How much does originality matter? In a crowded segment like the B-Suvs certainly a great deal. And the new Citroën C3 Aircross has it in spades thanks to a design that is perfectly in line with the brand’s latest creations with their focus on product customisation, with an offer of 90 colour combinations for the exteriors (85 for the Italian market) and 5 different interiors.
The car has a personal, fun style born out of an inspiration of the design team headed by Alexadre Malval. The front reflects the French brand’s family feeling, the light clusters being developed on two levels. In the lower part, a square with contrasting coloured frame houses the high and low beams, fog lights and directional arrows. In the upper part of the front, led daytime running lights are connected to the “chevrons” by a double chrome-plated bar.
In the interior-design-inspired interiors, we find the same personality as on the exterior. The fabrics used for the dash and seats are pleasant to the touch and the work done to harmonise colours and trim aims to give occupants the feeling of being in their own living room. Important differences distinguish the Aircross from its C3 sister. In addition to the higher ground clearance and raised driver’s seat, you will also note the disappearance of the AirBumps, a hallmark styling cue on the saloon version. The designers justify this choice by their desire to develop the crossover vertically, defining it in the architecture. The rear pillar is used as a graphic base for decorations that in Citroën they call the “Venetian effect”, which give dynamism to the upper part of the car.
The turning and twisting roads of Corsica where we tried it out also allowed us to assess its dynamic qualities. The C3 Aircross has a slightly stiffer set-up than the saloon, the technical reason being to rein in roll and pitch, but it remains a small Suv that is very comfortable even on long journeys. It is offered with three PureTech 1.0 petrol engines of 82, 110 or 130 bhp and two 1.6 diesel engines of 100 or 120 bhp.
