Citroen C3 Aircross Automatic: First Drive Review

Does adding the convenience factor of an automatic in the C3 Aircross’ very-practical but not-so-feature-rich package make it more appealing?

The Citroen C3 Aircross poses a unique proposition in the compact SUV segment with its 5+2 seating configuration. It goes up against the Creta, Seltos, Taigun, Kushaq, Astor, Elevate, Grand Vitara, and Hyryder, which are all 5-seater SUVs with a focus on features and a premium cabin experience. On the other hand the Citroen focus is apparent – practicality over features.

While it did nail the practicality quotient, there was a big thorn in its side that came in the form of a missing automatic gearbox. That has now been rectified with the introduction of a 6-speed automatic, but is it good enough for you to take notice and consider the car? 

Still handsome

You can’t fault Citroen for not messing about with the C3 Aircross’ styling. The new automatic variants get no changes whatsoever, so you still get a muscular front with flared wheel arches, the squarish-inserts on the lower air dam and the split LED DRL setup. 

The stylish 17-inch alloys still look chic in profile, complemented by some cladding on the side sills. The rear is still upright, featuring the same U-shaped outline for the taillights and some cladding on the rear bumper. While it still is undoubtedly handsome, the rear does look slightly plain-jane compared to the bulky front end.

The styling is still simple and not fancy in the overall scheme of things, but sometimes the simple things are the ones that put the deepest dimple on your face.

Boot space

There are two parts to this section. The 5-seater C3 Aircross will spoil you for space with a stowage capacity of 444-litres. Not only is it massive but it's also deep, so a weekend worth of family luggage or even more is not an issue. On the other hand, the 5+2 seater version leaves little space for storage with all the rows up – 44-litres to be precise. 

But given that you can chuck the third-row seats completely, that opens up a space of 511-litres. If that’s still somehow short, you can further tumble down the second row for a behemoth storage capacity of 839-litres. Sweet, although, you will still have to mind the exposed seat mount brackets, which could get in the way.

Still basic

There are no changes to the cabin styling as well, save for the gearbox console, of course. The dashboard styling is shared largely with the smaller C3 hatchback and you won’t find many feel-good soft touch materials. That said, the hard plastics have been given the right texture that don’t make the experience feel cheap. One exception is the plastic panel on the door pad that houses the window controls – feels hard and compromised.

The few premium bits come in the form of the leather on the door pads, a leather cover for the steering, semi-leatherette seats and the driver armrest feels premium too. Although the latter could’ve been made slightly wider to accommodate the passenger as well.

The gear lever and the console itself looks nothing like a torque convertor. You’d be hard-pressed to tell that this isn’t an AMT and is in fact a torque convertor automatic because of its styling and markings. 

2nd and 3rd row experience

The C3 Aircross has always offered a comfortable second row experience and that still is the case. Leg, knee and headroom is ample, even for taller passengers and three normal-sized adults do fit shoulder-to-shoulder. Although, the middle one doesn’t get the option of an adjustable headrest. 

On the features front, roof mounted AC vents with blower controls only come in for the 5+2 variants and you only get a couple of USB chargers, and a bottle holder in the door in terms of convenience. No central armrest offered for the 5+2 variants. 

Now accessing the third row takes a pull of the strap on the left second-row seat, which tumbles and folds. You get ample space for ingress and egress, but do mind the roof height. Once inside, you won’t have a lot to complain about. 

Sure, it is lacking in the underthigh support department, but until and unless you’re 6’ft or above, your knees won’t touch the seats ahead. Width is ample for two, but the headroom is slightly on the shorter side. Ticking the practicality box are the two cup holders and USB chargers. But all-round visibility is restricted due to the puny rear quarter glass and tall front seats.

So it won’t be the comfiest for long stints, but it’s practical enough for short city journeys. 

Practicality

This is one of the strong points of the C3 Aircross. The door pockets are sized generously, and accommodate one-litre bottles easily. A dedicated tray for your phone is provided beneath the AC vents and below it is an additional space for stuff like a wallet, keys and receipts. You then get two cup holders right in front of the gear knob and the glove box is also of a good size. 

