[INDIAFIRST]

While Citroen has committed few strategic errors in their bid for a low price point, they deserve to bounce back. Cars are basically sorted only need to increase the bouqet of features. I repeat their basics are sorted. Indian public suffers from recency effect- we will soon forget the initial gaps.

[The Pianist]

Visited a Citroen showroom for a test drive.

They did not have a C3 aircross AT for test drive, neither a C3 turbo.
Executive promptly took my number for a call back to arrange the same in the evening . Waiting for that call since 5 days.

Having a soft corner for the French brand, the customer service gaps are a big let down.
Hope they iron out such issues soon.

In comparison, Nexa showroom was prompt to get back to me to schedule a Jimny test drive with in two days of my showroom visit.

[Raghav07]

AT will make this car slightly more popular in the Indian market, but there are some key things missing which they can add in the facelift or future updates.

-LED Headlights and Taillamps(both are halogen now)
-Automatic AC

[Durango Dude]

Did a TD of the C3 Aircross Automatic just 1/2 hr back. Came back impressed by the sorted/mature suspension, chiller A/C, Great view all round. and space on offer. Did the TD with 5 on board plus 2 toddlers and it pulled cleanly and the reverse camera is acceptable. It didn't look too cheap on the inside. I was impressed how well the 17" wheels filled the wheel arches. Boot also was enough at 444 litres and was cavernous. Brake bite can be better and when starting of from a stand still felt like it would stall due to the turbo taking time to spool up. All pics with iPhone 11 Pro Max.

[gck_tourer]

https://www.rushlane.com/citroen-c3-...-12490000.html


Good news coming in for Citroen and prospective customers. These features are welcome addition to the newly launched AT. They must be listening to the market. This list of features includes everything we need and coming in without any price hike is great.

[h3mnzu]

Originally Posted by vzvish91

Why would 1 choose this over Ertiga/XL6 top automatic variant...

Quite clearly, no one would. It also means, Citroen is aiming for other buyers. Urban and sophisticated seems to do justice. Also, those who have been in the Marutis and Jeeps and Innovas and are eyeing for something different, yet best with the basics.

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

The car has missed some crucial features. Keyless entry, engine stop/start, ACC, 6 airbags, and cruise control have become the bare essentials for buyers in this segment...

What is included already costs a bomb. So why ask for more? We don't need a 60L car. If we already are driving a car with all features, then I guess moving up a segment would be better than aiming for a people mover.

Originally Posted by guptad42

Then why not stretch the Brezza by 15-20cm...

...and launch it as Brezza Max or Brezza+ or something.

...add 'boss mode' features like rear seat recline that are easy to do.

This Brezza Max/+ will be hardly 50-75K more than the Brezza.

Long wheelbase editions are welcome but adding a D pillar would strain the frugal 1500cc higher displacement maruti engine. But then Maruti would have to charge 60k just for the Alloy wheels, and I guess a reclining rear seat would have a very few takers among Maruti customers. Usually such folks get caravans or heavy D-sedans. I hope such BrezzaProMax+-%><= doesn't cost over 1 Cr for such mechanical inclusions. Forget greek, naming the variants alone will make the marketing creatives run amok with YankeeZulu_TauPhi_WhiskeyLima_PorFavor. But yes, whatever they make will sell by dozens per hour 365 days a year for decades. Pun intended, readers, please take it lightly.

Originally Posted by StormShadow

At first I went to ______ to see the price difference between what I consider the 7 seater MUV...

The thing that's going on for Citroen is
1. Better Engine
2. Better Suspension
3. Marginal space difference cause of slightly bigger dimensions inside (?).

I honestly am fed up with the comparison websites. When they omit simple specs like fuel variants, it gets on my nerves. They parse datasheets and often wrongfully. A huge gap remains in this side of the auto-tech. Almost it's the crevasse enroute Mt. Everest. These websites barely understand the underlying emotion or a technical need for critical decision making by the way of comparing specs.

You mention the three advantages of Citroen. It's far more simple reason to convert (for those who are skeptical about the French).

Originally Posted by StormShadow

I agree with this, but I felt like the car was marginally bigger when I test drove it...

...Still like I said in the end it's only a true contender if someone wants an enthusiastic petrol AT...

Maybe they have opted to go slow with the launch. Purposefully excluding features, which I believe they have aplenty in their arsenal. What remains to be seen is how many dealerships they manage to get in tier 2/3 cities and prompt serviceability along major highways by way of towing or rushing diagnostic teams and a backup vehicle to a breakdown spot.

In my knowledge, simply loaning a backup vehicle to an aggrieved breakdown customer within 12 hours of breakdown would generate word of mouth publicity towards their cost of ownership and customer loyalty. Service standards are already going down pan India, even for Toyota and costly new-generation Marutis.

