[TusharK]

Citroen is gearing up to launch the Basalt Dark Edition in India. The carmaker recently shared a teaser of the coupe-SUV that is expected to go on sale soon.



The teaser provides only a glimpse of the new Basalt Dark Edition. The SUV is expected to have an all-black exterior with black ORVMs and dual-tone alloy wheels.

The interior will have a similar dark theme. The Basalt Dark Edition will feature black upholstery and is expected to get black trim all around. The features list might include a 10.24-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a digital instrument cluster, automatic climate control, a rearview camera, 6 airbags and TPMS.



The Basalt Dark Edition could be based on the top-spec Max Turbo variant, which is powered by a 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine that produces 108 BHP and 195 Nm / 205 Nm. The engine is paired with either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox.

Link to Team-BHP news

Mod Note: Our Citroen Dark Edition Report has been taken live at this link. Please continue the discussion over on the new thread. Thanks!

[Dippy]

Dark editions seem to be the hot trend going around. That being said, this might a last attempt from Citroen to save the Basalt. in all these months, I have only seen one Basalt to date on the road in Mumbai. . Clearly this model has also not worked.

On one hand you have an outdated Compass coming in special editions and now this from Citroen. Really makes me wonder about their strategies for India.

[IshaanIan]

I test drove the Basalt in manual guise and was severely disappointed by the gearbox and engine. The engine felt good only in lower rpms and not comfortable in mid or high rpms, and the gearbox felt rubbery almost like there weren’t any defined gates to it. I’d rather be given a K10C engine and gearbox from an Alto than their current setup. Imagine having a worse drivetrain than an Alto in a supposedly ‘premium’ offering They should seriously consider swapping the drivetrain options available in the Jeep, into this is what I feel.

The ride quality was good but not as brilliant as they themselves as well as others tout it to be, maybe the test drive car had high tyre pressures but then they should really look into that before telling someone about how good the ride is. Just imagine how underwhelming it would feel to without asking anything, be told by the sales executive how magical the ride is only to feel that it isn’t really the best for whatever reasons. Better not to shout about it if you cannot ensure that it delivers on your claims in the test drive.

I liked the interiors and the build seemed fair but that’s about it for me since the engine and gearbox felt like a task and not very intuitive to utilise, and the ride wasn’t as great as they were claiming, I will not buy the car or even recommend it to anyone anymore especially since variant and feature distribution just doesn’t make sense. They advertise the car as being far cheaper than the competition with enticing starting prices but then when you go through the details on each variant, you find that there is absolutely no value for money option to be had. When that occurs, the customer won’t be able to compromise on aspects like the crappy engine and gearbox. Last but not least, when trying to appeal to a customer’s sense of trendiness and stylishness, why skip the sunroof? It is an obvious bragging rights feature that anyone in the market for a ‘coupe suv’ would miss. No point making one of these things and then trying to pitch it as something utilitarian and practical.

[Rajeev1]

Originally Posted by Dippy

Dark editions seem to be the hot trend going around. That being said, this might a last attempt from Citroen to save the Basalt. in all these months, I have only seen one Basalt to date on the road in Mumbai. . Clearly this model has also not worked.

On one hand you have an outdated Compass coming in special editions and now this from Citroen. Really makes me wonder about their strategies for India.

I have not seen a single Citroen Basalt on the roads in Bengaluru till date except a test drive vehicle. Considering that this was launched almost parallel to the Tata Curvv (similar design language)...the Basalt seems to be a non starter. Wonder what Citroen is smoking for them to think that "dark edition" will work where the "light edition" hasnt.

[arjab]

The Gauls are being honest at least.
With their present strategy, Stellantis's future in India is "dark" indeed, (pun throughly intended).

Off topic:
With the onset of The Great Indian Summer, it is quite amusing to see the plethora of "dark" editions being rolled out across OEM's! With ambient temperatures already nudging 40 deg Celsius in some parts of the country, isn't it time to keep ourselves "light & cool?"

[the.dogfather]

In Bangalore, I have hardly seen any privately owned Citroen cars. Most of the Citroen cars I see are the eC3s by BluSmart and have seen a few Citroen Basalts, but they were also cabs.
Brand awareness is a big issue here and most of the general public does not know about the brand being in India. The Basalt looks much better than the Curvv in my opinion, and from the reviews, it excels in terms of ride quality and drive trains. Stellantis group needs to work on its PR now that they have started giving cars which are decently loaded for the indian market.