Second row passengers get two cup holders on the centre tunnel and two additional ones in the central armrest (5-seater variants). As mentioned earlier, third row passengers get two dedicated cup holders as well. Charging ports include a 12-V socket and a USB port at the front, 2X USB ports for the 2nd row, and 2x USB ports for the third row. No type-C ports will be considered as a miss for some.

Features and safety

There are no significant changes on this front too. Features like steering-mounted controls, manual AC, electrically adjustable ORVMs, a 7-inch digital instrument cluster, a 10.25-inch touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and a 6-speaker sound system still make up the list. 

That said, the C3 Aircross now gets remote control start/stop, which you can use to activate the AC and cool down the cabin before setting off. But despite this small new addition, the list is still short in comparison to its rivals. Bits like cruise control, automatic AC, sunroof, and auto day/night IRVM are becoming increasingly common and should’ve been offered on the C3 Aircross as well.

While there is no crash test rating to define the C3 Aircross’ true safety credentials, its safety kit includes dual airbags, ABS with EBD, a tyre pressure monitoring system, hill hold assist and electronic stability program. Not the most expansive kit, but it does cover the basics. Six airbags would’ve been welcome, especially considering the price point. 

Engine And Performance

The C3 Aircross continues with its 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine but with the new torque converter, 6-speed automatic, the torque has been bumped up by 15Nm, taking the total to 210Nm. 

It works well when you’re driving in a laid back manner especially in the city. The upshifts are smooth and quick and you won’t even feel them for the most part. But when you do ask for even mild acceleration, it does a quick downshift, and you will feel the delay, and then a surge of acceleration. This makes for a slightly jerky driving experience if you are not really measured in your throttle control. It’s not quite the smooth driving experience you normally associate with torque convertor equipped gearboxes. However it is predictable and consistent in this behavior and as an owner, with time, you should get used to managing it.

At speeds over 45kmph it does smoothen down a lot and it’s a more familiar driving experience. Drivability again is very linear and great for making smooth progress on the highway. So again, like the manual equipped car this isn’t an enthusiast's choice but great for munching miles. 

In terms of more control there is the option of a manual mode however this is shifter controlled and there are no paddle shifters. Speaking about the gear selector, it’s a very old school system and actually had us thinking that the car initially came with an AMT transmission rather than a more sophisticated torque converter one.

In terms of efficiency, while we didnt get a chance to test the cars, we were showing around 10.4kmpl after a lot of stop start driving, accelerations and moments when the car was just standing around with the engine on, which is what happens on our shoots. And this figure was climbing up too, so it should be reasonably efficient in real world applications.

Ride and Handling

The French carmaker has a knack for nailing the ride quality of its cars and we had experienced this first-hand with the C3 Aircross manual. With the automatic, we are happy to report that things are still the same, i.e. comfortable. The suspension absorbs all potholes, highway gaps and undulations with ease and does so relatively silently.

Some horizontal movement can be felt in certain instances, but that can be tackled by just easing off the speed and tackling the bumps at a slower pace. The steering has a nice weight to it, which makes it feel heavy for driving in the city, but comes alive when you’re going around a corner.

In our short drive to Lavasa, the handling too impressed us as the car stayed flat during corners and maintained its composure. Body roll was there, but it was more than acceptable for a car this size. 

Verdict

With the introduction of the automatic gearbox for the C3 Aircross, Citroen has fixed the biggest chink in the SUV’s armour. It adds a convenience factor to the simple yet versatile and comfortable package of the C3 Aircross. Sure, it still misses out on feel-good features, but the C3 Aircross was never trying to be a people pleaser with its creature comforts, but rather its practicality quotient.

It gets the basics right and more, which include a plush ride quality and a competent engine that offers good overall drivability. The availability of an automatic further adds to its convenience and it offers all of this for under Rs 16 lakh. For reference, top-spec SUVs in this segment (SUVs like the Creta and its ilk) with all their gimmicks have crossed the Rs 20 lakh (ex-showroom) mark. 

So if you’re on a budget, and space, comfort, convenience and versatility are your top priorities over a feature-rich and premium cabin experience, then you won’t go wrong with the C3 Aircross.