● New small SUV revealed ● Petrol, hybrid and EV options
Ellis Hyde Ellis_Hyde@autovia.co.uk@EllisDrives
WE had our first look at the new Citroen C3 Aircross back in April (Issue 1,828), but the beefy-looking compact SUV has now been fully unveiled – and we’ve even been given a chance to have a poke around both petrol and EV versions.
Although seven seats will be an option, Citroen expects the five-seat C3 Aircross to be more popular. Without a third row to accommodate, the 40:60-split bench seat sits 65mm further back to make the most of the 2.76-metre-long wheelbase and create more space for those in the rear.
In fact, Citroen claims the C3 Aircross offers best-in-class knee and elbow room. There’s also a 460-litre boot with a wide, square load space, plus a height-adjustable floor. Luggage capacity expands to 1,600 litres when the rear seats are folded down.
Citroen hopes to offer the seven-seat layout as an optional extra for less than £1,000. However it’s worth noting that the rearmost seats only offer enough space for small children. We tried them out for ourselves during the car’s official unveiling, and found our legs crushed up against the seats ahead, with no room for our feet.
Up front, the dashboard design is carried over from Citroen’s latest C3 supermini, including the essential driving information being projected on a slim head-up display, while fabric is used for the centre section of the dashboard. The 10.25-inch touchscreen is fitted as standard and features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Every C3 Aircross will feature the brand’s famous Advanced Comfort seats, now with 10 to 15mm of extra foam and redesigned to be more supportive. We found them as incredibly soft, squishy and comfortable as Citroen suggests; the driving posi
