The much-awaited entry of French car brand Citroën has taken place in the extremely popular mid-sized SUV space in India. The C3 Aircross is the fourth car from the brand in the market and comes with 5 seats and 7 seats options. It will take on the likes of Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Volkswagen Taigun, Skoda Kushaq, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder in a segment where competition is not easy. Though what works for the SUV are its prices that top off at Rs. 12.34 lakh, ex-showroom.
Design
The new C3 Aircross SUV is 4,323mm long which is similar to rivals mentioned above. The face is distinctly Citroën and reminds you of the C3 which is already being sold in India. The design is muscular and bold and there are many SUV traits like cladding on wheel arches, roof rails and a ground clearance of 200 mm. You also get side sill claddings, front and rear skid plates and a rear spoiler that according to the company not only adds a touch of style to the silhouette but also improves aerodynamic performance. The SUV gets 4 Monotone, 6 Dual-Tone, 2 Interior Dashboard colour options.
Interior
The car gets a 17.78cm TFT cluster which provides a lot of information to the driver while the 26cm touchscreen infotainment system is compatible with wireless mirroring for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The car also comes with My Citroën Connect app that provides 38 connectivity features with remote operations for door lock/unlock, positioning lamps On/Off andimmobilization. All the variants of the C3 Aircross SUV are equipped with features such as auto stop/start, electronic stability program, hill hold assist, and tyre pressure monitoring system.
The C3 Aircross SUV has come in both 5 seat and 7 seat options, making it a unique offering in this crowded segment. The 5-seat variants offer up to 444 litres of luggage space, while the 5+2-seat variants come with 511 space, if the third row is removed. The rear seats can be folded down or removed individually, allowing for a very customizable setup in the car. The SUV offers tropicalized air conditioning with first-in-segment roof-mounted air vents for quicker cooling of second and third row.
Engine
The SUV runs on a 1.2L GEN III Turbo PureTech 110 Petrol engine that does the duty on the C3 hatch as well. It delivers a maximum power of 110PS @ 5,500 rpm and a peak torque of 190Nm @1,750 rpm. For now the brand is selling the car with just a manual gearbox option, but an automatic is expected to hit the roads by the end of the year. According to company, the SUV offers Citroën Advanced Comfort suspension with Flying Carpet effect seen on its premium cars and promises a supple ride.
Prices
The new C3 Aircross starts at Rs. 9.99 lakh for the base 5-seater trim called ‘You’ and goes up to Rs. 12.34 lakh, ex-showroom for the top ‘Max’ 7-seater version. For an additional Rs. 20,000 you can also choose a dual-tome paint option on higher variants. The brand is also offering a special scheme of Buy Now Pay in 2024 for all deliveries till 31st October 2023. Under this option, the EMIs applicable on the SUV will start from 2024.
The author is a Senior Editor at carandbike.com.