If you don’t find yourself adjusting to normal society and want to try different and new things in every sector of your life including the car choice then Citroen C3 is a perfect car that will fit in your budget but you will miss out on the made in India, desi feel, and trust of a big brand Tata which you get in C3’s competitor Tata Punch. Both the cars are best at what they do and offer at this price point. The C3 is not an SUV as some of you might think it is but it has almost the same ground clearance as the compact-SUV Tata Punch.
These cars will not take you deep in the forest but they have some little off-road capabilities. C3 and Punch are perfect competitors, let’s have a deep look into these cars to know which car will be right for you. Both cars have their uniqueness and styling which makes it difficult to choose any one of them without knowing all their details.
Let’s start from the outside of both vehicles. Punch and C3 exterior design is nothing alike, both have their design elements to show their presence on the road. Citroen C3 is a crossover hatchback but because of its long wheelbase and high roof, its presence is equal to the Tata Punch. Citroen C3 has some funky-colored design elements around the body while Tata Punch carries a clean look.
Talking about the front both the cars have eyebrows like DLRs and split headlamps. The front grill and bumper design of C3 and Punch are different from each other, C3 grill have oval cuts in it and it separates itself from the bumper while the Punch grill and bumper are mashed into each other with Y shape pattern all over. If you like you can go up on the customization with upper variants, in C3 you can add orange color around the fog light, on the mirror cover, on the rear reflector surrounding, on the side style elements, and on the roof of the car.
Tata Punch base model doesn’t have many customizable style elements but on the mid and upper variants of Punch, you get some classic style enhancers like due-tone paint, halogen projector headlights, diamond-cut alloy wheels, and a variety of color choices. Punch carries a bold look with a small Harrier-like feel. Overall front look of Punch looks premium while the C3 front gives a funky and young vibe. The side of the C3 has lift-up door handles which will remind you of old cars like Alto and Santro. The Punch front door handles are push-out style while the back door handles are on the C-pillar.
Talking about the back design of the C3 and Punch, on the back of the C3 you get rectangle-shaped backlights with turn indicators in the middle of the backlights, the rest of the design is plain and minimal. On Punch you get Y-shaped backlights with a sharp line boot lid, you also get a rear windshield wiper on punch.
Punch and C3 interior design are different from each other. The C3 dashboard is full of unique shapes, the ac vents design and infotainment screen placement in the C3 is like no other vehicle in this price range. The view of the outside you get in C3 from the driver seat is good enough because the C3 is higher than most of the hatchbacks and just like the exterior, you can get the vibrant orange color theme in the interior of the C3. The 10-inch landscape infotainment touchscreen system in the C3 works well and gives it a modern feel while the instrument cluster disappoints heavily because of its small and scooter-like design.
The dashboard’s top part is of good quality but in the lower part cost cutting has been done, in the lower part of the C3 dashboard you get a scratchy hard plastic finish. Seating comfort in C3 is fine but adjustable headrests are missing. The searing wheel of C3 is big with media controls on the right.
Tata Punch’s interior design is minimal, you get square-shaped AC vents with grey and black colored dashboards. The sitting position in Punch is higher than the C3, it has a large windscreen with upright pillars that reminds that it’s an SUV. The broad road view you get in the Punch adds more confidence in the steering wheel. Punch 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system works well and the instrument cluster is more modern than the instrument cluster you get in C3. The interior space in Punch is slightly more than the C3 which is good for tall people. The nicely fitted panels and material choice in Punch show that Tata is improving its fit and finish.
The steering wheel of Punch is stylish and has media and instrument cluster controls on the left and right of it. The dashboard of Punch looks clean and simple compared to the C3 funky and colorful dashboard.
Noticing their price, the feature list of both cars is long enough. Both cars have one USB charging socket and one 12V socket in the front, along with these you also get some storage space in the center console of both cars to keep your phone and other stuff. In C3 you get 2 USB charging sockets in the back for the rear seat passengers which are missing in the Punch. Tata Punch has less charging socket but it has a larger glovebox than the C3, the glovebox of Punch has a cooling function too which is not available in the C3’s glovebox. Both cars have ample amount of storage space in the cabin.
