The Nissan Juke is about to get a big headache.
French automaker Citroën has pulled the wraps off of its latest addition to the range, the C3 Aircross. Designed to replace the existing C3 Picasso mini-MPV, and furthers the marques’ push into the SUV market.
An MPV no longer, the C3 Aircross follows in Peugeot’s lead (where they ditched the 3008 and 5008 MPVs and repositioned them as SUVs with a new generation) and ditches the design language adopted by the ageing C3 MPV and dons a far more agreeable and current SUV body style. The marque is proud that the Aircross is a “people-minded SUV” that was designed around their customers, and hopes to lure buyers away from traditional compact-SUV contenders like the Nissan Juke and Honda HR-V.
The C3 Aircross was previewed just earlier this year as the C-Aircross concept, and if it wasn’t pointed out to us, we’d think we were still looking at the concept car. Citroën has seemingly taken the concept in its entirety and put it on sale, with only the removal of the Airbumps on the sides of the car being the sole notable alteration from its concept showing. It maintains the same funky exterior design of the concept that enamoured critics at the Geneva Motor Show this year, while offering up to 90 interior trim combinations to spice up the cabin.
A large seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system takes pride placement on the dash, which controls everything from the climate control to in-car entertainment. Notably, the C3 Aircross comes with ‘Grip Control’ on higher-end models, suggesting that this is a lot more than the usual high-riding urban runabout.
There are several engines on offer, in both petrol and diesel. Entry-level models in the UK will employ a PureTech 82 engine (1.2-litres, with 60kW/118Nm), which is joined by a PureTech 110 engine (also 1.2-litres, but with 80kW/204Nm) that is expected to command stronger sales. There will be a higher powered petrol joining the range at a later date, along with a couple of oilers in the form of the BlueHDi 100 (1.6-litres, 80kW/204Nm) and BlueHDi 120 (88kW & 300Nm, from the same displacement). The UK market will offer the oilers exclusively with a manual, while a 6-speed automatic transmission is offered on petrol-powered cars.
Practicality is impressive for this class of car, with up to 520-litres of space in the rear. Should you slide the rear bench backwards, expect to lose 90L of cargo room, but gain lots of knee room for passengers. Fold those seats down and you get 1289L of outright cargo capacity, further complemented by a flat-folding front seat should you need to carry really long items.
While exact specifications and trimlines have yet to be revealed, it is expected to largely carry over the existing structure from the outgoing C3 Picasso. Notable optional equipment include things like a heads-up display, autonomous emergency braking, and parking assist. Keyless entry and go, a reversing camera, smartphone mirroring and wireless charging is also expected to be offered as options (though we really think Apple CarPlay and Android Auto should be standard).
The C3 Aircross is, as yet, unconfirmed for the Australian market, although it’s been posited as a global model. Should it make a debut here, the
For more information on Citroën, check out our Showroom.
