2016 Skoda Citigo Colour Edition review

We already know that the Skoda Citigo is a great city car. It’s fun but easy and comfortable to drive, nice to sit in and spacious given its dinky proportions. Now meet the Colour Edition, which is intended to offer more equipment and style for your money.

Four exterior colours are offered at no extra cost: red, white, and metallic black or green, which contrast nicely with the standard, smoked 15in alloys.

You also get a portable sat-nav system and an upgrade from two to four speakers, all of which would amount to around £1400 of extra equipment on an SE car. However, the Colour Edition only costs £855 more than the SE, so if you’re after a high spec small car, the incentive is certainly there.

Colour Edition models also get all the standard SE spec equipment, including air-con and electric windows up front, an FM radio and a CD player. There's no USB input, though, and DAB costs extra.

You can only get the Colour Edition trim with the 59bhp 1.0 three-cylinder petrol engine (higher trims can be had with a 74bhp version), but it is offered in both three and five-door form.

What’s the 2016 Skoda Citigo Colour Edition like to drive?

There aren’t any mechanical changes to the Colour Edition version of the Citigo, so it drives just as well as ever. The steering has a natural progression and weighting to it, there’s loads of grip to make use of, and you can really enjoy chucking this eager-feeling little car around on urban streets.

The engine does need to be worked hard if you want to make good progress, and it does feel strained at higher speeds. More pertinently, it feels zesty at low speeds so is perfectly suited to winding through town traffic, and the cheerful, thrummy burble that the 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol emits when it’s being revved hard means it’s actually good fun to rinse what performance potential there is from the Citigo.

Ride comfort is as expected. It softens all but the worst bumps and ruts, and although it does resort to quite a bit of bobbing and chopping over undulating surfaces, it remains one of the most comfortable cars in this class.

What’s the 2016 Skoda Citigo Colour Edition like inside?

You get three interior options on the Colour Edition: straightforward black, a cream and black combo, or you can pay £300 to add a gloss black dash insert and Dynamic black interior, which includes diamond-effect cloth seats with contrasting white piping, and some chrome highlights to the steering wheel.

We’d be tempted by the latter despite the extra cost, as the Citigo does feel quite drab inside without the extra trinketry of higher-end interior finishes. Still, regardless of finish, it feels solidly put together and the dash is really easy to use; even the infotainment system is pretty straightforward, although it’s quite small so the icons can be hard to prod precisely. Tall drivers will be comfortable enough, although the lack of lumbar adjustment might result in a sore back over longer journeys.

Both the three and five door versions have enough room for two adults to sit enough in the back seats, with decent head and leg room by class standards; albeit a Hyundai i10 is noticeably more spacious.

The boot is one of the biggest in the class, too, and you get 60/40 split folding rear seats as standard. Drop them and they leave a big step in the extended load bay, but you can add an optional variable-height boot floor for £65, which irons out the step caused by the folded seats.

Other options that you might want to add include the £250 safety pack, which means that, below 30mph, the car brakes itself automatically if it senses an imminent collision. It also includes a switch that deactivates the passenger airbag, which you’ll need to have if you expect to fit a child seat in the front.

Should I buy one?

Yes, if you’re after a small car with some big car touches, the Colour Edition is a great option. It’s good value, great fun to drive, comfortable and practical with it. Alternatively, if you're on a tighter budget, and are prepared to forego the style pizzazz of the Colour Edition, you could go for SE trim and add the portable sat-nav device for £303.

However, if interior roominess is your priority, the excellent Hyundai i10 is likely to serve your purposes a bit better than the Citigo.

It's also worth considering the Volskwagen Up and Seat Mii, which are re-badged versions of the Citigo so have all the same star quality. The Up is a bit more expensive but feels a touch nicer inside, while the Mii is a whisker cheaper in most guises. By any standards, the Citigo Colour Edition is a great package, and one of the best options in the class. *What Car? says... **

Rated 4 out of 5*Rivals**

Hyundai i10

Volkswagen Up*Skoda Citigo Colour Edition 5dr**

Engine size 1.0-litre petrol

Price from £10,400

Power 59bhp

Torque 70lb ft

0-62mph 14.4 seconds

Top speed 99mph

Fuel economy 62.8mpg

CO2 output 105g/km