Dramatic design, scorching performance and hi-tech features can all help sell a car but sometimes the homelier qualities of comfort and economy can be just as persuasive writes Peter Carroll.

While the motoring press loves to focus on a car’s handling and roadholding abilities, the fact remains that many drivers, especially in these recessionary times, are more interested in how much they are going to have to fork out each month to run it.

And for this group of motorists, it may well be worth taking a look at Citroën’s C3 Airdream+.

It’s a five-door supermini with an economical 1.6 litre diesel under the bonnet and a surprisingly high level of comfort features.

The French car has friendly, curvy looks and despite its relatively compact dimensions, boasts a spacious cabin and class-leading boot of 300 litres.

The car’s designers were told to concentrate on quality and comfort and came up with a stylish, sophisticated interior.

This mid-range model also offers outstandingly low running costs thanks to its low carbon dioxide emissions of 99g/km, meaning owners will never have to pay vehicle excise duty again – unless the government changes the tax goalposts again, of course.

The C3’s benefit in kind rating of 13 per cent is attractively low, while the car is capable of returning up to 74.3mpg on the combined cycle.

Insurance is a reasonable group four (or 14 out of 50 in the new classification) while servicing has to be carried out every 12,500 miles compared with 20,000 for some of the C3 petrol models.

It acquits itself respectably on the road but is set up for comfort rather than performance – though a 0-60mph time of just over 11 seconds is not to be sniffed at.

Ride comfort is generally good but the car does tend to roll through corners when pushed.

Despite its solid eco credentials and low running costs, the C3 does have an ace up its sleeve in the form of its “Zenith” panoramic window.

This is a huge piece of glass which stretches from the bonnet half way back across the car’s roof.

And the really clever bit is Citroën has slotted the sun visors onto a movable ceiling which can be slid back to reveal the panoramic roof in all its glory.

It all makes for a superbly airy feeling to the cabin, with excellent levels of visibility thanks to the slim A-pillars, though with all that glass the car can get quite hot in sunny weather. Citroën has thought about this and has progressively tinting the top 10 inches of glass but you’ll still be needing the aircon in summer.

The Airdream+ is based on VTR+ specifications and aims to show that economical motoring does not mean having to forego creature comforts.

The are plenty of standard features such as Bluetooth and MP3 connectivity. There’s no alarm as standard on this C3, however, and ESP is an optional extra which probably explains why it has a four, rather than five-star safety rating.

The C3 range starts at around £11,000 but the list price of the Airdream+ is just over £15,000.

Those who want a more designer feel should look at Citroën’s DS3 instead, which is also better to drive, while motorists requiring more space should consider a C3 Picasso people carrier instead.

Each is available for the same sort of money – but neither will be as cheap to run as the frugal C3.