A few months after the new C3, Citroën presented the new C3 Aircross, which completely renews the brand's offer in the B segment, the largest in Europe. Alongside its little sister, with which it shares many elements, the C3 Aircross establishes Citroën's repositioning as an accessible brand, allowing it to enter directly into the territory of the Dacia Duster as well as Chinese brands such as MG with the ZS. This second generation of the C3 Aircross is also a counter-proposal in the urban SUV segment, focusing on the off-road side and a very voluminous aspect. So what is this new generation worth? Find out in this full test.
A voluminous, robust and clean style
The discovery of the new C3 Aircross is disconcerting at first glance, as it seems so different from other urban SUVs, especially when compared to a Peugeot 2008 or a Ford Puma, we don't have the impression of having two vehicles in the same category.
With a length of almost 4.40 metres, the new C3 Aircross is based on the STLA Smart platform adopted by the C3, which owes a lot to the CMP platform used on the C4. As a result, the wheelbase of the C3 Aircross is identical to that of its big sister, the 2.67-metre model, as are the wheel sizes, both measuring 69 centimetres, although the C4 has 18-inch wheels while the C3 Aircross uses 17-inch wheels in order to benefit from the greater height of the tyre sidewalls, a guarantee of greater comfort. What distinguishes the C3 Aircross from its B-segment counterparts is above all its very horizontal roof, which ends in a very vertical tailgate, giving it a very voluminous appearance with, as you will see, immense advantages in terms of living space, especially in the rear.
Sharing the headlights, bonnet, windscreen and front doors, the C3 Aircross could have been seen as a close relative of its little sister, but Citroën has done a good job and both models have their own personality, assertive and off-road in this second generation. The large fenders and the more massive front bumper, equipped with a larger protective ski, give the brand's urban SUV a very different style, which is quite pleasant to look at, even if it can appear massive due to its voluminous appearance.
Nevertheless, Citroën has retained the many details on the black parts of the body, such as the wheel arches or the strips between the headlights and the lights, all of which have chevrons and which give the C3 Aircross a neat appearance despite its very accessible price, a great achievement on the part of Citroën, which is offering here an urban SUV that is enhanced in particular on this Max version, which has the two-tone roof as standard.
For once, let's start the discovery of the interior with the boot, with a very wide tailgate that allows a nice opening. One small criticism: the loading height is a little high, but the volume is still impressive at 460 litres, 30 litres more than the Dacia Duster with hybrid engine. The boot is very square with a floor that allows to have a boot at the level of the threshold, floor that can be removed and stored at the bottom of the boot then leaving a step that can be annoying when carrying heavy loads. When the ⅓-⅔ bench seat is folded down, the boot volume reaches 1,600 litres, enough to swallow everything necessary to meet the needs of each member of the family.
The very wide rear doors of the C3 Aircross provide good access to the rear seats where we notice the main quality of this C3 Aircross: knee room. The brand announces a category record with 8 cm more knee room than the average of the category and 5 cm more than the Dacia Duster, which makes the C3 Aircross the champion of spaciousness. And it's true that there's plenty of room, as I'm perfectly comfortable with my legs almost stretched out in the back, for a front seat adjusted to the hip, 1m75. My son said he had never had so much space in the back, while my 10-year-old daughter had her legs stretched out. The C3 Aircross is a real family SUV that offers something for everyone. This beautiful volume is accompanied by practical aspects such as the classic seat back pockets and two small spaces for the indispensable smartphone on the top of the backrests. Between the two seats, Citroën has provided two USB C sockets and a 12-volt socket for charging various media to keep the children entertained during long journeys. There are two drawbacks to this pretty picture: there are no rear armrests or ski hatch, while the large knee room would have allowed the installation of a tablet on the back of the seats, which would have allowed the rear passengers to work in truly optimal conditions. However, the particularly competitive price of the C3 Aircross must be compared with the lack of armrests and tablets on the corresponding Renault Symbioz and Peugeot 2008.
In the front, Citroën has brought back the dashboard from the C3 for this second generation C3 Aircross, so we find a beautiful dashboard that is very horizontal and does not encroach on the living space with a high part, very technical where we find the famous head-up display, and in the lower part, a lot of softness and warmth with the 3D fabric that covers the entire width of the dashboard. The only difference between the C3 Aircross and the C3 are the nice ambient lights at the ends of the dashboard, which surprisingly have never been emphasised by the brand.
What strikes me first of all is the forward visibility, which is really remarkable on this C3 Aircross, thanks to a rather high windscreen and a very horizontal dashboard, which gives a very good view, also on the front sides. On the other hand, the design of the quarter-windows around the tailgate leaves large blind spots that can hinder visibility during manoeuvres, but the rear view camera compensates for this. The other great advantage of the interior is its brightness, we are in a clear, very bright and very warm interior, far from the dark atmosphere of some of its competitors.
In conclusion, with the C3 Aircross, Citroën offers a real SUV with a strong off-road personality, but one that does not forget to offer a clear, bright and very spacious interior, offering ease and comfort to each of the occupants, as well as good visibility for the driver. Although not everything is perfect, with hard and rather basic materials throughout, the quality of the finish is good as the whole is well assembled and does not suffer from any parasitic noise. Finally, in order to maximise the welcoming and practical aspect as well as the generous space, Citroën could have equipped the C3 Aircross with an armrest and/or a ski hatch in the rear seat and installed tablets on the backs of the seats, but the brand compensates for its shortcomings with a very well placed price and the lack of similar equipment in the competition.
See you tomorrow for the rest of this full test with the drive.
Comments