Tata Punch comes in many variants and the top variant of Punch has alloy wheels, auto headlights and wipers, projector headlamps, cruise control, an informative part-digital instrument cluster, a reversing camera, and powered mirror adjust but the C3 only has two variants and the top variant of the C3 (Price Rs. 7.1 lakh) can be compared to the Punch Adventure variant which costs around Rs. 7.05 lakh. The feature list of the top variant C3 and Punch Adventure variant is almost similar with small differences like the C3 has a better 10-inch info-screen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay than the 7-inch info-screen in the Punch but Punch has a reverse camera and powered side mirrors which C3 don’t have.
The space in both cars is enough for small families. In C3 the long wheelbase benefit can be seen in the rear seats as they provide good sitting comfort and enough knee room to ever a 6-foot person. The cushioning in the seats of the C3 is good, and the rear bench seat of the C3 is spacious but it’s not recommended for 3 adults. The middle placement of the rear window buttons is the only annoying part of the rear of the C3.
Tata Punch cabin space is slightly more than the Citroen C3. Punch doors open up to 90 degrees which allows easy access to the cabin. Thanks to the near-flat floor 3 adults could adjust in the Punch back seat for shorter drives. In the top variants of the Punch, you get adjustable headrests and an armrest which is missing in the C3. Both cars have 3 seatbelts in the back for the safety of the rear seat passengers.
In terms of Boot space, both cars have the almost same amount of luggage space in the back. The Citroen C3 boot is more vertical while the Tata Punch boot is slightly wider and lower than the C3, which makes loading big bags easy. Tata Punch and Citroen C3 both have the rear seat folding function to make more space for your luggage and belongings.
All the features, design, and interior space of a car do not matter if its engine is not good enough. Talking about the engine of C3 and Punch, you get two petrol engine choices in the C3 – a 1.2-liter naturally aspirated petrol engine and a 1.2-liter turbocharged petrol while the Punch gets a single option 1.2-liter petrol naturally aspirated engine. C3 only comes with a manual gearbox while Punch gets a choice of a manual and AMT transmission.
To keep the comparison fair we will compare the manual gearbox version of the Punch with the naturally aspirated engine version of the C3. The C3’s Pure-tech 82 engine is not the best engine at this price point but it’s good enough. It gives a smooth power delivery and feels responsive enough. On highways, the 82hp C3 engine beats the Punch in terms of response and speed delivery. The C3 clutch is light which makes it easier to drive it in the city and traffic however, the 5-speed gearbox of the C3 is not that great and sometimes needs to be engaged properly.
Tata Punch engine has slightly fewer points than the C3 engine because the Punch’s 86hp Revotron engine fails at delivering the required power. The Punch engine power delivery is unnoticeable and it takes some time to build power due to which you cannot take overtakes without proper planning. The 86hp engine also gets a little noisy at higher RPM. However, the Punch engine wins the game when it comes to city drive, Punch has a smooth gearbox and light clutch which makes daily city driving easy. Talking about the driving modes, you get two driving modes in the Punch (City and Eco) with auto engine stop-start on top variants while the C3 doesn’t have any of these.
The mileage you get in these cars is good. Tata Punch has an ARAI-rated mileage of 18.97kmpl which is just below the Citroen C3 mileage of 19.8kmpl. Looking at the fuel tank capacity of these cars, the C3 has a 30 liters fuel tank which is smaller than the 37-liter tank of the Punch.
The 1.2-liter turbocharged petrol engine variant of the C3 is the highest-selling variant of the car. The feature list of both the variants of the C3 is the same and the turbocharged variant costs 1 lakh more than the other variant but is it worth it? Simple answer: Yes! The C3’s 110 Puretech three-cylinder engine generates 110hp of power and 190 Nm torque. It can do 0 to 100kmph in just 10.7 seconds which is good considering the size of this car. This version gets a 6-speed manual gearbox instead of the 5-speed manual transmission which is smooth to use and the engine is tuned for low and mid-range power which makes the drive exciting. Now that the Ford is gone, the C3 turbo gets its place among the most fun-to-drive cars under the budget of Rs. 10 lakhs.
Both vehicles have secure braking and are simple to maneuver. Ride and handling are an area where the C3 and Punch excel. Both cars have a rugged feel, and their characteristics truly show on rough roads. The C3 is steady, but at higher speeds, there is more vertical movement on straights and roll in the corners. The Punch drives well enough even at higher speeds and its steering wheel is nicely weighted which adds more comfort. However, most people will prefer the C3 steering because of its sharp responsiveness.
