PULLING up at the traffic lights, the car went deathly quiet.
"Oops, stalled it," I tutted to no-one in particular and went to turn the keys to restart the Citroen C2 Furio.
Yet I discovered the engine hadn't stalled. It had simply 'stopped' and was on standby mode.
And as soon as I released the footbrake, it restarted instantly and away I went again.
Welcome to the future. A greener future where cars conserve ever-decreasing fuel supplies by going into hibernation while in traffic.
Of course, if I'd digested the blurb before driving the C2 1.4 HDi Furio I would have read all about this technological brainwave.
It would have told me that there was a 15 per cent fuel consumption improvement with the Stop and Start Sensodrive system while in heavy traffic.
And that means my sporty C2 could boast a staggering 65mpg on the combined cycle.
As well as benefiting from the silence and lack of vibration from the new system, this funky little supermini has also managed to reduce CO2 emissions to 113gm/km.
All very attractive to the young car buyer who Citroen have successfully targeted the C2 at since launch three years ago.
The supermini drives like a dream in automatic mode and is pretty nippy in short bursts.
But there is the addition of a 'paddle' gearchange for those who like to keep their hands busy.
I tried flipping up and down the gears for a while but, to be honest, the novelty quickly wore off and I soon reverted back to the perfectly effective auto.
Citroen's advanced technology also sees features such as auto-illumination of driving lights, auto–rain sensitive windscreen wipers and black panel instrument lighting.
And all C2 occupants can enjoy the excellent RDS stereo which comes with steering wheel mounted controls.
Two luxury packs are optionally available for C2 models. They include heated leather seats, cruise control and parking sensors.
The C2 also looks as good as it drives. A short, sporty front and rear overhang provides it with an ideal blend of car-isma, agility, road holding and comfort, enhanced by a well-balanced suspension.
The confident-looking model has also recently scored four stars in the EuroNCAP crash tests and comes with standard ABS and four airbags.
The C2 petrol models start at £8,190 for the basic 1.1i L, rising to £12,195 for the super-charged 1.6i 16V VTS.
This particular model came in at a very reasonable £10,360 and was sporty, safe and environmentally friendly. The perfect French connection.
FAST FACTS
Citroen C2 1.4 HDi Furio 3dr
Price: £10,360
Mechanical: 70bhp, 1,398cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 5spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 103mph
0-62mph: 13.5 secs
Combined mpg: 65.7
Insurance group: 3
CO2 emissions: 113g/km
BiK rating: 18%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles, 3yrs paint, 12yrs anti-rust