No motoring journalist has a rooted objection to driving fast, stylish and expensive machinery, but every now and again there comes along a test car which makes a lot of sense from the budgetary point of view.This is one of them - the Saxo First, rock-bottom version of Citroen's lowest-cost model range. One of the significant points here is original price compared with fuel economy and general running costs. You can get more miles to the gallon from the 1.5-litre diesel three-door Saxo (although not all that many more), but the First undercuts it for on-the-road price by a colossal £2710, and no, that's not a misprint.The Saxo has been perked up in appearance thanks to the latest headlamp design, which makes the front end look right up-to-date. Externally, everything else remains much as before. The hatchback body retains a low and straight waistline which disregards the fashionable upswept rear styling, and gives the rear-seat passengers proper window space.In fact, the glass area throughout the car is impressive. And the rear wiper, with its bottom-pivoted 180-degree sweep, is a lot more sensible than the arrangement in some other budget-priced cars.And the First is definitely budget-priced. Until recently it cost a fiver under £6000 on the road. With the revised VED system, it now costs £55 less. It would take a colossal amount of motoring in a year for a diesel Saxo to beat the First on running costs.So what do you get? No five-door option (it's three only), no ABS, no power steering, no electric window operation, no central locking, no passenger airbag, no electrically operated mirrors, no sunroof, no velour door trim, no split in the folding rear seat - the negative list goes on and on.But that doesn't really matter. The First is well enough equipped for what it costs, and the standard specification does include things like tinted glass, an immobiliser, a revcounter and a countdown-to-service mileage indicator.The smallest Citroen looks pretty smart front-on, thanks to the new headlamp arrangement. Its 1.1-litre engine may have a modest power output, but every one of the horses is properly muscled. The First needs about 3600rpm for an indicated 70mph on UK motorways, 4100rpm for 130km/h on French autoroutes, but it's a willing if high-revving little machine on a long cruise.You're always aware in these conditions that there's a small engine revving quite hard, and the tyres pick up a lot of noise from coarser-grained surfaces, but the Citroen just keeps belting along.It's unexpectedly composed on a windy motorway among the big trucks, and in several hundred miles of driving it felt as stable as many a larger car. Similarly, in town traffic or out on the hill roads, where budget cars often feel sluggish, the First scores pretty well. It's nimble in city streets, and you can chuck it around quite vigorously on country roads. I don't mean it goes like something twice the price, but this is by no means a doze-off little car.Inside, Citroen has pulled off a pretty subtle trick. The upholstery is pleasantly patterned, and the front seats offer good small-of-the-back-support. Neat fascia arrangement, too, with that bottom-hinged pull-out central ventilator. And the glove locker is amazingly deep - you feel as if, when you rummage around for something away at the bottom, you're liable to unbolt the front number plate.But the subtle trick? That's in the way the door trim is hard to the touch and made of clearly inexpensive material. But it was black in the test car, and unobtrusively grained to look like leather. In some other design team's hands it might have turned out cheap and nasty. Not in Citroen's.The Saxo models which get most attention are the VTS and VTR hot hatches. But there's a very sound budget version in the catalogue too, and it's a European design, not something freaky from the Far East. Take note that the latest version of the First has a bigger engine and a higher power output than the previous one-litre which still figures in some magazine lists. Engine 954cc, 4cylinders Power 50bhp @6000rpm Torque 54ib/ft @3600rpm Transmission 5 speed manual Fuel/CO2 45.6mpg / 149g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 16.6sec Top speed 93mph Price From £5361.00 approx Release date 19/10/1999
