Citroen C3 Aircross 2019 Long-term Test #1

To understand the provenance of the Citroen C3 Aircross, consider the European market – a market where compact MPVs (or mini people movers, if you prefer) have held sway for many years. Now consider too that the Euros are beginning to switch on to soft-road SUVs, just as Australians have done.

The C3 Aircross reflects that conflict of design focus and market demand. It's a car that could be a French Kia Soul, a cheap MINI Countryman, or a boxy Nissan JUKE, but it is what it is – a uniquely practical and innovative machine from the brand that gave us the C4 Picasso and the 2CV.

The Citroen C3 Aircross employs the same powertrain as the parent company's Peugeot 2008, in a body that is part SUV, part spaciously-packaged MPV. Don't be fooled by the faux sump guard or the moderately tall ride height, the C3 Aircross is front-wheel drive only. It won't be climbing every mountain or fording every stream.

In its novel styling and its practical packaging, the C3 Aircross recalls not only the Nissan JUKE, but also the Hyundai Kona and Toyota C-HR. All these vehicles are small SUVs, and with the exception of the Toyota, all are under 4200mm long, which makes them ideal for small families in congested urban areas.

Only one variant of C3 Aircross is sold locally, and at $32,990 it's hurdling a high starting price for a car this small. At least it comes with a competitive five-year warranty (with five years of roadside assistance as well). It's also fairly well equipped, featuring follow-me-home lighting, fold-in mirrors, wireless smartphone charging and a head-up display, to name a few.

There's no way you would fail to locate the Citroen C3 Aircross in a packed car park. Its styling is iconoclastic (we're trying to avoid words like 'quirky' or 'polarising' for Citroens), and it stands tall enough to be seen over the roofs of the myriad Mazda3s, Corollas and i30s.

Finished in bright blue with coordinating white roof bars and 'venetian blinds', the C3 Aircross on test is particularly conspicuous. Whether you actually like the style remains another question.

With a hip point that's higher than passenger cars, but not as high as larger SUVs, the C3 Aircross provides easy access, even for kids and shorter adults. The Citroen is also quite spacious inside, for a car that's so short. There's more than enough headroom and legroom in the rear for adults of average height.

While there's not that much oddment storage in the cabin, what there is works well, including a rubber-lined channel above the glovebox for placing wet items. There's a small cupholder at the rear of the centre console, and a nook for a smartphone as well. The front door bins will accommodate bottles up to about 750ml.

There are no adjustable vents for kids in the rear, however, and the vents for the front seats are hard to use in the dark. They're oddly shaped and redirecting airflow is a hit-or-miss affair. Nor are there USB ports in the back, although there is a 12V outlet in the rear of the centre console.

The rear seats are easily folded flat, although they leave a step between the folded squab and the boot floor, hindering the transport of larger, bulkier items one would prefer to have resting flat on the floor.

A removable shelf in the boot provides a solid floor for smaller loads, and load space is expanded slightly with the removal of the false floor. In a well below the lift-up flooring there resides a space-saver spare.

The front seats of the Citroen C3 Aircross are well designed, with enough bolstering to hold the occupant firmly in place. And the flat cushioning is reasonably comfortable and supportive, but lumbar support adjustment would be nice to have for touring distances.

The instrumentation is easy to read, and while the wheel is set relatively low (with a useful head-up display to keep your attention focused on the road), the driving position is not as confronting for older drivers as Peugeot's i-Cockpit setup in cars like the 208.

At speeds above 80km/h the indicators are practically inaudible, and they won't be heard at lower speeds either, if you are listening to music through the car's infotainment system – even if the volume is low.

The infotainment display is sometimes slow to react to the touch of a finger press or contact has to be made in a very narrow patch for the system to react.

At night, the reversing camera display in the infotainment screen looks small and grainy. It's also easily 'burned out' by glare from other light sources outside the car, further reducing the amount of detail visible in the display screen.

