C3 Aircross: Third time’s a charm?

Citroen’s India innings started rather late, and the French brand has chosen value as its motto for the market positioning of its first two India-centric vehicles. After the C5 Aircross was brought in as an import, and it outpriced itself as a result, Citroen has poured in investments and efforts at developing and launching vehicles that have been built specially for Indian buyers. The C3 and the eC3 have, in my opinion, run the risk of being considered less aspirational due to the lack of feature-rich, loaded variants. That, and the lesser reach from the far fewer number of dealerships and touchpoints has affected the sales numbers for both these vehicles. The C3 and its electric sibling were built as part of the C-Cubed plan and are based on a localised version of Citroen’s CMP platform. Company officials say that a lot of action is due in the coming few years and it is not just the domestic market, but also export markets that the India ops will target in a big way.

As part of the plan, the next in line from the CMP Platform was the C3 Aircross, which Citroen had unveiled last month. Compared to the C3, this is a larger, 4.3-metre SUV that will be positioned in the fastest growing vehicle segment and will compete with the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, VW Taigun, the new Honda Elevate etc. Last week I got the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the new C3 Aircross. Is it going to be the Citroen SUV that gets a different positioning strategy? Will this deliver the numbers and popularity that the brand needs? Here are my first impressions.

Design

The C3 Aircross gets an exterior design mix that reminds me of both previous C-Cubed programme vehicles and the C5 Aircross. The lineage lines work in its favour delivering a certain design sophistication and familiarity that’s at home on the C3 Aircross. This is larger than the C3 and the eC3, but smaller than the C5 Aircross. The stance is squatter, yet more SUV-like and very unlike the hatch-like stance of the C3, though there are shared body panels at the front. The larger footprint and the wider stance are captured by the design even when I consider the C3 Aircross from the front. The C3’s Y-shaped light elements for the pilot-lamps continue, as does the of the main headlamps positioned lower on either side of the grille. The twin slatted grille garnish connects the headlamps with the chevron Citroen logo sitting in the middle in piano black and chrome. The most striking aspect of the new C3 Aircross that you’ll observe, the first time you cast your eyes on it is the extra length at the rear. The unique C-pillar construction with the rear quarter glass that seems have been positioned past the thick pillar hides the possibility of this being a 7-seater; or as Citroen calls it, a ‘5+2’ seater. This is currently the only vehicle in the 4.3-metre class that offers this seating configuration using two front-facing removable seats.

The most striking aspect of the new C3 Aircross that you’ll observe, is the extra length at the rear

The gradually sloping bonnet line and the curved slab remind me of the C5 Aircross. When viewed from the side, the semi-circular wheel arches, tapering roofline seems to have been inspired by the C5 Aircross, while also being a Citroen SUV design signature. Carved into the body side panels, design lines extend backward from the headlamps and extend inwards from the tail-lamps creating a visual continuity across the wheelbase, which incidentally, is said to be the longest in the segment at 2,671mm. 

At the rear, the 3-dimensional housing for the tail lamps sports a wedge shape with dual layers that make up the DRLs and brake lights. Sharp angular cuts on the side panels and the tailgate create an interesting pattern and break the potential monotony of an overly upright rear. A connecting textured black plastic garnish connects the tail-lamps and adds to the visual width of the C3 Aircross. The new compact SUV has been given a generous 200mm ground clearance and the faux skid plates at the front and rear look quite appropriate for the C3 Aircross. The 17-inch alloys are new and different from the ones on the C5 Aircross, but the design references have been built in nicely. Like the Honda Elevate, the C3 Aircross also gets a fairly high-set waistline. It is being offered in four monotone and six dual-tone body colours, and there are four customisation packs to choose from including Vibe, Elegance, Travel and Care — each with its own set of accessories. Of course, you can also choose between the 5-seater and the 7-seater configuration. 

At the rear, the 3-dimensional housing for the tail lamps sports a wedge shape with dual layers that make up the DRLs and brake lights | Photo Credit: BIJOY GHOSH

Cabin

The mild quirkiness in design that the exterior gets is also the adopted theme for the interior. The French stamp on the cabin design starts with the dashboard and its textured, dual-coloured panels creating a layered layout. The upright and slightly curved out contrast panel can be specified in two colours — anodised bronze and anodised grey. 

