The Citroen C3 Aircross has undergone something of a transformation, morphing from high-riding runabout to compact SUV - and one that’s offered with seven seats, at that. It’s now available in electric form, too, and while you can read about that in our e-C3 Aircross review, this road test is dedicated to the hybrid version.
Complementing the e-C3 Aircross with the flexibility of petrol power and an electric motor for low speeds and light loads, the hybrid has plenty going for it on paper, so will it prove more appealing than its electric sibling where it matters: on the road?
What does the new Citroen C3 Aircross Hybrid look like?
The new C3 Aircross is nothing if not a departure from the trend set by its predecessor. Where that was a curvy, compact urban SUV with a focus on funkiness, the new model is a bit more grown up in every sense. It’s considerably larger, for starters, with a much bigger footprint and a taller, bulkier stature.
It has also adopted Citroen’s latest design language, with the narrow grille panel, oversized new-shape Citroen logo and the LED daytime running lights. It’s offered in some really smart colours, too, including a contrasting roof colour. Overall, the look is modern and cool, although we’re still unconvinced by the headlights that look a little fragmented.
A look inside the Citroen C3 Aircross Hybrid
The new C3 Aircross complements its fresh external look with a new interior, although the emphasis is clearly on space and comfort above all other considerations. And there’s plenty of space, thanks to the C3 Aircross’s growth spurt.
Customers can choose whether they want a five- or seven-seat version of the Citroen, which is a rarity in this class, although those extra seats come with a bit of a trade-off.
For starters, they aren’t all that commodious, and accessing them requires a little light contortion, especially if you’re tall. Once you’re in, space is at a premium in terms of legroom and headroom, and the shallow floor doesn’t leave much space for your feet, either. But kids or small adults can fit in there if needs be.
The bigger problem is that the seats eat into the boot space available. While a 460-litre luggage capacity in the five-seat car is respectable, the 330 litres offered in the seven-seater is a bit miserable. Even when the seats are folded away, the boot is smaller than that of a VW Polo. Raise them, and the boot effectively vanishes, with the back rests right up against the tailgate.
So, unless you really need the flexibility of those extra seats, it’s probably best to stick with the five-seater, which is quite a roomy thing. There’s ample space for four adults in the cabin, with leg- and headroom that’s more than acceptable in the back.
For those in the front, the C3 Aircross’s dashboard is modern, but not especially flashy, despite the relatively large touchscreen and the digital instrument display. Due to a Peugeot-like design decision, the display lives high above the tiny steering wheel, but the only other major items of note are the climate control panel and the fabric panel that runs across the dash.
Although the fabric is quite tactile, the materials on show are quite cheap in places, with some unpleasant plastics used. Generally speaking, however, it’s all fairly well put together and we’re fans of the decision to keep proper buttons for some of the safety tech and the climate control.
The Citroen C3 Aircross Hybrid’s on-board technology
Although the C3 Aircross is designed to be a cheap, no-nonsense family car, it still comes with a pretty large central touchscreen as standard, and there’s a digital instrument display that, for some reason, Citroen seems to conflate with a head-up display.
The technology is not exactly unremarkable, then, but it does sometimes make an impact for all the wrong reasons. Take the touchscreen, which is clearly designed to be simple, but in fact over-simplifies its task at times, hiding things away in a bid to clean up its menus. Sometimes, a more cluttered display would actually be more useful.
The same goes for the digital instrument display, which sits high above the tiny steering wheel. But it’s little more than a glorified trip computer, and though its display is fairly sharp and clear, it doesn’t offer the functionality you’ll get from some of the C3 Aircross’s rivals.
That said, the Citroen’s screens don’t dominate in the way you might expect, with proper buttons retained for some of the (legally mandated) safety systems and the climate control system. It isn’t perfect, but it’s an ergonomic improvement on some of Citroen and its sibling brands’ other efforts.
How safe is the Citroen C3 Aircross Hybrid?
Euro NCAP, the independent safety organisation in Europe, has not yet assessed the C3 Aircross, so there’s no definitive word on how safe it will be. However, the (largely unrelated) old C3 Aircross received a five-star rating, and we’re expecting the new model to follow suit. Certainly, the standard specification includes plenty of driver assistance systems to help keep you out of trouble. Lane departure warning, driver attention alert and an autonomous emergency braking system are all in there as standard, while more upmarket versions add blind-spot monitoring to the list.
