Citroen 2CV Charleston test-drive

2014 Drive-My

1981 Citroen 2CV Charleston test-drive. Owner: Chris Ottman. Introduced in 1948, this affordable little car was so popular that it remained in production until 1990. Its basic premise was an affordable and economical means of transportation that was easy to drive and simple to maintain. With its horizontally opposed coil springs, it had such a com-pliant ride quality that Citroen’s ads promoted the 2CV’s ability to carry a basket of eggs across a rough field damage-free.

In 1963, electric windshield wipers were introduced; in 1965 the suicide doors were replaced with conventional doors, and a larger 33hp, 602cc, horizontally opposed two-cylinder engine bowed in 1970. All 2CVs featured removable seats for picnic use and air-cooled engines. The Charleston model, like our feature car, was available starting in 1980 with a two-tone paint scheme applied in a sweeping pattern.

David Towle

Quaint and very mechanical and honest in appearance. The 2CV belongs in the dictionary under “character.” I love it for its appearance, practicality and durability. It rides very well for having such a short wheelbase, but it had trouble tracking through deep ruts in the road. The manual brakes require a surprising amount of effort, yet worked well. As expected, lots of road noise was detected. Through turns it had substantial roll but was still quite stable. With its light steering it was fun to drive, but the steering wheel was too close to the chest. Its performance was sluggish, though adequate. Ergonomics were better than I expected and it had good visibility, but the comfortable strap-type seats were hard to get out of. It’s great for local driving, but for regular use, the safety issue regarding its crash-worthiness would concern me.

1981 Citroen 2CV Charleston test-drive

John Lobre

Functional and pleasingly modular. With its arched roofline and timeless style, the 2CV is loaded with character; it screams “France.” Its ride was a revelation: supple with an excellent quality about it. For such a light car with a rather short wheelbase, it tracked rather nicely. Although you sit rather high up, it takes turns effortlessly. It has very fast steering and really sticks to the roads. One area where it lacked was in the power department. It needs more power for the hills, and to safely pass on the highway requires the old tractor trailer method: Charge down hills and ease back up them. The spring-loaded shifter is very effective and ingenious, precisely changing into the next gear with little effort. For a car that’s a design icon and whose mission was economic transportation, it really does its job. It’s a tour de force in simplicity of design that works.

Eric Holveg

Flexible usage is apparent in all parts of its design — not so much styled as engineered. Its fold-back roof and fender-mounted headlamps add lots of personality. The ride quality was supple and com-pliant over all surfaces, and control is fantastic. A quick double-pump gives great pedal feel for the strong brakes. The noisy, open-air feeling is a bonus. Very light and direct steering lets you place the car with confidence. Performance-wise, compared to most other cars it doesn’t stand a chance, yet does everything smoothly and competently. It has excellent interior space and driving position for such basic-looking seats. Gauges are easy to read and let you concentrate on driving. Overall, I didn’t find the 2CV to be very desirable. They say you just don’t understand the car until you drive one. Well, I drove one and I still don’t understand.

 

SCOREBOARD 1981 Citroen 2CV Charleston
Owner 

David

John

Eric

Michael

Styling

4

5

3

5

Character

5

5

5

5

Ride Quality

3

5

2

4

Handling

3

4

3

3

Ergonomics

4

4

3

3

Performance

1

2

2

2

Desirability

3

3

2

4

 

Michael Cannon

I like the simple, basic shape and logic that reads: This is an inexpensive car meant for the masses. Its minimum use of parts and details such as the exposed headlights and front fenders wrapping the tires are particularly interesting to me. It is instantly recognizable as a French car — understandably, the brunt of many jokes that further endear it. It has a surprisingly smooth ride with a bit of body roll, but it doesn’t really feel like it will topple over. It glides around turns with ease, feels sure-footed, and the steering is responsive and tight. Brakes worked well and didn’t leave me with the impression that I needed to start applying the pedal too far in advance. And it had a quieter ride than I had thought. There’s great leg and head room and visibility, but the slow acceleration is a bit tedious and makes hill climbing a bit uncomfortable. In the right situation, the 2CV would be a great car to have.

 

Car

1981 Citroen 2CV Charleston

bodywork

body type

4/5 seater sedan/saloon

number of doors

4

designer

Flaminio Bertoni

dimensions & weights

Type

mm

inches

wheelbase

2400

94.5

track/tread (front)

1260

49.6

track/tread (rear)

1260

49.6

length

3830

150.8

width

1480

58.3

height

1600

63

ground clearance

160mm  6

length:wheelbase ratio

1.6

kerb weight

585 kg

1290 lb

weight distribution

58.00 % front / 42 % rear

fuel tank capacity

25 litres

5.5 UK Gal

6.6 US Gal

aerodynamics

drag coefficient

 

frontal area

 

cda

 

engine

engine type

naturally aspirated petrol

engine manufacturer

Citroen

engine code

 

cylinders

Flat 2

capacity

0.6 litre, 602 cc, (36.736 cu in)

bore × stroke

74 × 70 mm 
2.91 × 2.76 in

bore/stroke ratio

1.06

 

overhead valve (OHV) 2 valves per cylinder, 4 valves in total

maximum power output (din)

29.4 PS (29 bhp) (21.6 kW) at 5750 rpm

specific output (din)

48.2 bhp/litre, 0.79 bhp/cu in

maximum torque (din)

39 Nm (28.8 ft·lb) (4 kgm) at 3500 rpm

specific torque (din)

64.78 Nm/litre 
0.78 ft·lb/cu3

engine construction

 

sump

 

compression ratio

8.5:1

fuel system

1 So carb

bmep (brake mean effective pressure)

814.1 kPa (118.1 psi)

maximum rpm

 

crankshaft bearings

2

engine coolant

Air

unitary capacity

301 cc

aspiration

Normal

compressor

N/A

intercooler

None

catalytic converter

N

performance

acceleration 0-80km/h (50mph)

18.30 sec

acceleration 0-60mph

29.80 sec

acceleration 0-100km/h

 

acceleration 0-160km/h (100mph)

-1.00 s

   

standing quarter-mile

22.70 sec

standing kilometre

 

maximum speed

117 km/h (73 mph)

power-to-weight ratio

50.26 PS/g
36.97 kW/g
49.57 bhp/ton
0.02 bhp/lb

weight-to-power ratio

27.05 kg/kW
45.19 lb/bhp

fuel consumption

fuel consumption

 

universal consumption (calculated from the above)

litres per 100km

 

km per litre

 

uk mpg

 

us mpg

 

carbon dioxide emissions

 

calculated co2

 

ved band (uk)

 

co2 effizienz (de)

 

chassis

engine position

front

engine layout

longitudinal

drive wheels

front wheel drive  

torque split

N/A

steering

rack & pinion

turns lock-to-lock

3.300

turning circle

 

front suspension

I.SLA.

rear suspension

I.LTA.

wheel size front

 

wheel size rear

 

tyres front

125 x 15

tyres rear

125 x 15

brakes f/r

 

front brake diameter

 

rear brake diameter

 
   

gearbox

4 speed manual

top gear ratio

1.32

final drive ratio

4.13

general

production total

 

model code

2CV

model family

2CV series 3

rac rating

6.8

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