Japanese line-up triple treat

TALK about leveraging one car platform . . . talk about ‘‘theme and variations’’.

There are now three versions of the same car available here – Mitsubishi’s ASX (donor vehicle), Peugeot’s 4008 and now, Citroen’s C4 Aircross.

They are same-under-the-skin small SUVs out of a Japanese Mitsu’ factory but with different front and rear styling and different interiors, though the latter two are nearly identical inside.

PRICE

ASX petrol wins on price and spec particularly at the top end of the scale which is where the $36,990 ASX Aspire, $38,490 Peugeot 4008 Allure and $33,990 Citroen C4 Aircross Exclusive all play.

Neither of the European brands offer a diesel donk.

The ASX leads with standard satnav that isn’t in either of the ‘‘Europeans’, Rockford Fosgate premium audio, five-year warranty and a reverse camera (standard in the Pug). A new, restyled ASX is due soon offering even more kit to attract buyers its way.

BEAUTY CONTEST

The Citroen wins the beauty contest brandishing a handsome face with a stylish rear end. It has more wow factor than the other two, particularly the current ASX.

This is the first SUV 4WD from Citroen.

KIT

Citroen has been a bit cunning with t he s p e c s – making l e a t her upholstery ($2000) and other goodies like metallic paint, xenon headlights, glass roof and reversing camera optional.

Tick these boxes and thousands.

But it does get a fairly generous kit including Bluetooth phone, striking 18 inch (45.7cm) alloys, paddle shift, climate control, comprehensive trip computer, rain sensor, auto headlights and rear park sensors.

Cruise control, a pollen filter and auto-dim, rear-view mirror are also included.

it will add

POWERTRAIN

Aircross runs the same 2 litre petrol four out of Mitsubishi Lancer/ ASX with 110kW/197Nm output. It has variable valve timing and is capable of returning 8.1 litres/ 100km on 95 octane.

European Aircross has a 1.6 turbo four with more torque lower in the rev range.

DRIVING

As it stands, the litre needs to be t r e a t e d robustly to get it going at a quickish rate and to overcome that 1450kg-plus weight. Alternatively, you can use the paddle shift to flick it up and down through six ‘‘steps’’ that function as gears.

It’s reasonably quiet once you’re up and running and the fuel use drops down quickly on cruise. We saw 7.1 litres/100km without really trying. But CVT? We’re still not convinced and those slurring engine revs are fairly annoying.

It will, in 4WD variant, go some way off-road thanks to selectable 2WD (front), 4WD and 4WD lock mode. It seats five in relative comfort and has a decent load space expandable with 60/40 rear seats. The safety rating is five star.

VERDICT

The Citroen looks the part but options jack up the price and there’s the Citroen name that’s offputting for some people. A new Australian distributor due soon might get the price right, making this more

attractive.