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Citroen is going all-in on affordability. When it launched the new C3 it was hailed as the new-age affordable car to take the supermini crown. The axing of the Ford Fiesta had left a suitable hole that it was looking to fill. Now, its big sibling, the C3 Aircross, has arrived, with the same value positioning but with added practicality.

This second-generation crossover lands once again in the B-SUV segment. It is positioned as one of the cheapest propositions available, starting from just over £20,000 while kitted with a generous level of equipment. Only the Dacia Duster, in bare-bones Essential form, undercuts it at £18,000.

The Citroën’s low price, as with the smaller C3, is partly down to Stellantis’s new cost-saving architecture called ‘Smart Car’ – the new model makes the switch from the PFA1 platform, which dates back to the Peugeot 206.

The C3 Aircross line-up opens with Plus spec from £20,240 – £2500 more than the smaller C3 – and rising to £25,740 for the Max trim; here you’ll find luxuries like heated seats. Unlike other Citroën models, no basic You! trim is offered in the UK, although its value standing suggests it could be added in the future.

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating:

Citroen C3 Aircross

Good

Great value with lots of standard equipment

Can be had with seven seats for less than £22,000

Bad

Interior looks nice but is cheap to the touch

Steering needs a bit of wrestling at speed

DESIGN & STYLING

Citroën thinks that buyers looking at the C3 Aircross will most likely be swayed by how it looks rather than how it drives, which explains its radical redesign.

The new generation car is a big departure from the car it replaces. Design boss Pierre Leclercq said the second generation car was – along with the new C3 – a clean sheet design that brings a different attitude to the segment. Citroen is expecting plenty of conquest sales.

As effectively a raised version of the C3, the C3 Aircross retains much of what makes its smaller sibling pretty. This includes the split headlight design, squared nose, and sculpted side panels. Differences are an extra bit of contrasting plastic under the numberplates.

In the flesh, it is quite a bold looking thing, and so has a presence on the road. The underbite design at the front is particularly striking, especially in Montana Green. Citroën’s new badge design also adds a classy touch. I personally prefer it to the smaller C3.

INTERIOR

Like the exterior, it’s a similar story inside, with our Max trim test car’s funky split dashboard that’s centered around a 10.25in touchscreen.

Naturally given the C3 Aircross’ value positioning, there is plenty of cheap plastic to be found, but Citroen has done a good job to lift the ambience. There are some nice looking materials such as the sofa-like fabric on the dashboard, however it does feel a tad cheap to the touch. There’s also ambient lighting and there are labels dotted around with inspirational slogans like “be cool/have fun”. The latter are a bit corny, but it adds a touch of fun to the cabin.

The touchscreen, although it’s supposedly new, feels rather last-generation and having to adjust the media volume via the touchscreen is impractical. It’s odd that a volume knob has been left out because elsewhere, there are physical switches and buttons, including for the heating and ventilation and to turn off the speed limit warning (which is far from infallible).

Instead of a traditional driver’s display, the information is projected onto a bar just underneath the base of the windscreen. It’s a neat solution that’s reminiscent of the old C4 Picasso, and it works better than the i-Cockpit in most Peugeots because the display is positioned high enough that you can easily see it over the small, square steering wheel.

The C3 Aircross has one more ace up its sleeve: it can be had with seven seats. At just 4.39m, it is the shortest seven seater on the market. Opting for the seven-seater version (a £765 option on Max trim) reduces the boot space from 460 litres to 330 (still 20 litres more than the C3 supermini) with the third row down, and the third row is obviously very tight, but it is quite a rare feature. Having said that, at £18,295 the Dacia Jogger is more commodious and cheaper still.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

The Smart Car platform allows for the fitment of both petrol and electric powertrains (the latter badged ë-C3 Aircross), and the C3 Aircross takes full advantage of this. Petrol buyers can choose from two setups, both with Stellantis’s ubiquitous turbocharged 1.2-litre ‘Puretech’ three-cylinder.

The entry-level model has 99bhp and a six-speed manual gearbox, or for a bit extra, you can upgrade to a 134bhp hybrid system with an electric motor integrated into the six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

It offers a very simplified driving experience with just one drive mode and a fixed level of regenerative braking. It’s able to drive on electric power for short distances and at lowish speeds.

When more power is called for the transition from electric to combustion drive is noticeable but not overly so. Performance is adequate for an entry-level crossover, but the accelerator response is a tad dull and the long gearing makes it feel somewhat sluggish. The kick-down could also be more responsive.

RIDE & HANDLING

Like the smaller C3, the Citroën’s Advanced Comfort seats are well bolstered and comfy on longer journeys but even on the top trim, the passenger seat doesn’t adjust for height.

The brand has embraced ride comfort in recent years, and that applies to the Aircross as well. It uses Citroën’s hydraulic bump stops for a soft ride to good effect, although Britain’s pockmarked roads might present more of a challenge than our Barcelona test route’s pristine roads. The soft suspension translates to generous body roll.

Although nice to handle, the new wheel lacks any real feedback, but has a nice weight around town. At speed, the wheel’s elasticated nature to recentre itself proves more of a problem, making it hard to place. This is especially true on a winding motorway section while overtaking.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

The new C3 Aircross offers excellent value in the segment. At £20,240, it is only beaten on price by the most bare-bones Duster that comes in at £18,000 – and the Romanian SUV doesn’t offer any type of infotainment in this guise.

The C3 Aircross line-up opens with Plus spec – £2500 more than the smaller C3 – and rising to £25,740 for the Max trim. In this top-rung guise you’ll find luxuries like heated seats. The trims mirror that in the ë-C3 Aircross.

VERDICT

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating:

Citroen C3 Aircross

Good

Great value with lots of standard equipment

Can be had with seven seats for less than £22,000

Bad

Interior looks nice but is cheap to the touch

Steering needs a bit of wrestling at speed

The new C3 Aircross is a comfortable, spacious, practical and easy to use family hauler, with the option to add a third row – even if those back seats aren’t really usable for longer journeys.

We liked the smaller C3, and we like its bigger sibling too. It is budget friendly and offers great equipment levels for that money. It also looks funky and the cabin is a genuinely nice place to be. Currently, for the price, there is little else that beats it. One to try.

Will Rimell

Title: News editor

Will is Autocar's news editor. His focus is on setting Autocar's news agenda, interviewing top executives, reporting from car launches, and unearthing exclusives.

As part of his role, he also manages Autocar Business – the brand's B2B platform – and Haymarket's aftermarket publication CAT.