Citroen is the 2nd French brand after Renault to step foot into the Indian market with 2 of their quirkiest looking cars the C3 and the C5 Aircross, known for their best-in-class ride quality in their segments and with these 2 models, Citroen performing fairly well in the Indian market. Talking about the entry-level Citroen in India, the C3, has been in the frame of journalists so many times because there is so much cost cutting done to the Indian spec C3, almost all the features added to the India spec C3 were so old and dated, like no adjustable headrests even in the top end variants, no rear viper, even the alloy wheels are part of an accessory and so on, but people are still considering and buying it probably because the prices starting from ₹6.16 Lakh or because it is correctly placed for the Indian market.
But recently Citroen also has unveiled the made in India C3 Aircross for the Indian, Southeast Asian and South American markets, which is a 4.3 meter long C3 with 200mm of ground clearance, that will mainly rival the Korean and the VWAG siblings, the C3 Aircross is more feature loaded as compared to the normal C3, like you get new 17″ dual-tone alloys in the top end variants and a new 7″ TFT instrument cluster for the driver, triple tone leatherette seats with adjustable headrests and more cushioning. But still, C3 misses out on features like no automatic climate control, the driver gets an armrest but no space, no sunroof, dated door handles, and no USB C-type ports.
But as an overall interior design, C3 looks quirky and airy because of the black and beige interior treatment with quirky interior bits all around, like a chunky dash with flashy horizontal AC vents on either side and with small vertical AC vents below the 10.2″ touchscreen infotainment system from the C3, the boot carrying capacity of the C3 Aircross is 511L and it will be available in 5 or 7 seat variants, the 5-seat variants are not gonna get the rear AC vents, while in the 7-seat variants, Citroen will offer roof-mounted blower mechanism with vents and the blower controller, but the in 7-seat variants 3rd row will eat up all your 511L of boot space, but Citroen has fitted detachable 3rd-row seats, so you can detach and attach them at your convenience.
Talking about the exterior design the C3 Aircross gets a front grill with the chevron logo in the middle and the headlights of the C3, but has a chunky and muscular aggressive front bumper with fog lights and a skit plate treatment as a front lip, from the side it gets claddings on the doors and rugged side skirts to give it a more SUV looking stance, has a blacked-out roof with roof-rails, and the roof connects with the body colour on the C-pillar, which gives it a more appealing look, from the back the C3 Aircross gets a new set of taillamps, quirky boot lid and a chunky rear dual-tone bumper which gives it an overall muscular looking rear end.
Till now Citroen India has disclosed that the C3 Aircross will be available with a 1.2L turbo petrol from the standard C3, generating 109hp @5500rpm and 190Nm of peak torque @1750rpm paired with a 6-speed manual transmission.
