Kentmotors TEST DRIVE

Riding high Paul Acres drives Citroen’s new compact crossover, the C3 Aircross

In case you’ve missed the news, SUVS and Crossovers in various guises and sizes are all the rage these days and the C3 Aircross is Citroen’s latest combatant in the war for the pounds in our pockets. It falls into the compact crossover category and, as the name suggests, is based on the C3 but with a raised ride height and a more rugged look. So like the C3 it wears slim daytime running lights either side of the grille but the front is squarer and taller, and there’s lots of black plastic cladding on display on the bumpers and around the wheel arches. Like all but a couple of offerings in this class looks are, for the most part, deceiving, because this is a car designed and built for the road. However, if you think you might, just might, fancy a trip down a dirt track then the company’s Grip Control is available as an option. It’s an advanced stability programme with settings that can be changed depending on what type of surface you’re tackling and also includes hill descent control that will prevent the car running away down steeper inclines. The Aircross, like the standard C3, offers plenty of options for personalisation. The floating room can be further enhanced with the addition of a contrasting tone and, as part of a colour pack, roof bars bearing an alternative hue. In total there are eight body colour options, four colour packs and three contrasting roof colours. There are three trim levels: The entry level car rides on steel wheels, Feel editions 16in alloys while top-of-the-range Flair, reviews here, is fitted with diamond-cut 17-inchers. The cabin is largely unexceptional, with hard, cheaper-feeling plastics never too far away from your fingertips. The front seats, however, are part of Citroen’s “Advanced Comfort” package with a little more width and cushioning than you would normally be provided with. The instrument binnacle houses analogue dials – though there is a head-up display on the options list – but while DAB and Bluetooth are standards across the range the seven-inch touchscreen is standard only with the Feel and Flair trim cars plus, on the topspec model you can add sat-nav to that tally. There’s lot of kit for the technophile, though, with Android Auto, Apple Carplay and even Mirrorlink alongside the DAB radio and Bluetooth audio streaming and handsfree calling.