Looks like you placed the wrong door.

You took me there, I thought they must have fallen at the last set of lights. Still, it was funny and definitely the first time anyone had said that to me during my entire drive. This Citroen Ami Buggy isn’t meant to have doors, it’s a lifestyle.

You’d think you’d save a lot of time without the door, but Citroen just went with a big bar in such a way that you have to open and close it like a door.

However, you have to save a lot.

Another common misconception. You’d think you’d be doing Citroen a favor by asking for the Ami without doors; they cannot be cheap. But the Ami Buggy actually costs more than the standard vehicle. That’s £10,496 for the Buggy version, £2,801 more than the most basic Ami version. Breaking that £10k barrier feels like a limit has been crossed on some fundamental level.

It’s not just the doors, though: you also get some interesting steel wheels, a nice yellow sticker on the outside, nice yellow plastic bits on the inside, a replacement fabric zipped sunroof for standard car windows and the DNR transmission control is moved from the side. The driver’s seat is next to the steering wheel because otherwise they will be exposed to the outside elements.

The vmax of 27.9mph remains the same – it will reach that speed in 10 seconds – and you’ve got the WMTC range (motorcycle test cycle, not WLTP, as the Ami is classed as a four-wheel drive) within 47 miles. That doesn’t sound like much, and it’s not.

How is the drive?

The Ami is a fun little drive, as long as it plays to its strengths. It will cruise through town, taking on traffic with ease and bringing a smile to your face while doing so, just through sheer charm and quirkiness. Buggy turns it all up to 11: you could hardly attract more attention than if Celine Dion carried you down the middle of the Las Vegas strip while you screamed “Look at me!” at the top of your lungs.

People come up to you and chat through the door while you’re waiting at the traffic lights, they’ll ask you questions while you’re charging and take pictures on their phones hanging on the side of their cars like Fisher paparazzi Price.

Venture outside the city limits – we’re not suggesting you do – and it transforms from an easygoing urban cruiser into a terrifying near-death experience at 28 miles /hour as cars fly by at all speeds. Roads and machinery move with millimeters to spare as you rock back and forth on the hard plastic seat in a futile attempt to gain a little more speed.

Isn’t it cold on the train?

Sometimes ‘nice weather’ is used as a derisive adjective, to question someone’s commitment or status as a real enthusiast about whatever is being discussed. essay. Let me tell you that being a Citroen Ami Buggy driver in nice weather is the only way to enjoy it. If nothing else, with a range of 47 miles from the 5.5kWh battery (45 miles in the real world, if you’re feeling brave), you won’t want to know how cold weather affects that.

The literature says you can charge the Ami Buggy at a convenient 3.6kW, but over the 175 or so miles we spent with the vehicle we never reached that level. The plug pulls out of a recess next to the passenger door hole and it’s a domestic French plug with a small adapter on it for Type 2 charging points. It’s all branded and should be fine if you charge at home from the wall box.

There are few things as depressing as watching an electric car use less electricity than your kettle when you’re in a hurry. Citroen says it will charge from zero to 100 per cent in four hours: that figure is pretty accurate, but in reality it will feel like 10 times that if you sit in the car park of a leisure center in Gravesend at 11 p.m. And yes, that’s weirdly specific.

What if it rains?

You can get pretty wet, but the Ami Buggy comes with clear plastic pieces that zip up and cover most of the door, then roll away when not needed. There is a fairly large gap at the bottom that allows a bit of water to spray through and a lot of wind.

But again, we simply don’t recommend driving the Ami Buggy in the rain, it’s not for that. This car is all about sunshine and good times, especially those that take place in the city. Or along the French Riviera. But if you’re only interested in the dolce vita , there’s also a Fiat version of the Ami that’s arguably more interesting than this one. And it’s branded as the Fiat Topolino Dolce Vita, which is perhaps a bit eye-catching.

Should I buy one for myself?

If you’ve made it this far and are still asking yourself this question, then it’s fair to say – go for it. It’s great stupid fun for people who don’t mind being looked at. Too bad you missed the boat: there were only 40 of these special edition Amis allocated to the UK, and they sold out pretty quickly. The second-hand market is likely to see a quick turnaround as people realize what they actually bought, so there will probably be bargains to be had.

The Citroen Ami Buggy is perfect within a very narrow range of applications, but it would be miserable living outside that range. If not, we’d probably be tempted by a scooter, or a bike, and a really nice vacation somewhere warm.