Citroën C3 Aircross 2025 review: A cheap and decent petrol, hybrid or electric crossover … with enforced cheerfulness
No, you 'be cool'
Citroën’s attitude is nothing if not refreshing. Over the past decade, the brand has almost completely sacrificed any sporty pretensions in favour of a comfort-focused approach that befits its quirky, French image. While Volkswagen and Ford promote their all-talk-and-no-trousers R-Line and ST-Line models to people who can’t afford to buy or run a Golf R or a Focus ST, Citroën has quietly created a stylish, funky line-up of affordable, comfortable cars. It’s nice to see.
Unfortunately, the cars haven’t always been nice to drive — the C4 X Hybrid being a case in point — but there have been success stories, too. The C3 Aircross compact SUV, for example, was lauded by farming enthusiast Jeremy Clarkson on The Grand Tour when it first came out, and has been popular with buyers, too.
So popular, in fact, that when Citroën launched the new C3 — a car that has traditionally been a Polo-rivalling hatchback — the engineers decided to encroach on the C3 Aircross’s territory. Raising the C3 up to SUV-like heights and giving it a chunky new image has been a complete success, as Will Dron discovered when he tested it last year, but the growth spurt left the old C3 Aircross in a bit of an automotive no-man’s land.
Citroën has clearly thought about that, so the new C3 Aircross has been given the Miracle-Gro treatment, too. Now a larger product designed to compete with the Dacia Duster, Skoda Kamiq and new Vauxhall Frontera (which comes from the same Stellantis stable), it’s graduated to the ranks of “proper” SUVs. Whatever they are. [We’ve cleared this up once and for all, James. Sort of. — ed.]
The transformation is certainly remarkable to look at. The C3 Aircross has inherited most of its design cues from the new C3, so there’s a chunky front end with three-part daytime running lights and the massive retro Citroën logo, while skid plates, body cladding and roof rails are there to let you know this is a proper go-anywhere 4×4.
Except, of course, it isn’t a proper go-anywhere 4×4. It isn’t a 4×4 at all, with front-wheel drive the only option across the range. Instead, it’s supposed to be a roomy, affordable and comfortable way of transporting the family wherever they want to go. As long as they don’t want to go to the middle of the Sahara or the Arctic tundra, obviously.
But if there’s a road to your destination of choice, you’re in luck, and you can take almost as much stuff as you want, because the C4 Aircross’s boot is pretty sizeable — there’s more space back there than you’ll find in the rear of a Volkswagen T-Roc or Skoda Kamiq.
It’s so big, in fact, that Citroën will sell you some optional seats, allowing you to turn the C3 Aircross into an occasional seven-seater. And I say occasional because putting those seats upright means you’ll turn a massive boot into a non-existent boot in a matter of moments. That isn’t hyperbole, either: the seats really do leave you completely devoid of a boot — there’s no luggage space behind them whatsoever, and those who sit there will find their heads uncomfortably close to the rear window.
They’ll also sit with their knees quite close to their ears because there’s nowhere for their feet, and anybody taller than your average 13-year-old will find space back there pretty tight. Smaller adults could conceivably spend a short journey back there, but they won’t like it.
And that’s assuming they’re flexible enough to get in without damaging joints, limbs or the vehicle itself. I say this because it turns out my 6ft 1in frame is not that flexible, and after leaving grubby size 12 footprints on the door sills, cabin plastics and upholstery, I then tweaked my knee exiting the back row. For a relatively small car, though, it isn’t too bad, and a seven-seat option does add some flexibility to the C3 Aircross’s offering.
That’s especially true when the C3 Aircross starts at a fraction over £20,000, making it around £1,500 more expensive than the basic Dacia Duster. And for that money, you get a sensible amount of standard equipment, including 17in alloys, climate control and a big touchscreen, as well as automatic lights and wipers, parking sensors and a reversing camera. Moving up the range adds luxuries like heated front seats, a heated steering wheel and a heated windscreen, as well as wireless phone charging, navigation and a contrast-colour roof.
So, the C3 Aircross gets plenty of kit and space, but you do feel the impact of that low pricetag when you slip into the driving seat. The plastics are a bit cheap, and though the dashboard looks smart enough with its clean design and fabric covering across the central panel, it doesn’t feel very upmarket. The glovebox lid, for example, has lots of sharp edges and is worryingly light, so it feels as though it came from the middle aisle in Lidl.
Even the touchscreen, which is pretty large, feels like a more basic, stripped out version of the screens used in more upmarket products, and it has just as much lag, making it tricky to use on the move. In fairness, it’s got a logical layout, and the inclusion of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto means you’ll just use those interfaces most of the time. But there’s nothing upmarket about the C3 Aircross’s technology.
