Test driving a Citroen C3 Aircross: Worthy competitor to Hyundai Creta?

On the whole, I did enjoy the Test drive immensely. The car was very easy to drive, and handled well. I did not think it had many fundamental issues.

BHPian Lalvaz recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Just got back from a Test Drive of the C3 Aircross. They finally got around to getting a Test drive car for me after 6-7 calls. TD Vehicle was the Max variant with 5+2 config with Auto transmission.

The salesperson was surprisingly knowledgeable and candid in explaining both the strengths and weaknesses of the package, and was very enthusiastic in letting me taking a decent test drive.

Here are my initial impressions:

Engine: The 1.2 liter 3 cylinder engine is punchy and decently refined. It masks the NVH very well upto about a 100 kmph (empty car), picks up speed well in a controlled manner and feels very eager to rev. Makes it very drivable in city conditions.

Suspension: This is the real star of the show. The salesperson encouraged me to push the car a little harder on broken tarmac, explaining that I shouldn't slow down to a crawl like I would with a conventional car. He explained very proudly the Magic carpet ride, and how the suspension was the strongest point of this vehicle. The car was well equipped with 215/60/17 inch Ceat tyres, which were surprisingly high on comfort, low on noise and decently grippy in the Mumbai rain drenched roads. The spare tyre is also a full sized alloy wheel, unlike the smaller sized tyres in other vehicles.

Interiors: The interiors are decently appointed, but some omissions are glaring in a 2024 vehicle. Coming from a 14 year old Maruti Swift, which has the typical el cheapo interiors, but still managed to get power window controls at the drivers fingertips and at each of the doors back in 2010. The Citroen in 2024 has only the front window controls at the drivers side, while the rear window controls are only below the handbrake. Funnily enough the lock window button is snuggled in a totally different place to the right hand bottom of the steering wheel. That apart, the car had all the other creature comforts such as steering mounted controls, touchscreen with apple carplay and android auto, It did not have a wireless charger or a Sunroof, both of which aren't deal breakers for me. Seats were well appointed, very comfortable, and had decent cushioning. The steering wheel was height adjustable, although it couldn't be adjusted for reach. No USB C ports, No rear AC vents in the 5 seater, even the 7 seater just gets the air blower on the rooftop.

Space: It felt very spacious inside, with a huge boot, and good legroom, heck even the engine bay felt very spacious and not cramped unlike some of the smaller cars.

Safety: Safety is unknown, I would have been very reassured if Citroen had put it for BNCAP testing and if it had fared well therein. The lack of any test results coupled with the 0 star rating for the e C3 by GNCAP does scare me and other potential buyers.

Price: Surprisingly I think the price is too high, even though discounts of 1 lac are available. However, I think the Hyundai Creta is more VFM than this, atleast in the current avatar. I do hope that the price is further reduced in the facelift which is expected shortly, OR the other drawbacks are quickly addressed to make it truly a worthwhile competitor to the Creta.

On the whole, I did enjoy the Test drive immensely. The car was very easy to drive, and handled well. I did not think it had many fundamental issues, but I do wish Citroen pays more attention to the safety rating of the car, as also the window buttons, rear AC vents, etc resolved.

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