How many child seats can you fit in a Citroen C3 Aircross Hybrid?
The C3 Aircross comes with two ISOFIX child seat mounting points - one on each of the outermost rear (or middle-row, depending on the configuration) seats - and thanks to the big doors, access is relatively simple. There’s also plenty of space between the two, so even bulky seats should fit in side by side.
How much does the Citroen C3 Aircross Hybrid cost in Ireland?
Citroen Ireland has not yet revealed prices for the C3 Aircross in any form - Hybrid or otherwise - but we’re expecting it to cost a bit more than the equivalent C3 models. That means we could be looking at prices starting around the €28,000-€29,000 mark for both the C3 Aircross and the electric e-C3 Aircross. Such a starting price would also put the car roughly level with the Dacia Jogger.
How fuel-efficient is the Citroen C3 Aircross Hybrid?
Combining a three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with a six-speed automatic gearbox and a 48-volt hybrid system, the 1.2-litre Hybrid 136 powertrain doesn’t sound much more exciting than some of the blandest mild-hybrids out there, almost all of which are effectively glorified stop-start systems.
In the C3 Aircross, though, the electric motor is gainfully employed for a surprising amount of time, particularly around town. It isn’t the quietest motor, whirring away under the car’s skin, but it does at least provide smooth and responsive propulsion at lower speeds. And at a higher pace, it helps the petrol engine to feel sharper and more tractable, even if the gearbox sometimes tries to get in the way.
The six-speed automatic is not Citroen’s finest, and it’s the biggest problem with the C3 Aircross, but even that only really becomes distractingly difficult now and then. When it does trip over itself, it’s usually at a roundabout or T-junction, or some other inopportune spot, where it takes a while to sort itself out alongside the petrol engine and electric motor.
On the move, though, the gearbox is a bit better, and that allows the hybrid system’s talents to shine through. It may not be the quietest hybrid system out there, but the petrol engine is very smooth, and at times you need the colour-shifting numbers on the dashboard to tell you whether it’s running or not. They go white when the petrol engine is turning and stay blue when you’re on electric power alone.
Even when you really put your foot down, the system stays relatively refined. Yes, the petrol engine makes more noise, but it isn’t the same unpleasant mooing sound you get from many four-cylinder hybrids. Instead, it’s a kind of thrum that feels perky and characterful, without being irritating.
Obviously, the main point of the hybrid system is efficiency, and as part of that, the C3 Aircross Hybrid is only available in front-wheel-drive form. Don’t go expecting any off-road ability, but you will burn between five and six litres of unleaded every 100km on the road, especially on a longer run. It isn’t ground-breaking economy, but it’s solid for something so bulky and so spacious.
Driving the Citroen C3 Aircross Hybrid
The hybrid powertrain doesn’t just impact the way the C3 Aircross stops and goes - it also has an impact on the way the car drives. Compared with the e-C3 Aircross, the Hybrid feels lighter and more agile, with a little less wooliness about its steering. As a result, and despite the fact the e-C3 is theoretically better suited to urban driving, the C3 Aircross Hybrid is the more pleasant of the two cars to drive around town.
And it’s better on a country road, too, even though no version of the C3 Aircross is exactly sporty. But the hybrid’s body feels slightly keener to follow the steering into a corner. It still likes to lean a lot, though.
That’s because the C3 Aircross is designed for comfort, and all models get the French firm’s ‘Advanced Comfort Suspension with Progressive Hydraulic Cushions’. That’s just a fancy way of saying ‘soft suspension’ and it allows the C3 Aircross to soak up most of the bumps, even if it isn’t quite as comfortable as Citroen might claim. The ride in the hybrid isn’t quite as stodgy as it is in the electric version, either, and it’s at its best at higher speeds, but it copes well enough around town. Bumps in the road will make their presence felt, but it never gets too jagged.
The reasons you’d buy a Citroen C3 Aircross Hybrid
If you like the C3 Aircross’s style, space and price tag, the hybrid system under the bonnet is unlikely to put you off. More flexible than the e-C3 Aircross over long distances yet still highly efficient and comfortable, it’ll tick lots of boxes for those buying a relatively compact family SUV. And the option of seven seats only adds to that appeal.
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