Citroen has launched the much-awaited C3 Aircross, and I have to admit I had high hopes after witnessing this vehicle in Delhi during its unveiling. Citroen has a lot riding on the C3 Aircross since it could be the vehicle that makes them mainstream. The French manufacturer has been struggling to make waves in India, and after a rocky start with the C5 and gaining some mild popularity with the C3, the C3 Aircross aims to propel the brand further into success. Given how popular and competitive the mid-size SUV segment happens to be, Citroen either has to bring its A-game or undercut all of its competitors.
Verdict
The C3 Aircross is an ambitious product and a very important one at that for Citroen. If Citroen prices the C3 Aircross around the 10L margin, then I don’t see why this wouldn’t be a stellar proposition. It has everything you’d ever need at that price range and would certainly eat into the markets of cars sitting above and below. However, if this is priced anywhere north of 14L, this could be a pretty hard sell, and most buyers would gravitate towards other brands that offer a more feature-loaded and premium feeling experience. I’m hoping for the former and want Citroen to taste success finally. They’ve been investing quite a lot in the Indian market and even promise to triple their service and sales touch points across India. I have high hopes of riding for the C3 Aircross, and it would serve as an excellent replacement for the Renault Triber, given their versatile similarities. I suppose only time will tell since the prices are yet to be announced.
The C3 Aircross is powered by a familiar 1.2-litre motor also available in the C3. This motor isn’t the most powerful in its segment, but it isn’t the least powerful. The engine is fun, and the powertrain feels potent. It comes mated to a rather slick-shifting gearbox, and the combination of it with the motor feels quite well done. The engine has enough power to propel you into triple-digit speeds and seems more than happy to cruise and return decent mileage. The brakes, too, are pretty lovely and bite with confidence and force. My problem lies with the steering wheel, which feels too hard. At higher speeds, it’s reassuring and provides reasonable control, but at lower speeds, it’s tedious, and manoeuvring it in heavy traffic can get a bit exhausting after a while.
Nevertheless, I am pleased with how the C3 Aircross handles and drives, and it may not outright blow you away or accelerate as hard as a Volkswagen Taigun. Still, fulfilling your family and touring duties seems more than peppy. The handling of the C3 Aircross seems adequate. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the opportunity to drive it around twisty roads, and our experience was limited to open highways. The suspension on the highways did seem to do a decent job at absorbing any undulations at higher speeds, but the lack of proper insulation still allows thuds to creep in, which takes away from the feeling of a smooth ride. Citroen set up an off road course which wasn’t all too challenging, but it did a decent job of conveying the low-speed ride quality, which is quite impressive, and it seems well prepared for our Indian roads.
The most impressive thing about the interior is the amount of space on offer and how airy and open the cabin feels. The large windows let in plenty of light, and the modularity between having this as a five or a 5+2 adds to the versatility of this SUV. That’s where the good stuff ends; the rest was rather disappointing. The same interior has been carried over from the C3, which sits a segment below, and even the trim or quality of plastics hasn’t been changed. The centre console is the same, and Citroen changed the speedo with a TFT that isn’t the best in its class but certainly not the worst. The rest of the interior is a bit of a letdown, and Citroen should have done something apart from just adding a TFT. The sound system is subpar, with no ambient lights, no sunroof, ventilated seats or any additional creature comforts one has come to expect in a segment like this. It’s the price that would put things into perspective for me, but regardless, this is expected of a seemingly premium brand such as Citroen. Even the rear AC vents wouldn’t work correctly during our test, which was disappointing given how well the front AC performs. Leave the front AC on for a couple of minutes, and it’ll cool you down even on its lowest setting and, at its highest, feel like a cold breeze on your face. The modularity and versatility of the third row are pretty impressive and make this a family-friendly SUV.
If it isn’t apparent enough, I’m happy to report the C3 Aircross looks stunning. It’s beautifully proportioned, and for something that can potentially accommodate seven passengers, it looks rather attractive. The muscular lines and creases make the C3 Aircross stand out and look like nothing else in its segment. The signature “Y” shaped DRL instantly makes it recognisable as a Citroen, and the muscular front and rear wheel arches give this SUV the appearance of having a wider track than it does. The headlamps and taillights aren’t LED, which is perhaps done to keep costs at a minimum, though I think LEDs would have added more to the appeal. As alluring as the lines on the C3 Aircross are, the choice of colours is rather dull. You’ve got the same old two shades of grey, white and dark denim blue that look decent but not stunning and fail to do justice to the overall styling, in my opinion.
