[amitayu]

The C3 is already a capable offering from Citroen.
What is the point of the 5 seater Aircross? I understand the 5+2 set-up but why another 5 seater on the same platform?

This is clearly targeting Triber and not even Karens. Hard to challenge the Ertiga as you cannot hold a candle to any successful Maruti model with such constricted efforts.

A CNG version may have helped tap the cab sector and also the budget family buyer looking for a vehicle for the joint family.

Not clear about the product placement.

[arnav17]

A quick edit of the C3 without the Black taillamp connector.

[Razor44]

Of course dont know what the price will be , but I am expecting around 11 L . If this is true , for just 50k more increase in price , they could have easily included :

Auto ac
Halogen projector
Rear window switches on doors
And atleast a Flip key (!)

This would definitely removed the "el-cheapo" feel which is there in Triber / Bolero Neo.

Even Triber managed a 4 star global NCAP rating and provides 4 airbags in RXZ!

Currently in my mind , this car is a mishmash between Triber + Bolero Neo.

[inwester]

Originally Posted by Omkar

Bookings will open next month and the launch is slated for October.

Originally Posted by Omkar

In terms of features, the C3 Aircross gets the bare minimum with dual airbags.

I'm a bit confused about this.

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in India says six airbags are mandatory after October 2023.

Meanwhile manufacturers are making cars with 2 airbags now and we have cars that are being launched in October with only 2 airbags.

One of them clearly is not forthcoming.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by buzzy_boy

Are you sure? While the 1.0 Turbo used in the Magnite and Kiger are port injected, I thought that the Puretech 110 used GDI?

That’s an entirely different engine. The ones on the C3 and C3 turbo are manufactured locally in India and yes, they are MPFi.

[krishnakumar]

I’m trying to understand who is their target audience (in terms of buyer profile) and what is the reason why anyone would even shortlist this car!

For a brand that is trying to establish itself, the first objective they should have from a marketing standpoint is to drive a buzz around the car, amp up the interest and generate a ton of walk-ins and test drives. Sure, they have their basics sorted but if no one is even going to consider the car, why would they even bother doing a test drive. Remember how well Kia did it for the Seltos? They offered something for everyone and got Seltos parked into every car buyer's consideration set. I strongly believe Citroen missed that mark here.

The car is definitely not for the image conscious as they have cheaped out quite a bit on the features that gives bragging rights. And for someone going purely on price, there is absolutely no value that it brings.

The car would have made sense for someone wanting just a bigger car, extremely price sensitive and probably coming from an old car that misses all these features, but that would mean the target audience will lie mostly in Tier 2/3 cities where they don’t have a strong network to begin with.

For customers who just want a beater in the city to use, to drop their kids and pack some luggage (that boot volume is massive!) this could be an option but then again, the lack of an auto seems to missing this mark as well. Even if these buyers are going to have this car chauffeur driven, I believe auto will still be in their minds.

Only an enthusiast is going to go for just the basics in a car, but (a) Citroen doesn’t really have an enthusiast brand image and (b) Car purchase in India is a family decision - and with such poor value, it’s tough to get this car into a shortlist.

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

That’s an entirely different engine. The ones on the C3 and C3 turbo are manufactured locally in India and yes, they are MPFi.

Hi Shreyas, Sorry but the engine on the C3 Aircross comes with GDi, there is even a GPF used in the exhaust system - as is the requirements for GDi turbo petrol vehicles in the BS 6.2 era. The C3 media cars had the MPFi turbo petrol, which was CKD and even C3 today is sold with this new GDi petrol engine.

How am I so sure? Erm, I know the engines too well now

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by buzzy_boy

Are you sure? While the 1.0 Turbo used in the Magnite and Kiger are port injected, I thought that the Puretech 110 used GDI?

Pure tech appears to be GDi, somewhere I read previously that it uses 250 Bar injection pressure unlike 350 of some other GDi engines. But of course the important part of this engine is that NA and GDi uses a lot of shared parts which reduces their cost - modular platform for the engine.

I also read it has wet timing belt

Rubber bits inside hot oil, hmm.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

Hi Shreyas, Sorry but the engine on the C3 Aircross comes with GDi, there is even a GPF used in the exhaust system - as is the requirements for GDi turbo petrol vehicles in the BS 6.2 era. The C3 media cars had the MPFi turbo petrol, which was CKD and even C3 today is sold with this new GDi petrol engine.