The digital instrument cluster is the worst of the lot. Controlled via an unlabelled button on the end of a steering wheel stalk, it’s basically a glorified trip computer with a digital speed readout. And though it’s clear enough to read, it does nothing else.
Yet because Citroën has pinched Peugeot’s idea of fitting a small steering wheel and positioning the instruments slightly higher up, the marketing bods have the temerity to describe the C3 Aircross’s screen layout to a head-up display — which clearly it is not (they are projected onto the windscreen). It’s as ridiculous as Macclesfield FC likening itself to Manchester City.
That, though, is not nearly as ridiculous as the little slogans you’ll find emblazoned across little red labels stitched into the upholstery. They say stupid things such as “be cool” and “be happy,” which is nearly as bad as the time Toyota used “go fun yourself” as a catchphrase for the Toyota Aygo. Citroën clearly hasn’t realised that nothing raises an English person’s blood pressure as much as enforced jolliness. Except perhaps enforced jolliness at the hands of the French…
If you can get past the last-generation tech, the cheap plastics and the dreadful slogans, there are good points about the C3 Aircross’s cabin, and not just the amount of space on board.
The seats are good, with soft cushions but enough support, and the view out is remarkably good thanks to the plentiful amounts of glass around you, which also makes it feel quite light and airy.
And you can’t complain about the choice of propulsion systems available. You can go for a simple petrol engine — a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged unit with 99bhp and a six-speed manual gearbox — or a hybrid, which sees the 1.2-litre engine joined by an electric motor and a six-speed automatic gearbox, taking the power output to 134bhp.
If neither of those options floats your boat, though, you can have an electric version called the e-C3 Aircross, which comes with a 111bhp electric motor and a battery with an energy capacity of 44kWh.
That doesn’t sound like a huge amount — either of battery capacity or power — and it isn’t, but it is just about sufficient. Citroën’s official figures suggest a range of 188 miles on a single charge, while the 0-62mph time is apparently measured using a calendar, not a stopwatch. In short, then, it isn’t very quick, and it doesn’t go that far before you need to plug in, but the electric motor gives it an immediate responsiveness to accelerator inputs, so it’s perfectly adequate for nipping around.
Admittedly, that’s scant consolation for anyone stuck at the services topping up the battery on a long journey. Realistically, you’re looking at a range of about 140-150 miles on the motorway, but at least rapid charging is fairly speedy thanks to the battery’s diminutive capacity. Topping up from 10 to 80 per cent on a 100kW charger takes a little over 25 minutes in ideal conditions.
But the e-C3 Aircross is still at its best in an urban or suburban environment, where its light controls make it easy to manoeuvre and the good visibility makes it easy to position. And as Citroën is placing its emphasis firmly on ride comfort, the car’s soft suspension does an admirable, if not always perfect, job of soaking up the lumps and bumps. A few will still permeate the cabin but, with the soft seats and springs working hard, the Citroën is as comfy as your living room.
There are differences between the way the hybrid and electric cars drive (we haven’t tried the purely petrol car yet), but they have a similar attitude and similar qualities. The electric car is heavier, so it isn’t quite as agile, and it has a kind of dullness to its performance as a result, whereas the lighter hybrid is more nimble and slightly perkier. Neither car is sporty in any way, but then who turns to Citroën for a sports car?
What customers might want, though, is a bigger battery in the e-C3 Aircross, offering a bit more range and flexibility. And while Citroën dealers might argue that the hybrid provides that long-range capability, the company clearly knows range matters in the EV market, so — as with the new Fiat Grande Panda, which is also part of the Stellantis family — a larger 54kWh battery pack is on its way, to be joined by a more powerful electric motor.
But even with that battery, those little red labels on the doors make the C3 Aircross difficult to recommend. Imagine having to explain them away every time you give a friend a lift or take someone on a date. It would be exhausting. You can always snip them off, mind you, which would leave you with an appealing and capable addition to the Citroën line-up that ticks plenty of boxes for families. It’s comfortable, roomy and well-priced, as well as being efficient and easy on the eye.
It’s proof that cars don’t have to be sporty to be commendable. But they do have to refrain from telling me to “be cool” if they want a whole-hearted seal of approval.
Related articles
- If you were interested in our review of the new Citroën C3 Aircross, you might like to read our review of the Citroën C3 as well
- We’ve also driven the updated Citroën C4 and C4 X
- Want a similar EV with Italian flair? Try the affordable Fiat Grande Panda.
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