Citroen asked its army of Facebook fans to design a special edition of the C1 and they came up with the Connexion.

Hence the stand-out caldera black metallic paint, with the funky scarlet red door handles and mirrors, tinted windows in the back as well as eye-catching 14-inch Rift alloy wheels and a long list of standard equipment that includes air conditioning, daytime running LEDs, remote central locking and power steering.

What a fascinating social media experiment, although whether it will be the start of a trend remains to be seen. But Citroen’s Facebook audience is probably very much its target market and this would make an ideal first car, due to its low insurance and low emissions – and therefore no road tax to pay.

It is also London Congestion Charge exempt. Plus, you can drive more than 65 miles to the gallon, meaning fewer trips to the petrol station, which is always a vote winner with me.

Its three-cylinder 998cc 68hp petrol engine has been re-tuned to reduce CO2 emissions.

Other changes include a re-styled front end, additional interior and exterior equipment and improved comfort thanks to revised power steering settings and suspension changes to improve ride comfort.

The C1 Connexion is a likeable car with plenty of character that performs well, although it definitely feels more at ease around town than on the motorway.

The ride is firm, it grips well and it is definitely a worthy competitor to the VW Up! and the Skoda Citigo.

It is available in three and five-door models, both of which are very easy to park. Thankfully I drove the five-door model, which makes life easier when you have a carful.

In car entertainment includes an RDS stereo radio/CD player, auxiliary socket for an MP3 player and four speakers, although the quality isn’t great when driving at speed.

All models have a four-star Euro NCAP rating, variable power assisted steering, ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Cornering Stability Control (CSC) and twin air bags.

The C1 Connexion is the first ‘crowd sourced’ car design, resulting from more than 24,000 suggestions, submitted via Facebook. As Citroen itself said: “You ‘liked’ it, we’ve made it.”

Fact file:
Car: Citroen C1 Connexion
Price: £10,170 (on the road)
Top speed: 98mph
0-62mph: 12.3 seconds
Fuel: 65.7mpg (combined)
CO2 emissions: 99g/km