture into the City Car market along with the rest of the VAG brand in 2012. The up! Mii and Citigo are all made in the same plant, the only changes are front, rear and interior…oh and the price between all three!
We tested the 1.0 litre Citigo in Sport trim, it had no optional extras and was a rather affordable £10,290.
The little 1.0 litre lump produces 59 BHP and 95 Nm of torque, pretty impressive for such a meagre power plant. 0-60 however is a sedate 13.9 seconds.
The first thing you notice about the Sport trim are the smart graphics, a black racing stripe runs up from the bonnet and down the roof.
More decals can be found on the mirrors, door sills and across the boot. It’s not over the top, it just looks a smart standard addition.
Next you notice the front lip and rear diffuser, these are bespoke to the Sport and really add to the look, it’s all finished off with a smart little roof spoiler.
Its wide front grille sets the Citigo apart from the other VW Group twins, but ultimately its small and square just like the other two, but Sport trim sets it apart nicely and gives it a unique look.
So with a 1.0 litre 3 pot engine making 59 BHP this looks a bit of a let down on paper. It really isn’t! The Citigo Sport accelerates away like a whippet, the torque the engine produces makes it feel so lively and energetic.
Whilst it does take a while to get up to those higher speeds, it still pulls very well even at a motorway pace. Need to overtake? No problem, just knock it down a gear and plant your foot to the floor, the little Citigo takes it in its stride.
Skoda have also tweaked the suspension setup for the Sport model. Its 15mm lower and stiffer, meaning it actually handles really well! Take it along some country roads, work the gears and you are rewarded with great fun.
It harks back to the classic 80’s hot hatch recipe – lightweight, a torquey high revving engine and a good chassis.
Steering is direct and instant, it very much feels like a go kart in the way it turns into corners. That coupled with its nippiness from a standstill make ideal for ‘optimising’ those gaps in city traffic.
Inside the Citigo you get some very comfy black and red contrasting seats. A leather steering wheel is matched by gear and handbrake gaiters, finished with red stitching.
It’s all very smart and makes the Skoda a nice place to be.
A superb feature is the fully detachable Garmin Sat Nav. It clips into a port on the dashboard (that can be covered if required), not only does this port charge the Sat Nav it also allows it access to the cars functions.
It can display trip info, manage hands free calling, control your media, and also show revs or the outside temperature. Very cool for such a car to have, it’s only a £275 optional extra on lesser models.
There were some glaringly obvious blanking plates on the dash which help remind you that this is a middle of the range trim level. One thing we really did miss was the absence of a USB iPod connection, only Aux in – which is better than nothing, but still makes it a faff to change track.
Now you may also think that this diminutive Skoda has no storage space, well the boot is pretty decent at 251 litres and if you fold the rear seats down you are left with a huge 951 litres…its cavernous in this layout.
Skoda have done a great job with the Citigo Sport, it looks excellent and really stands out from the crowd. There are some superb pieces of attention to detail on the car too, which is great to see at this price point.
The plucky little 1.0 litre engine is great for around town, we managed 44.4 MPG over 270 miles of mainly city driving. Not bad, and not too far off Skoda’s claimed 50.4 Urban rating.
If you are commuting short journeys in a built up city, the Citigo is the one to buy, small, easy to park and fun to drive!
Carwitter Summary:
Skoda Citigo Sport – Fun to drive, sporty looks, pretty roomy, ideal city car!
