Citroen Ami Buggy Review

So what do you get? Well underneath all the off-road fancy dress is the basic bones of a normal Citroen Ami; that means a tiny 5.5kWh battery powering the front wheels and a very modest 8bhp. 

That’s … not much - a Ford Fiesta 1.0 has more than twelve times the power. What that means is that the Ami Buggy gets the same 28mph top speed as the standard car, and a range of just 46 miles. 

So we’re talking about a vehicle that’s only really at home pottering around town. Or more likely, down to a beach. That’s because the Ami Buggy has been kitted out with some cool extras in a vague nod to the Citroen Mehari - a lightweight, similarly plastic-bodied utility vehicle Citroen used to make back in the late ‘60s until the late 1980s. 

At the moment, it’s just a concept but there’s nothing ridiculously silly about the changes, and it shows how easily the Ami could be customised for extra fun and function. The top bods have given us the wink and hinted that something similar might make production too.

There’s already the Ami Cargo, which is basically an Ami with extra luggage space instead of a passenger seat, for those small last-mile deliveries in cities, so it makes sense that another version of the Ami gets a bit.. bolder.

Some of the changes are obvious, like the safari-style additions. Then there are the doors. Or lack of them. Because instead you get little swing-away pods that hold bespoke bags. And yep, there are a variety of handbags that go with this car; there’s a bum-bag that clips into the steering wheel, a ‘Sailor’s bag’ that slots in front of the passenger, and holdalls that go into the quarter doors. 

It does have something to cover the openings, though. There are zip-in raincovers for when things get wet - another nod to the Mehari which had a similar arrangement.

The rest is window-dressing, but we like it. There are flashes of acid-yellow all over the car, including the seats, which have twice the amount of padding as the regular Ami. Probably for all those rough roads you’re going to be tackling on your adventures. 

There are 3D-printed storage pockets that can be removed from the car and fun additions like a phone holder and camera mount that can be moved around and stuck to different positions on the doors, so you can TweetGram to your heart’s content. 

There’s even a removable speaker behind the steering wheel. Even the rear-view mirrors are on ball-joints so you can position them however you like.

To drive, it’s pretty much exactly like an Ami. Which is to say, basic, and without many features to actually talk about. You choose forward or reverse via push buttons just like the standard Ami, and then there are two pedals that make you go and stop. It’s about as basic as transport gets. 

There's also very little power and a top speed that can be matched by committed cyclists. This might be fine in a big city, but you wouldn’t want to be heading near very many A-roads unless you enjoy being called names by truck drivers. 

The suspension doesn’t do an awful lot - the extra padding in the seats is welcome - and the mud tyres don’t do anything for the Ami’s turning circle. Even with the tyres, it’s probably not going to be much use in actual mud. 

But if you want to criticise the Ami Buggy for not being properly hardcore, that’s missing the point. This is about showing how creative you can get with some very simple ingredients, with the designers having taken inspiration from everything from trainers to modern furniture and lighting design. It’s fun and interesting. 

As for other practicalities, just like the Ami, you’ll be charging from a 3-pin domestic plug with a built-in cable which is cleverly built into the right hand side of the bodywork. With all Amis, Citroen will provide a clever adaptor which will allow you to plug into a public charge point using a Type 2 socket, but whatever plug you use, a full battery will require a 3-hour wait. 

However, a big attraction of the Ami - in France at least - is that you won’t require a full driving licence. Because the Ami itself is technically a quadricycle, it means it doesn’t have the speed - or safety requirements - of a car. 

Now that safety standard shortfall sounds bad if you consider the Ami a car - because it’s not as safe as a proper automobile. BUT, if you consider the Ami as an alternative to something like a moped, it’s a lot safer and less likely to get knocked over. Plus, it’s drier. And less smelly than taking the Tube or the Bus. 

The Buggy just adds that sense of humour that makes it faintly irresistible. This isn’t supposed to be a serious transport solution - more a bit of fun in a world that could do with smiling a bit more often sometimes. And if you lived near a beach, this would be an absolutely brilliant thing - no emissions, quirky and remarkably practical - as long as it doesn’t rain.