By Jonathan CrouchThere's nothing quite like a Citroen Ami. Jonathan Crouch takes a look. This review is (c) Car and Driving and is currently unlicensed for use on this website. www.caranddriving.com
Ten Second Review
Citroen's Ami offers an urban mobility solution for our cities, its quadricycle format allowing it to be cheap, simple and fun. It's left hand drive-only, there's no boot, only two seats and it only goes 43 miles on each electric charge at a maximum of 28mph. But you might still enjoy driving one of these more than any car you've ever owned. This review is (c) Car and Driving and is currently unlicensed for use on this website. www.caranddriving.com
Background
What on earth is this? An old school, quirky, individualistic Citroen. But this time, not a car. Though the Citroen Ami has 4 wheels and a motor, a steering wheel, pedals and a couple of seats, it's actually classified as a quadricycle. Which basically is an urban mobility solution, small, light, low powered and characterised in the past by models like the Renault Twizy and the Reva G-Whizz.
The Ami is tiny, trendy and even available in 'Cargo' form as a tiny van. And because it was never originally intended to be sold here, is only being offered in left hand drive, though because it's so small, that hardly matters. Don't think of it as an alternative to a city car. Instead, it's a better seen as a nicer option than public transport. Or walking. And on the Continent, it can cost less to lease one than your monthly mobile phone contract. Interested yet? This review is (c) Car and Driving and is currently unlicensed for use on this website. www.caranddriving.com
Driving Experience
It's electric of course. There wouldn't be much point if it wasn't. But it's got a far smaller battery (5.5kWh) than you'll find in any EV. Still, because the electric motor it's mated to develops only 8bhp, hence the feeble 20 mph top speed, you won't drain the cells very quickly and a (very achievable) range of 43 urban miles is possible.
As you'd expect from the diminutive size, the turning circle is outstanding - just 7.2m. To give you a point of comparison, that of a base Fiesta is over 10m. A London taxi is rated at 7.6m. The elevated driving position and superb all-round visibility also help in the city and though there's no power steering to ease you into spaces, the vehicle is so light (that base Fiesta weighs a whopping 600kgss more) that it isn't really an issue. Still, you might well feel intimidated by trucks and buses, particularly as quadricycles like this don't get rigorously crash tested and don't have to have airbags and camera safety aids. This review is (c) Car and Driving and is currently unlicensed for use on this website. www.caranddriving.com
Design and Build
Well it's small. Very small. Just 2.41m long and 1.39m wide in fact. And super-light too - just 425kg without batteries. The push-me-pull-you looks that see the front similar to the back are partly intentional. And partly about reducing production costs at the Moroccan factory - which is a bit of a theme here. So, for instance, the doors are identical left and right - which means the driver's side one is rear-hinged, while the passenger side one isn't. To get in, you push a large outside button and notice as you pull the door back that half of its side window is hinged to flap upwards, a reference to the classic Citroen 2CV.
Inside, where you can only have the steering wheel on the left, it's light and airy thanks to a standard sunroof. And to the fact that the glass area occupies almost half of the interior surfacing, along with the way the windscreen is placed a way away from you. The steering wheel doesn't adjust and sprouting from it is a single column stalk that works the indicators and the single wiper that creaks across the plastic screen. Obviously, there are only two seats and, equally obviously given the exterior dimensions, there's no boot, so any luggage you want to carry must ride in the spacious passenger foot well, which will probably take something like an airline carry-on bag.
Various colour-coordinated cabin fittings brighten things up - and the items in question (removable holders and cubbies in the dashboard) are of the clip-on kind, so you can easily switch to a different shade, or maybe change your cabin colour with the seasons. The doors open with fabric pull strings and there's a noisy single speed fan with a heat option. This review is (c) Car and Driving and is currently unlicensed for use on this website. www.caranddriving.com
Market and Model
At the time of writing in late 2021, we were guessing at pricing, which is expected to be a fraction above Continental levels. That would mean a starting point of around £6,500 for the cheapest version, up to around £8,000 for the ritziest one. That's for the passenger version - there will also be a 'Cargo' small van variant offered.
Leasing options will be popular with Ami customers. In France, you can put 3000 Euros down, then pay a monthly subscription around 20 Euros a month, less than a mobile phone monthly subscription. Or put 1,000 Euros down and pay a 69 Euro monthly subscription, this less than the cost of a subway pass. In France, in various cities, an Ami can be rented by the minute in various cities for under 25p a minute - or from just over £5 an hour.
What certainly won't be the same as in France is the fact that you have to be at least 17 to own and drive an Ami. On the Continent, different rules for quadricycles mean that people as young as 14 can drive one.
There's only one way you can buy the Ami and that's online. You can go to a dealer, try and test the car - and they can order it for you if necessary, but they'll do so in your name online. This review is (c) Car and Driving and is currently unlicensed for use on this website. www.caranddriving.com
Cost of Ownership
UK models will come with a Type 2 EV charging adapter in addition to a 3-pin plug. Expect charge to take around 3 hours from a normal domestic plug, which is the only way of charging. With this EV, there are no decisions to be made about fast or rapid chargers with different plugs and different networks. And of course, this Citroen is terribly eco-centric: it's more battery means smaller manufacturing carbon footprint after all. And then there are all those plastic panels...
We gave you the operating range in our driving section - up to 43 miles - and early test indications are that achieving that on a regular basis is very possible. We can also expect this vehicle to hold its value very well indeed, so if you're prepared to part with your Ami, you should find plenty people who want to take it on for not much less than you paid for it. This review is (c) Car and Driving and is currently unlicensed for use on this website. www.caranddriving.com
Summary
As long as you don't view the Ami as some kind of small supermini, it's hard to see why you wouldn't like it very much. Because it's not limited by the constraints that would apply to a conventional city car, it can be cheaper, smaller, more economical and more fun. Yes, along the way, compromises have had to be made in terms of performance, safety and cabin space, but likely owners either won't need those things at low speeds in the city; or will have another, more conventional vehicle in the garage back home to provide them.
For decades now, we've been offered new Citroen models that claim to rekindle the brand's original pioneering spirit, but here at last is one that really does. Like an early 2CV, it's original, fun and, in its own way, really quite desirable. Drive one and people you pass will smile and wave - there's a feeling here of the motor car reinventing itself for a very different age. In a Citroen that really is a sign of the times. This review is (c) Car and Driving and is currently unlicensed for use on this website. www.caranddriving.com