How am I so sure? Erm, I know the engines too well now

My understanding is that the India spec car gets an MPFi head, while other markets get the direct injection version.

It’s not possible that the engine on the media drive cars is different from what they are selling in the market. Had the Indian car sported GDi, they would have tom tommed the same during the launch and in their promotional material. I’ve not seen any mention of direct injection in the TeamBHP review or in any other review.

Again, engine is shared between India spec C3 turbo and C3 Aircross. It can’t be any other way. Not possible for them to have two different engines on such closely related cars with the minuscule volumes they do. Doesn’t make sense.

Requesting the review team to clarify this.

[Tgo]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

I don’t think any other sub 15L car has its basics as sorted as the C3 turbo, and the Aircross only builds on it. Credit where it is due.

I’ve said this before.

This is the re-launch of 2012 Renault Duster in 2023.

Similar strength, similar feature list, similar appeal.

Except, the guys responsible for updating the car woke up from a comatose state after 11 years.

[aayusht]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

What this car actually needs is that elusive 6 speed torque converter. That, mated to this sweet turbo petrol, will be a breath of fresh air among a sea of DCTs and CVTs. Everything else is either something you can live without or add aftermarket.

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

TCs by design sap a bit of power. Reliability is higher but so is the transmission loss. Fine with large capacity or high power applications but not in small cars.

While I agree that torque converter might be good, but wondering if it might be better with a DCT in this case. C3 Aircross has the 1.2L Turbo engine where the mid range is where there is adequate power, but low end might struggle. Probably the DCT might minimize transmission loss. I could be wrong.

[dvr08]

Not wanting to sound pessimistic, but I could not understand Citroen's strategy.

In my opinion, Citroen could have thought about a few things which could make people travelling in the car more comfier. A strong engine + Looks always doesn't mean the car is good. These are some small but significant things which could elevate the good feeling about owning/driving experience.

- Instrument cluster: Could have saved some money there by giving traditional dials. Would have looked outdated, but definitely would have looked good. Why wear a RADO while you don't have an outfit to match it?
- Flap type door handles? How much cost they could save by not giving the pull type handles
- Front power window controls - There are only two switches there, but why such a lengthy panel? Could have atleast padded it with foam
- Rear power window controls - Buckle up sitting in the rear seat and try rolling the window down. Would be fun! Not easy for the driver either
- Phone tray under HVAC controls. That is useless. See the autocar india review video in youtube. A phone kept there flew from the tray on sudden acceleration. A flying phone is big a distraction while driving on highway
- Driver seat has armrest, but passenger doesn't.
- USB ports for the 2nd and 3rd row passengers - This for sure looks like an after thought. "Oh We missed this in the list.. just put one or two there"
- Every indian buyer needs a 3rd row. So lets add one too!
- 7 Seat version has a 60:40 split seat, but 5 seat version doesn't have one. How difficult it is to have the same seat for both 5 and 7 seat versions? Just a cost cutting measure

On top of all, why offer only one variant? It isn't fully loaded either. This is comparable to mid variants of competitors.

I think they have a very fat bank balance and they are using all that excess money to research Indian buyer's mindset

[chandrda]

Excellent Review Again as Always

1. Looks like a no non-sense car and emphasis on Cost Cutting
2. I always wanted a 7 seater with quick removable last seats. It's very underrated functionality, but very useful to those having 7 seaters like Honda BR-V or XL6 etc.
3. Having owned Duster and knowing how Logan used to drive, I am sure the French Cars will have excellent suspension set up.

Regards

[Getsetgo123]

Originally Posted by inwester

I'm a bit confused about this.

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in India says six airbags are mandatory after October 2023.

Meanwhile manufacturers are making cars with 2 airbags now and we have cars that are being launched in October with only 2 airbags.

One of them clearly is not forthcoming.

I got information that some automobile makers took extension untill 2026

[dragracer567]

We've owned two different Citroens both in Kuwait -

1) A 2002 Citroen Xsara 2.0 which drove like a hot hatch but gave a lot of issues - almost undrivable. Heard the 1.6 and the diesels sold in Europe are better though.

2) A 2004 Citroen C5 2.0 which was actually quit reliable and served us well.

That said, we've generally moved away from quirky French cars and currently drive two Camrys in the Gulf. However, it's hard not to get a sudden urge to get a C3 aircross but the only things stopping us:

1) Need an automatic, us Gulfies can't drive manuals

2) Has to have 6 airbags, no two ways round it.

If these two features are available at a competitive package, would seriously consider getting one in India!