The Citroën Friend has a new rival: the Fiat Topolino electric

Pay € 2,500 more to do without doors – replaced by simple metallic rambardes completed by a plastic tarpaulin to isolate itself in the event of rain – that’s marketing !

Video trial – Citroën Friend Buggy (2023): Crunchy !

Grised by the success of his car without a license, Citroën reissues the outdoor friend. The friend Buggy has no doors, no roof and sold 2,500 euros more. A marketing operation that should call on others.

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In short
Electric light quadricycle
From € 10,490
1,000 copies

Accessible from the age of 14, the Citroën Friend has become the favorite travel mode of good family teens. Indeed, the electric quadricycle offers two places, a level of comfort and safety higher than one two wheels and is rented at the price of a smartphone package (from € 7,990 or € 19.99/month after a first contribution of € 3,652). It is a real commercial card for Citroën which has already sold more than 35,000 copies of his cart in just over two years, through a dozen countries (and many others soon).

Video trial – Citroën Friend Buggy (2023): Crunchy !

Almost a year ago, Citroën launched an ultra-limited version of the friend, called “Buggy”. The concept: customize the light quadricycle in an outdoor version to sell it more expensive. The 50 copies sold in just a few minutes. Grayed by this success, Citroën has decided to launch a new batch of 1,000 copies, by providing some improvements to the passage.

Pay € 2,500 more to do without doors – replaced by simple metallic rambardes completed by a plastic tarpaulin to isolate itself in the event of rain – that’s marketing !

With friend Buggy, Citroën takes up the recipe for the Méhari which popularized the concept of the outdoor car. The 1,000 future customers (300 for France) will benefit from the sun by the sides but also from the top thanks to a canvas hood which is easily wrapped on the roof as on a 2CV. Visually, she throws this friend Buggy underlined by a khaki color, some yellow stickers and golden rims which should certainly crack an equally golden youth.

The Spartan but well -designed interior is agreed by a new instrumentation of retro inspiration unfortunately still as illegible with the sun. Several nomadic elements appear in the image of a bag fixed in the hollow of the steering wheel that it is possible to take to stroll on the market or even a waterproof Bluetooth speaker with a range of 3 p.m. To annoy vacationers on the beach.

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Mechanically, no change is a power of 8.2 hp, a 5.5 kWh battery which recharges in 4 hours on a domestic socket and offers a range of 70 km. Approved as a light quadricycle, the cart is not allowed to take the automotive tracks, such as the highway or peripherals. The friend is mainly carved for the city offering optimal visibility, a contained length (2, 40 m) which allows to park everywhere and an ultra-short turning radius. Yet it is in the countryside and in medium -sized cities that it is sold best. For what ? Due to recharge. Its solidarity domestic cable poses difficulties in recharging in the city center or condominiums.

This Buggy version, open to all winds, targets its use by the sea or the countryside unless you appreciate sniffing exhaust gases. This crunchy cart allows you to drive hair at the wind at low speed while enjoying the landscape. The occupants take advantage of external elements such as turmoil, noise and the sun. And if time is spoiling the protective tarpaulins is fast and childish. We hope for this system more effective than that of Twizy, which let the rain stop when stopping. We did not have the opportunity to test the friend Buggy in the rain.

The push of the small electric motor is not violent but sufficient to fit and evolve in traffic without creating a cap. We arrive fairly quickly at the promised 45 km/h, and we easily hold them even with two adults of large template on board. With wheels pushed back to the corners of the chassis, the friend offers reassuring handling – provided you stay in speed limitations – and convincing and easy to dose braking. The damping contains rather well the covers movements without repercussions too much the relief of the road, but the biggest defect comes from the level of comfort mainly served by seats as soft as a piece of rassy bread. Despite these faults, the sympathy and pleasure capital of this friend Buggy remains fairly high in the same way as his prices (see equipment page).

The Citroën Friend has a new rival: the Fiat Topolino electric

Fiat has announced its new 100 % electric mobility solution: Topolino. Her design Riquiqui immediately evokes the Citroën Ami, a real cardboard on her segment.

We made a lot of fun at the start, but it must be recognized that Citroën Ami was a great success – including in its Buggy version. This unexpected craze for small 100 % electric cars naturally gives ideas to other manufacturers. To this end, Fiat announces, in a press release released on May 31, the Topolino, described as ” The most beautiful way to electrify cities »».

Presented in a very trendy green water color that contrasts with its retro look, the topolino looks like a baby Fiat 500, the most popular city car in the Italian brand. And it is therefore difficult not to make the parallel with the Citroën Friend, even with the micro microlino. The exact measurements are not specified, but the photo leaves little room for doubts: to sneak in the narrow alleys of Rome (or Paris), the topolino will be perfect.

What do we know about the Fiat Topolino ?

Why the Topolino name ?

Topolino refers to the nickname the first fact 500. Topolino is Mickey’s Italian name, and means ” little mouse »». Which corresponds well to a small vehicle.

Fiat was not very talkative about the technical characteristics of the topolino. Just we know that this is an electric quadricycle, a vehicle which, normally, does not require the permit to be driven (provided that you do not exceed a maximum speed of 45 km/h, between other power criteria). Among its targets, Fiat targets families and city dwellers, but also the youngest. This is another point in common with the Citroën Friend.

We should therefore find fairly close performance between the two competitors. In terms of autonomy, the Citroën Ami offers up to 75 kilometers of use in a single load and can refuel in four short hours on a normal socket. The Topolino will not be thought of for long routes, but will do the business for small daily trips. Above all, it should offer exemplary maneuverability in crazy places. Finally, quadricycles like the friend present additional security arguments compared to a two-wheeler. For some parents, this is a point that counts.

In any case, it will be interesting to compare the two models when we will know more on the Fiat Topolino technical sheet. The most important information will remain the price. The Citroën Friend is offered from € 8,390, excluding ecological bonuses. This is not a small sum, and Fiat could play on it by being more aggressive.

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