Citroën C3 Aircross - Comfortable (obviously) and full of surprises
I appreciate this is an unlikely question, but have you ever been in a single-seat racing car and had the chance to hurtle around a circuit?
I’ve done it twice and, despite the incredible performance and limpet-like roadholding, the biggest impression I was left with was how firm the ride was. To ensure that the car stays as close to the road surface as possible, there’s hardly any suspension travel. Next time there’s some F1 on TV (well done to Lando Norris and the McLaren team by the way), try to select the onboard camera, and you’ll notice how the driver is jostled around like a pea on a drum.
Citroën offers a degree of comfort
A lot of you will like a firm ride, but on a long journey, it can become seriously draining. However, if you like a bit of comfort, then I shall point you in the direction of this latest Citroen — the C3 Aircross.
Citroën has always prided itself on providing a cushy ride and comfy seats. The C3 Aircross ticks both of those boxes.
But the car is much more than that — it looks smart, drives well, is nicely equipped, and with a starting price of £21,105 (Dec 25), is keenly priced.
It’s basically a slightly larger and slightly higher riding version of the Citroën C3, but it’s designed to appeal to folk who prefer something that offers greater versatility — you can even get a 7-seater if you stick with conventional power rather than the battery model.
Trim levels, range and performance
Citroen keeps things simple when it comes to trims, with only two to choose from — Plus and Max. Power options are also straightforward: fully electric, petrol or hybrid.
The fully electric model is available with an extended range option, which adds about 60 miles to the range, topping out at close to 250 miles. Power equates to 112bhp, while 0-60mph takes 11.7 seconds with the standard battery or 13.0 seconds for the heavier extended range battery version. Your top speed is 89mph, which, to be fair, is sufficient for a car which’ll spend a lot of time on urban roads.
The petrol models both use a 3-cylinder 1.2 litre engine, which sounds rather nice. The hybrid version gets an automatic gearbox as standard. Without the aid of hybrid power, you’re looking at 99bhp, but add some extra hybrid boost via a small electric motor, and you rise to 134bhp. As for performance, the standard 1.2 litre model hits 60mph in 12.5 seconds and has a top speed of 111mph. The hybrid is livelier, with 0-60mph coming up in 9.1 seconds and maximum speed climbing to 125mph.
As for economy, Citroën estimates the non-hybrid model can reach around 50mpg while the hybrid should stretch that to 57mpg. Citroën also reckons the hybrid version can manage up to 50 per cent of its journeys using battery power alone…assuming you’re not constantly driving on motorways. There’s a fair bit of whine from the electric motor. It’s not intrusive, but you know it’s busily working away in the background.
If you intend to use the C3 Aircross on a regular basis with more than just two people on board, I’d recommend the hybrid model. It bumps up the price to £26,565 (Dec 25), but you need to factor in that it only comes in the top-level Max trim. Still decent value though.
Driving experience
Out on the road, no surprise that this latest Citroën is a smooth operator. It floats along serenely, with only the biggest potholes causing any sort of thump to the interior. The comfy seats do their job and are worthy of special praise. The steering wheel has a flattened lower edge, meaning you can have a fairly high seating position without the need to lift the steering wheel and, therefore, potentially obscure speed or fuel readouts.
The 6-speed DCT gearbox is sometimes a bit slow to react, which means on occasion, when pulling out from a junction, for example, there’s a slight pause before you move forward after hitting the accelerator. It’s something which affects a lot of these gearboxes and just requires a bit of anticipation.
Interior
The interior is a smart mix of soft plastics and various fabrics. The heating controls get their own row of physical buttons (good) and the 10.25-inch central touchscreen works well and responds quickly to any prods. There’s a surprising amount of room. Okay, if you go for the 7-seater, the rear seats are probably only for children and you lose most of the boot space, but they’re a handy thing if you have a growing family or do a regular school run.
Parking is a doddle because, as you can see from the photos, the C3 Aircross has quite a boxy shape. It’s easy to place on the road, and every model gets rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera.
As for what you get for your money, Plus trim gives you all of the essentials such as LED headlights, powered windows and mirrors, head-up driver display, auto wipers, air con, DAB radio, cruise control and smartphone connectivity.
Move up to Max trim, and you’ll add heated front seats, front and side parking sensors, heated steering wheel, heated windscreen and wireless phone charger — all for a further £2,000. It makes the car feel a tad more special and is probably worth the additional outlay, but the Plus trim is perfectly acceptable.
Concluding thoughts
The Citroën C3 Aircross is one of the most surprising cars I’ve driven in 2025. It’s a different-looking SUV, and I particularly like the optional two-tone paint job. It’s perfect for the job for which it has been designed. In other words, it’ll be an ideal family runabout and general workhorse. It’s no flying machine, but I don’t mind that, as it’s not intended to be.
The battery model is great value when compared to other electric cars, and there’s an option of excellent economy from the entry-level petrol model, which also represents excellent value. The hybrid offers more performance and will suit anyone who regularly travels 4-up or with a decent load in the boot. You can also get seven seats.
It’s worth mentioning that Citroën operates an extended warranty programme, which means, if you get the car serviced as per the schedule, you can have cover for up to 8 years / 100,000 miles. Surprising Citroën, predictable comfort.
words: Graham Courtney
pictures: Citroën
