CALLING all you bright young things - Citroen's C2 is ready to party.
From the company that loves living life on the edge comes a car packed full of new ideas and innovations.
But some of them take a bit of getting used to. Take, for example, the SensoDrive gearbox. Virtually every other response to the car will be determined by how you get on with Citroen's take on changing gear.
SensoDrive offers two choices. Grand Prix-style paddles behind the steering wheel for clutchless manual control - or quite the worst fully automatic system I've ever come across.
Imagine being driven by your mum in a Citroen 2CV and you get the picture of how bad the auto box is.
You'll experience gear changes that take an age, pushing the most patient of drivers into the realms of road rage. The only sensible solution is to switch to the Schumacher option.
The paddle-change operation is happily light years better, if still a little ponderous - you can also push the gear lever forwards and backwards for up and down changes if you prefer.
With control over gear changes retained, the many positives offered by the C2 are revealed.
The 1.6 engine is quite punchy when it's not being controlled by the auto box - it makes a satisfying roar when pushed hard and is quite quick off the mark.
The VTR gives high levels of grip with a hard-working suspension smoothing a passage through the rutted tracks we call main roads. On the downside the car rolls a bit when country lanes are encountered and the steering gives little feedback at higher speeds.
The C2 is pretty cheap to run. Low emissions mean it achieves a 15 per cent company car tax rating - as low as you can go without reverting to a skateboard.
Fuel economy is more than respectable at 44.8mpg with servicing only necessary every 20,000 miles.
The C2 is a three-door only model - Citroen leaving five doors in the realm of the C3 - but there is a choice of engines. As well as the 1.6-litre power unit, the range includes a 1.1, 1.4 plus a 1.4 HDi diesel option.
I doubt this car's main selling point will be its engines though. The youthful fashionistas who loved the Saxo will drool over the new designer kid on the block.
The car's styling is funky, bright and bouncy. There's matching translucent gear knob and grab handles, brightly coloured sports seats, aluminium effect air vents and a space-age dashboard.
Interior space is surprisingly good - thanks to excellent ideas like two individual movable rear seats giving the option of more legroom or luggage space as you prefer.
The rear tailgate is split, the bottom part folding out flat while the top half pops open allowing easy access.
The car has lots of goodies including self-illuminating headlights, rain sensitive automatic wipers, alloy wheels, electric front windows and door mirrors, cruise control, sports seats and variable rate power steering.
It may be small, but the C2 is big on safety. The car comes with twin front and side airbags and anti-lock brakes. Thieves are deterred with deadlocks and an alarm.
Citroen has continued with its policy of offering great deals on the forecourt with cashback and free insurance on some models.
And with these kind of deals, the C2 is made even more attractive to buyers.
It's time to get trendy.
FAST FACTS
Citroen C2 1.6i VTR SensoDrive
Price: £11,195
Mechanical: 110bhp, 1,587cc 16 valve petrol engine driving front wheels via 5-spd SensoDrive transmission
Max Speed: 121mph
0-62mph: 10.9 secs
Combined mpg: 44.8
Insurance Group: 6
CO2 emissions: 151g/km
BiK rating: 15%
Warranty: 3yrs/60,000 miles; 12yrs anti-rust; 3yrs paint