[Bombastic]

Having test driven it twice, the Basalt is a good car. Citroen's main problems are (a) Reversing the notion that it is a barebones vehicle due to their misadventure with terribly specced vehicles to begin their journey in India - Imagine, they had to toot their horn about having climate control AC for certain models, in 2024! (b) Addressing the perception that they will pack their bags and go soon, and most importantly (c) Having a higher variant or an option pack for both functional and feel good features such as 360 camera, cruise control, panomaric sunroof, etc. which is sorely lacking.

[amtak]

Originally Posted by Bombastic

Having test driven it twice, the Basalt is a good car. Citroen's main problems are (a) Reversing the notion that it is a barebones vehicle due to their misadventure with terribly specced vehicles to begin their journey in India - Imagine, they had to toot their horn about having climate control AC for certain models, in 2024! (b) Addressing the perception that they will pack their bags and go soon, and most importantly (c) Having a higher variant or an option pack for both functional and feel good features such as 360 camera, cruise control, panomaric sunroof, etc. which is sorely lacking.

You are lucky to have test driven the car. My biggest grouse is, the dealers aren't really helping the brand; I was asked to come to the showroom to TD the Basalt, when there's really no one buying it!

[ashutoshb]

Citroen has now entered a death spiral, where its cars are not selling, because its cars do not sell.

If I were to buy a Citroen today, I would be worried about its resale value, the availability of spares in the future, and, above all, whether there would be a service centre at all.

[Suifuto]

Recently happened to watch a YouTube video by Baiju N Nair, where he hosts a segment called 'Rapid Fire', where usually he interacts with random people on road, regarding their cars, ownership & service experience. It had a Citroen Basalt, modified from white to black, with upsized wheels. It was definitely a looker, and I hope Citroen works on enhancing the looks of Basalt with this special 'Dark' Edition.

Also, happened to test drive a Citroen Basalt Turbo AT variant with my friend. Both of us were impressed with the power delivery and how the AT gearbox handled the shifts. However, as many fellow members pointed out, the car is lacking may feel good features available with competition. If only they had a reliable sales/service network, people will be confident enough to buy them. It is more of a chicken and egg situation, I guess with Citroen.

[ltz.lawya]

Originally Posted by amtak

My biggest grouse is, the dealers aren't really helping the brand; I was asked to come to the showroom to TD the Basalt, when there's really no one buying it!

Exactly this. Citroen needs to pick better dealers.

I booked the C3 AT before it even reached the showrooms. Months later, I went there to get a PDI done for my car, I noticed a C3 AT testdrive vehicle lying outside, so i asked my sales rep to give me a TD as I could get a feel of the car I was gonna buy. He flat out denied my request! He had the guts to lie to my face that it was unavailable when the car was right there, out front. Very scammy people, as the rest of the sales experience also wasn't pleasant.

I ended up getting the car anyways, mostly because I didn't like any alternatives available and because my family liked it, but in any other scenario, I'd have cancelled the booking on the spot.

Whenever anyone asks me how my experience with Citroen has been, I tell them how I only picked the car because of the product and that the sales experience was a total dud (at least in Cochin it was.)

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by ltz.lawya

Whenever anyone asks me how my experience with Citroen has been, I tell them how I only picked the car because of the product and that the sales experience was a total dud (at least in Cochin it was.)

EVM are dealers in Cochin too?

Same experience here in Thiruvananthapuram. Right from the day they were functioning from the BMW showroom to now when they have a standalone showroom. Others would arrange for a TD if we book through their website, but in case of Citreon, nope. The guy sounded like he was doing us a favour by bringing one for TD.

Was interested in the car so much, that when I visited Chennai that month, went to check out the C3 at their showroom at Thousand lights(?). Even after informing them that I was on a visit to the city and was just checking out the car (meaning I was not going to buy from the Chennai showroom ever), he insisted on a TD which I did accept. Contrast that with the Citreon TVM showroom where they wouldn't even properly pick up the phone calls.

[ltz.lawya]

Originally Posted by DicKy

EVM are dealers in Cochin too?

yessir, one and the same.

They're outright terrible.

I had an issue with them billing me for handling charges as well, so when I told them it's illegal, they told me that EVM has a monopoly over this and that I could go to court over the dispute if i badly wanted them to cancel those costs. Terrible experience overall.

[carhead]

Originally Posted by amtak

You are lucky to have test driven the car. My biggest grouse is, the dealers aren't really helping the brand; I was asked to come to the showroom to TD the Basalt, when there's really no one buying it!

How far was the showroom from your location?

[AdityaDeane]

When Citroen is just releasing a teaser of the Black (with Red highlights) Basalt, how has this fellow been able to get one delivered in Kochi already in December 2024?

https://www.instagram.com/evmofficia...l/DDreFCsTq2i/

I don't think that Basalt is available in any shade of Black in it's current line up!