The C3 Aircross is being offered in either a 5-seat or a 5+2 seat configuration. The third row is essentially two small individual seats that either be folded down or taken out when not in use, and can be easily deployed in a pinch to accommodate children; it will be a squeeze for adults. There is pretty much no boot space if the third row is in use, and if this is folded or taken out, the luggage capacity goes up to 444-litres or 511-litres respectively. With its class-leading wheelbase, the amount of space in the cabin is good, and both front and rear passengers get decent amount of legroom and kneeroom. The 5-seater gets a single aircon unit on the centre stack with physical controls. But the 5+2 seater variants get a dual aircon set-up, including the roof-mounted vents with independent controls for cooling the second and third row occupants. The tropicalised aircon’s performance was good during my test drive. 

The steering wheel, dashboard panels, the door handles, some control knobs and even the 10.2-inch infotainment screen are all from the C3, with some modifications and additions in the C3 Aircross

The C3 Aircross cabin borrows quite a few parts from its other platform siblings. The steering wheel, dashboard panels, the door handles, some control knobs and even the 10.2-inch infotainment screen are all from the C3, with some modifications and additions in the C3 Aircross. Of course, the cost savings plan here is a good reason for this, though it does make me wonder if the intense competition and the pampered customer in this segment will be difficult to handle for Citroen. The C3 Aircross doesn’t look like it is built-to-a-price, yet it is difficult to look past the features that are missing in it. The competition offers stuff like a sunroof, ventilated seats, auto aircon, 360-degree camera, six airbags etc., none of which are offered in the C3 Aircross. There is a reverse camera and parking sensors, and for safety, it gets hill-hold control, electronic stability, tyre pressure monitoring and two airbags. There is also the addition of auto stop/ start, but that is it. There is no denying that the C3 Aircross falls short of its competitors in the features list department. 

The 7-inch digital colour TFT instrument cluster is a neat addition, and it also offers three customisable modes — minimal, eco-drive and dual — each offering a variation in the information displayed. The infotainment screen puts out a clean, simple and easy-to-negotiate menu and gets wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. It is also loaded with the latest Citroen Connect platform and offers as many as 35 smart connect features. The leatherette seats in the C3 Aircross (trim dependent) will be comfortable enough for most average-sized Indian adults. The squabs aren’t the most generous, and while the second row seats are also almost similarly sized, the third row seats are quite small. The 5-seater’s rear seats are fixed, but the 5+2 seater’s second row backrest can be reclined a bit. The leather-wrapped steering wheel in my test mule felt good to hold. And the driving position is set high and will be to the liking of many drivers in India who tend to prefer this position. 

Performance

Citroen India has taken the trodden path with its choice of powertrain for the C3 Aircross. Despite being a late entrant, Citroen continues to adopt an over-cautious, ultra conservative approach to its offerings. That was evident in the C3 and the eC3’s positioning and trim strategy. That continues in the C3 Aircross getting the same 1.2-litre, turbocharged, 3-cylinder petrol engine with a manual transmission as the only choice for customers at the time of launch. There will be an automatic transmission that will join the line-up in about six months. And there will be a BEV (battery-electric) version that will arrive by 2026. 

But for now, what we will get is the same engine from the C3 and in fact, in the same state of tune. The smaller C3’s lower trim variants had the naturally-aspirated version of this engine. But, the output would’ve been low for the heavier (1,250kgs kerb weight) C3 Aircross. So, the 1.2-litre Gen 2 Puretech Turbo petrol engine delivers 110PS of peak power and 190Nm of peak torque. The engine is mated to the same 6-speed manual transmission found in the C3, but gets different, closer set ratios and feels adequately peppy on the road. The good bit about this powertrain is how remarkably refined and linear this engine feels for a 3-cylinder unit.

Even under hard acceleration it stays refined and there is none of the gruffness that one usually associates with a 3-pot unit. In fact, engine refinement, and the balanced ride and handling are what redeems the C3 Aircross’s on-road performance. And it is the only reason why a bigger displacement petrol engine, or for that matter a diesel engine, may not be missed by the average buyer in this segment. Also, the stable, dynamically balanced handling is an aspect that Citroen has been consistent with even with the C3 and the eC3. Good to see that continuing in the C3 Aircross. There’s only the smallest patch of turbo-lag in the initial acceleration cycle, but peak torque kicks in by 1,750rpm. The manual gearbox has a slightly rubbery shift feel, but slots clean; the clutch could’ve been more progressive. 

Bottom Line

The C3 Aircross continues Citroen’s conservative positioning strategy. I am given to think that even as the dealer network expansion progresses, Citroen is planning a rejig to the variant strategy for the C3, and in the future the C3 Aircross could probably see more options being offered. But for now, the big misses would be the lack of an automatic transmission and the shorter list of cabin features. The C3 Aircross is still going to have to be priced aggressively to somewhat compensate for its less competitive positioning. To find out, we will have to wait for the booking announcement in September this year. Deliveries are set to begin from October.