Citroen C3 Aircross 2019 Review

Citroen has taken many turns since ‘Bubsie’. The yellow 5CV that made history in 1925 by completing the first circumnavigation of Australia seemingly set Citroen up for success, putting the French marque in the hearts and minds of many locals.

Fast-forward 94 years and Citroen finds itself in the middle of a revival period. This week, the car-maker’s Australian distributor declared it was hitting reset on the local operation, doing away with products already on the outer fringe and starting afresh.

The new Citroen C3 Aircross is one of the foundations of that revival. Like Bubsie, it has quite the point to prove.

Priced from $32,990 (plus on-road costs) and available solely in a high-spec trim, the C3 Aircross matches the most expensive versions of its rivals – the Toyota C-HR ($33,290), Hyundai Kona ($35,500) and Mazda CX-3 ($38,000) being the big three.

Unlike those rivals, however, the Citroen C3 Aircross foregoes a sub-$30K budget model with less equipment, which could put it at a disadvantage. The only option available on the Aircross in Australia is premium paint.

“If we go one tier down with equipment it loses its character and it loses what the brand stands for,” explains Citroen Australia product planning manager Justin Narayan. “We wanted to be able to offer a high-specced car and we believe we’ve succeeded.”

Colour choice is central to that aforementioned character, with five different two-tone palette choices. The standard ‘white’ is complemented by contrasting red hues and silver highlights. It’s not that far removed from Toyota’s C-HR, but even so, the customisation here is quite cool.

Standard equipment on the newcomer is generous, extending to 17-inch wheels, a 7.0-inch touch-screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, sat-nav, reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors, wireless phone charging, tyre pressure monitor, Bluetooth and keyless entry and start.

On the safety front, the C3 Aircross features a full suite of airbags, speed limit recognition and a self-parking function. Automated emergency braking is also standard fare, however, it is limited to 30km/h or less; under new Euro NCAP legislation, a car must offer AEB to 80km/h to qualify for a five-star rating. In short, expect the C3 Aircross to feature a four-star safety rating in Australia.

The Citroen C3 Aircross is backed by a five-year/unlimited kilometre manufacturer warranty in Australia, matching that of its mainstream contemporaries.

Where the C3 Aircross loses points from an ownership perspective is servicing and resale value.

Citroen says five years’ worth of servicing will set buyers back $2727.39, or $2454.66 if purchased in bulk. That compares with $1827 for the CX-3 and $975 for the C-HR, the latter with less inclusions.

Resale remains a sticking point for Citroen in Australia, but officials believe it will improve with the new onslaught of product.

To coincide with the launch of the C3 Aircross, Citroen is offering a Launch Edition variant that is limited to 20 examples.

Distinguished by an opening glass panoramic roof, a red exterior with silver highlights and a grey interior trim with red highlights, the Launch Edition is priced at the same $32,990 sum as the donor car.

Given the exterior angles, features and proportions, it’s no great surprise the C3 Aircross adopts a slightly left of centre approach to interior design.

Designers have had a field day packaging different shapes and eye-drawing features inside the cabin, particularly around the design of the dashboard and air-vents.

What they’ve seemingly overlooked in the process, however, is practicality. Odds and ends storage is poorly thought out, and the installation of the aforementioned wireless phone charger has rid the cabin of conventional cup-holders.

It’s a strange execution, though one that does cover the tech bases with one USB port and two 12-volt outlets.

Elsewhere, the C3 Aircross goes without armrests or a console to lean on in the front row, and hard plastic adorns every contact point, which leaves a question mark hanging over the car’s long-journey amenity.

Further back, the rear seat misses out on air-vents, while the bench itself has a short backrest and limited thigh support. Spatial proportions are strong, however, offering adequate space for two adults on moderate journeys.

For those intending on using a child seat, the C3 Aircross features two ISOFIX points, while the middle pew seatbelt retracts from the roof unlike a traditional three-point belt.

Boot space is solid, measuring 410 litres courtesy of a split-level design that incorporates a space-saver spare tyre.

But back to the driver. Forward vision is strong courtesy of a perched driving position; the rear is slightly more cluttered, though the reversing camera and 180-degree overhead camera do augment rear vision.

Citroen claims the C3 Aircross has the comfort of an MPV with the fitout of the cabin.

Unsurprisingly, the ride and handling balance is similarly skewed, which helps the French SUV create a point of difference from other crossover offerings.

First, the drivetrain. A 1.2-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder engine sends drive through the front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission.

The three-pot is good for 81kW and 205Nm; relatively insignificant figures until you consider the C3 Aircross weighs a meagre 1200kg.

The engine is perky, linear and full of character around town, thrumming its way along to peak torque from only 1500rpm, before transitioning into a healthy mid-range bandwidth of power.

Furthermore, the engine has no trouble holding onto highway speeds, cranking over at just below 2000rpm when doing 100km/h.

Stringing the driveline together is the six-speed automatic, which is effective but likewise partial to some quirks, like the odd hesitation or soft thud between gears.

In combination, Citroen says the driveline delivers a 0-100km/h time of 10.6 seconds and a claimed fuel consumption average of 6.6L/100km. We managed 7.4L/100km.

The C3 Aircross comfort-biased approach to ride and handling translates to a package that is quite amenable to B-grade roads and highways alike.

Small bumps are soaked up and recovered from well, while larger hits do tend to thud through the cabin.

The Citroen C3 Aircross ultimately lacks the engagement of Mazda’s CX-3, and the comfort of some other rivals when covering patchwork roads.

Similarly, road noise and tyre roar is par for the course in this segment; not the best, but certainly not the worst.

Notwithstanding that, the C3 Aircross feels planted on the open road, telegraphing body movements through accurate, amply weight steering and faithful levels of body control.

No doubt, the C3 Aircross would and could cover the same Aussie tracks as the original, beloved Citroen 5CV – aka Bubsie. But whether it is able to uphold that pioneering legacy in an already competitive remains to be seen.

How much does the 2019 Citroen C3 Aircross cost?
Price: $32,990 (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: 142g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Four-star ANCAP (estimated)