Citroen C3 Aircross 2018 REVIEW – New SUV price, specs and road test

Over the years, Citroën has made its name by producing some of the most iconic cars in history and is loved by enthusiasts globally as a result.

The only problem is that, for all that affection, it hasn’t always served it well in the sales stakes and, for all of those stand-out cars, rivals have overtaken it in terms of pure volume.

The trouble is, choosing the alternative path and following the crowd can equal anonymity or, ultimately, death. Just ask Saab.

Thankfully, Citroën’s most recent direction has been somewhere between the two with global boss Linda Jackson, a Briton, accepting that while some might hate its Marmite-like cars, others will love them in equal measure.

But how can you still be different in a class such as the small crossover sector that has been swamped with new models in recent months? The answer it seems, is this: the C3 Aircross.

Citroen C3 AircrossGETTY

The Citroen C3 Aircross comes as a highly recommended addition to the Citroen family

In the past few months this area of the car market has boomed not only in sales but contenders too. From the Kia Stonic and Hyundai Kona, via the VW T-Roc, Skoda Karoq, Seat Arona and MG GS, this plethora includes the Peugeot 2008, Renault Captur, Ford EcoSport and Nissan Juke.

To say that customers are overwhelmed with choice is an understatement.

So how do you stand out in that crowd? Well, looks for one – and the C3 Aircross certainly looks like little else on the road. Borrowing a few family design cues from the smaller C3 supermini, the Aircross boasts chunky styling and, especially with some of the bolder colour combinations and the alternative-coloured roof, we rather like it.

We are particularly keen on the fourleafed clover-style alloy wheels of our Flair model and you certainly wouldn’t mistake the C3 for any of its rivals, that’s for sure.

There’s also a larger C5 Aircross on its way that will feature similar styling.

Kia StonicGETTY

With hot competition from cars like the Kia Stonic, the Aircross holds up well

The news gets better under the bonnet as the C3 has Peugeot-Citroën’s brilliant 1.2-litre, three-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine with, in this guise at least, 130bhp.

We’ve driven this in other models and it proves just as characterful here with 0 to 60mph time of 10.4 seconds and 124mph top speed. Meanwhile there’s also 53.3mpg average fuel economy and 119g/km emissions.

What those figures can’t tell you, however, is how good the engine is on the move.

With a lovely off-beat thrum to the engine note, it’s a delight to drive hard (just as well as this is when the engine is at its best) and while the car itself isn’t the sportiest in terms of handling, even with little body roll, there’s a slickchanging gearbox and a real sense of fun when you’re behind the wheel.

The only downside to this is the C3’s ride quality which can be a little firm on rougher roads even on our test car’s 17in alloy wheels.

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The car comes with the Citroen three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine

Inside, some of the themes of the exterior styling continue with chrome-trimmed trapezoid shapes in the vents, flat-bottomed steering wheel and the rubberised finish on sections of the dashboard.

Overall, we like the details throughout the cabin, but it’s not faultless.

The bottle holders in the door pockets are a nice touch, but the glovebox is so small as to be almost unusable and while the rear seats can slide and recline, legroom isn’t that plentiful even with them all the way back.

Up front though, the driver’s seat can adjust for height and the steering wheel can also adjust for reach and height, which isn’t always guaranteed at this level.

There are also 12-volt and USB charging points and a contactless charging panel for Android mobile phones.

We also like the automatic stopwatch within the trip computer for the stop-start engine system showing how long the engine has been off for.

Although optional, another crucial addition is Citroën’s Grip Control system.

This isn’t a replacement for proper four-wheel drive but it will certainly enable most drivers to get farther than they might have imagined possible with two-wheel drive alone and is a great alternative for anyone who needs it.

Overall, there’s much to recommend the C3 Aircross.

As previously noted, this is not an area of the market that’s been sparse on choices of late, but the talents of this baby Citroën mean that it’s certainly deserving of a place on any crossover shopping list.

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The Citroen C3 Aircross stands out among the competition

LOGBOOK LOWDOWN

Price: from £18,400

Engine: Turbo-petrol – 1.2-litre

Power: 0 to 60mph in 10.4 seconds, 124mph top speed

Average fuel economy: 53.3mpg

CO2 emissions: 119g /km

Rivals: Kia Stonic, Hyundai Kona, Skoda Karoq, VW T-Roc

Rating: 8/10