2003 CITROEN C3 Pluriel 1.4L HDi 5MT FWD (68 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Citroen introduced the open-top version of its small-sized C3 hatchback, the Pluriel, in 2003, one year after the launch of its five-door sibling.

The French carmaker imagined the Pluriel as a multiple bodywork vehicle: two-door hatchback, full-length or partial landaulet, convertible with side arches mounted, roadster, and open-top pickup. The latter was obtained by folding the rear seats and lowering the tailgate.

With its rounded shapes and sharp angles, the C3 Pluriel made a clear step inside the new-edge design philosophy. Usually, Citroen created its own design trends, but for the C3 and the C3 Pluriel, it tried to play it safe. Its swept-back headlights were stretched above the front fenders, flanking the hood. On the car’s side, the carmaker installed a removable arch that stretched from the A-pillar to the back of the vehicle, behind the passengers’ compartment. To completely remove the upper structure, the driver could electrically retract the roof and the rear window into the trunk and then remove the side arches. Unfortunately, these couldn’t be carried with the car, so they had to be left behind in the garage. Without the side arches mounted, the car couldn’t have been covered back.

The cabin featured soft edges on the dashboard’s design, and apart from the radio and the LCD screens, there were no straight angles to be seen. Like in the regular C3, the Pluriel version featured an instrument cluster with a wide liquid-crystal display placed in the middle for the speedometer and other onboard computer information. The secondary screen placed atop the center stack was for the stereo. The flat front seats provided little side support, while in the back, there was limited legroom for two passengers.

Under the hood, the Pluriel received a choice of three engines, one of them being turbo-diesel.