Paris 2016: Citroën C3 and Nissan Micra are the soft and sharp of superminis

Although just about every carmaker is falling over itself to come up with ways to torture its corporate form language upward and outward into crossovers of various shapes and sizes, there are still some other formats being explored. As home to some of the most traffic-clogged and parking-space-challenged streets in Europe, Paris is the perfect location to unleash a new supermini or two, which is just what Citroën and Nissan have done with the new C3 and Micra.

The Nissan is the smallest car yet to feature the firm’s increasingly familiar exterior design, with the ‘V-motion’ grille and slightly less boomerang-shaped lamps for this smaller application used up front. The effect is rather aggressive, giving the car an almost comedically furious expression for a vehicle so small.

The bodysides feature flowing, sculpted surfaces, as introduced by the earlier Sway concept. The broken C-pillar effect is also exaggerated on this car, quite dramatically disconnecting the roof from the car’s rear.

The cabin features controls that are probably best described as chunky, helping to communicate solidity in a small car, while a splash of colour is afforded by the exterior colour-matching insert running across the IP. For all its exterior drama – something its predecessor could never be accused of having – the Micra’s interior is pretty disappointingly sober.

Citroën has also taken the opportunity to implement a Cactus-style reinvention of the C3, and it’s very successful. The use of significant wheelarch cladding and the Airbumps on the bodyside has given the C3 a crossover vibe that’s subtle and really appealing. The stacked front lamps also help add visual height to the car’s nose, and this is probably the most successful version yet of this signature by Citroën.

For all its soft radii however, the C3’s exterior still feels classy, helped by rear lamps that look expensive deep and rich in detail.

The cabin is arguably even better. Again, the C3 builds on the pared-back aesthetic of the Cactus but adds neat details like the jewellery-like vents, interesting fabric on the IP and luggage-like door pulls. Seats that are immediately wide and comfortable in a small car are a refreshing bonus, too.

The C3 and Micra offer two different takes on the small-car genre. While Nissan has opted for the more predictable route of adding aggression and sportiness, the C3 is calm, widely appealing and different. We know which we’d rather choose.