On the subject of lighting, the headlights are just not good enough on low beam. Weak, yellow-hued beams were set way too low and the only redeeming feature of the headlights was the high-beam assist, which worked overtime to ensure the way ahead was properly lit. Even so, the high beam was not especially marvellous, in the context of motoring along an Aussie country-road in the dark.

And the auto wipers wouldn't stop wiping, even after the screen was clear and the rain had ceased.

Small SUVs are not widely known for being a joy to drive. The Citroen C3 Aircross doesn't move the goalposts in that regard, but it does provide secure roadholding that's on par with rivals from Europe.

Exploring the car's dynamic limits was challenged by the Citroen's relative lack of performance and the propensity for the stability control system to surface at the first sign of high-g cornering. But it turned in well, the steering weight through the wheel was fine and there was some feedback present.

Torque steer was not apparent in the damp conditions encountered during the test session and the C3 Aircross struck a reasonable balance between the conflicting demands placed on the suspension for ride and handling.

For such a tall, blocky looking object, the Citroen delivers commendable body control over bumps taken at speed. Initially, the ride is a little sharp over smaller bumps and potholes, but comfort improves at higher speeds. With its combination of track, wheelbase and height, it feels slightly choppy at times, but that's due to its packaging proportions as much as its chassis tuning.

In blustery conditions the C3 Aircross was blown around by strong cross winds, but wasn't by any means difficult to hold steady at touring speeds in those conditions. It's a forgiving car to drive and is also small enough, externally, to thread easily between parked cars and into tight spots.

The model name for the Citroen C3 Aircross sounds like it would be right at home blazed along the sides of high-end running shoes. But the car itself is not an especially athletic machine.

The performance is lively enough around town, exhibiting little evidence of turbo lag from a standing start, but the C3 Aircross feels slow at speeds of 80km/h and higher. At 81kW, the peak power is marginal, even for a car weighing just 1203kg. The Citroen produces maximum torque from just 1500rpm, which is quite handy for gambolling around at low speeds and makes the C3 Aircross easy to drive in traffic.

Unfortunately, the six-speed Aisin transmission is frequently short-shifting to save fuel, and at 1500rpm the three-cylinder engine is quite coarse. The automatic transmission changes up so early – unless kicked down and flat to the boards – to take advantage of the peak torque arriving at such low speeds.

Overall, the consequent labouring and grumbling lends the powerplant a 'diesel-like' nature to its noise, vibration and harshness. All that evens out at highway speeds (100km/h), when the engine is running at 2000rpm, but it's still present as a mild rumble in the background.

Much more prevalent at that speed – and lower speeds too – is the tyre noise. The Bridgestone Turanza 215/50 R17 tyres roar away loud and clear on coarse-chip country roads and even better maintained freeways.

The automatic transmission is a weak link in the C3 Aircross for various reasons. It shifts down aggressively under brakes and allows the car to roll back on hills briefly, to the extent that it feels more like an older generation of dual-clutch transmission, rather than a conventional epicyclic unit with a torque converter.

At times it was prone to driveline shunt and on other occasions the engine would surge unexpectedly. It's not what we have come to expect from this engine and transmission combination sampled in other PSA products.

For all that, however, the C3 Aircross is quite frugal. During a week of urban commuting, offset by some freeway drives, the C3 Aircross returned a final fuel consumption figure of 8.4L/100km. On a 70km test run the Citroen finished up at a creditable figure of 7.4L/100km. Which is just as well, when you're filling the tank with premium ULP.

By the end of the week's test, the C3 Aircross had ingratiated itself with us. Following a recent run of electric cars, the Citroen sounds gruff and growly. But that is one of its endearing traits for those who prefer motor cars to sound like they're powered by combustion.

How much does the 2019 Citroen C3 Aircross Shine cost?
Price: $32,990 (as tested, plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 81kW/205Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 149g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star EuroNCAP (2017)