Citroen C3 Aircross 2019 Review – International

Citroen’s latest-generation C3 Aircross could one day be judged the saviour of the brand in Australia – the car that, along with the bigger C5 Aircross, brings enough buyers back to the brand to turn its flagging fortunes around.

Paving the way for both were the fun but flawed Citroen C4 Cactus, and the more accomplished C3 hatch.

However, the timing of the diminutive Cactus’s Australian arrival was poor; the small SUV segment where it would fight for sales was already overcrowded with highly competitive vehicles and cutthroat pricing. The Citroen C3, meanwhile, launched into a shrinking luxury light segment where few buyers felt they needed to venture.

It’s going to be a tough follow-up act for Citroen’s C3 Aircross, which will need to convince buyers to shy away from the likes of the talented Mazda CX-3 and the all-round impresario, the Toyota C-HR, if it wants to be a success.

Fortunately for Citroen, the C3 Aircross stands out from the crowd. Its brash design cues and vibrant use of colour are a direct hit for those bored of the establishment.

In the metal, you might notice the design isn't as successful as the recent C3 hatch or, even, the original Cactus. The Citroen C3 Aircross looks too narrow and stands too tall, but few are likely to care, because lining up beside the ubiquitous Mazda CX-3, the toy-like C3 Aircross scores for individuality.

Five two-tone colours will be available Down Under – blue with white highlights; red with silver accents and a black roof; white with a black roof with splashes of orange; black with silver bits and a sand-coloured roof; and finally a sand body that's matched with a black roof and orange accents.

Inside, the cars we get aren't quite as adventurous as those available in the C3 Aircross’s native France, with grey seats and white air vent surrounds – but the design is far from predictable.

It's spacious, too. At 4145mm long it's 158mm bigger than a C3, with a 64mm longer wheelbase. That's because in Europe, the Citroen C3 Aircross replaces the old C3 Picasso people-mover. This also explains why the petite SUV adopts much of that car's practicality, although we don't get the Euro version's sliding rear seats.

Nevertheless, Citroen claims the smallest Aircross SUV still leads the class for space, citing plenty of headroom in both rows, decent knee room and a large 410-litre boot. Better still, it feels light and spacious in a way cars including rivals such as the Nissan JUKE and Mazda CX-3 aren't.

Citroen says the C3 Aircross will “reclaim driving comfort”, which is why the C3 Aircross comes with a pair of bedding technology-inspired seats that ensures the chairs are not only supportive, but filter out road vibration via memory foam. They weren't fitted to the C3 Aircross models we drove, but a brief spin in a memory foam-equipped Cactus confirmed their comfy credentials.

The C3 Aircross misses out on the car maker's trick new Progressive Hydraulic Cushion dampers launched last year in Europe. It features novel hydraulic bump stops that work on both compression and rebound to provide for a more cosseting ride.

Instead, Citroen's small SUV uses old-hat underpinnings department, based on the pretty ancient PF1 architecture developed for the original 2002 C3 hatch. It means the Citroen C3 Aircross also misses out on some rivals’ more sophisticated double wishbone or multilink rear suspension, instead making do with a basic torsion beam.

There's one engine available for our market, Groupe PSA’s 1.2-litre PureTech turbocharged three-cylinder unit that also powers small Peugeots.

For the C3 Aircross, it produces a modest 81kW, and 205Nm low down in the rev range. Combined with an Aisin-sourced six-speed automatic, power flows to the front wheels only – there's no all-wheel-drive option. Instead, Citroen employs its traction-enhancing Grip Control software to help claw the C3 SUV out of sticky situations.There's also hill decent control.

The little three-cylinder turbo’s performance is best described as relaxed, taking 11.8 seconds to go from rest to 100km/h and placing it far from the front of the class. The little petrol unit also lacks refinement, with excessive warbly vibration felt from the driver's seat under hard, traffic-chasing acceleration.

Around town, the lack of poke is manageable, but the ride is surprisingly firm for a car that's supposed to major in comfort; a Toyota C-HR does a far better job of soaking up a road's imperfections.

Leave the urban grind behind, though, and on open country roads the C3 Aircross corners with nicely controlled bodyroll although, again, rivals such as the Mazda CX-3 are more engaging.

Citroen wisely wants to keep things simple with its future model range, explaining why there will be a single engine and one highly specified trim offered to Australian buyers.

Where the Citroen C3 Aircross will shake its rivals is in its level of standard kit.

Emergency autonomous braking is standard, as are a colour head-up display, an automated parking feature, lane departure warning, blind spot warning, speed limit recognition, driver fatigue detection, wireless recharging and a 7.0-inch infotainment system that might lack its rivals for clarity, but offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for free.

Potentially offsetting Citroen's generosity is the price that local distributor Inchcape could charge for the C3 Aircross, which should start at close to $30,000 plus on-road costs.

That will place the Citroen C3 Aircross at the very top of the small SUV class for price – a stratosphere the small French car-maker hasn’t felt comfortable in before. Its challenge is that both the Mazda CX-3 and Toyota C-HR feel better made, are better to drive, and look better all-round.

That said, both the Japanese SUVs are utterly predictable, conveniently leaving space for the small Citroen C3 Aircross to draw new blood to the famous French brand.

How much will the 2019 Citroen C3 Aircross cost?
Price: From under $30,000 (estimated)
On sale: Q1 2019
Engine: 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol
Outputs: 81kW and 205Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.6L/100km (est)
CO2: 126g/km (est)
Safety rating: TBC