[psmenon]

I took a test drive of the C3 Aircross AT variant along with many other cars on the same day and I am in love with the car.

Engine felt more comfortable than hyryder which I rode just before driving the C3 Aircross. The car lacked a lot of features - Yes, but the suspension and engine took the stands. Engine note on my test drive car was good and did not feel like it was crying in pain when pushed hard.

I am driving a Renault duster and C3 Aircross felt like a perfect car for me. The rear portion of the car felt similar to Rivian R1 to my eyes.

Not giving six airbags was a deterrent for pursuing the purchase.

16L on road in Kerala (Thrissur) felt a good deal for me - I am sure the showroom was open for negotiations.

[Lalvaz]

Just got back from a Test Drive of the C3 Aircross. They finally got around to getting a Test drive car for me after 6-7 calls. TD Vehicle was the Max variant with 5+2 config with Auto transmission.

The salesperson was surprisingly knowledgeable and candid in explaining both the strengths and weaknesses of the package, and was very enthusiastic in letting me taking a decent test drive.

Here are my initial impressions:

Engine: The 1.2 liter 3 cylinder engine is punchy and decently refined. It masks the NVH very well upto about a 100 kmph (empty car), picks up speed well in a controlled manner and feels very eager to rev. Makes it very drivable in city conditions.

Suspension: This is the real star of the show. The salesperson encouraged me to push the car a little harder on broken tarmac, explaining that I shouldn't slow down to a crawl like I would with a conventional car. He explained very proudly the Magic carpet ride, and how the suspension was the strongest point of this vehicle. The car was well equipped with 215/60/17 inch Ceat tyres, which were surprisingly high on comfort, low on noise and decently grippy in the Mumbai rain drenched roads. The spare tyre is also a full sized alloy wheel, unlike the smaller sized tyres in other vehicles.

Interiors: The interiors are decently appointed, but some omissions are glaring in a 2024 vehicle. Coming from a 14 year old Maruti Swift, which has the typical el cheapo interiors, but still managed to get power window controls at the drivers fingertips and at each of the doors back in 2010. The Citroen in 2024 has only the front window controls at the drivers side, while the rear window controls are only below the handbrake. Funnily enough the lock window button is snuggled in a totally different place to the right hand bottom of the steering wheel. That apart, the car had all the other creature comforts such as steering mounted controls, touchscreen with apple carplay and android auto, It did not have a wireless charger or a Sunroof, both of which aren't deal breakers for me. Seats were well appointed, very comfortable, and had decent cushioning. The steering wheel was height adjustable, although it couldn't be adjusted for reach. No USB C ports, No rear AC vents in the 5 seater, even the 7 seater just gets the air blower on the rooftop.

Space It felt very spacious inside, with a huge boot, and good legroom, heck even the engine bay felt very spacious and not cramped unlike some of the smaller cars.

Safety Safety is unknown, I would have been very reassured if Citroen had put it for BNCAP testing and if it had fared well therein. The lack of any test results coupled with the 0 star rating for the e C3 by GNCAP does scare me and other potential buyers.

Price Surprisingly I think the price is too high, even though discounts of 1 lac are available. However, I think the Hyundai Creta is more VFM than this, atleast in the current avatar. I do hope that the price is further reduced in the facelift which is expected shortly, OR the other drawbacks are quickly addressed to make it truly a worthwhile competitor to the Creta.

On the whole, I did enjoy the Test drive immensely. The car was very easy to drive, and handled well. I did not think it had many fundamental issues, but I do wish Citroen pays more attention to the safety rating of the car, as also the window buttons, rear AC vents, etc resolved.

[jinojohnt]

Originally Posted by Raghav07

AT will make this car slightly more popular in the Indian market, but there are some key things missing which they can add in the facelift or future updates.

-LED Headlights and Taillamps(both are halogen now)
-Automatic AC

After getting a chance to drive the Hycross at night, I am not a big fan of LED headlamps anymore, because 'almost' all LEDs are white and they just serve to blind the on-coming traffic while you wonder whether your headlight is really on (especially during rains). If only we had headlight LED with a color temperature of around 3000/3200K just like the halogen lights !
Led tail lights and Automatic AC are welcome though.

[Raghav07]

Originally Posted by jinojohnt

If only we had headlight LED with a color temperature of around 3000/3200K just like the halogen lights !

Completely agree. Maybe in the future, there would be headlight settings for LED's for overall brightness with the color temp you mentioned.

[jinojohnt]

From what I understand, the C3 and the C3 Aircross are going to get almost all the features that are expected in the respective segments. One more in the wishlist is a 360 degree camera, which is quite standard for these segments nowadays.

[Joe367]

Originally Posted by Lalvaz

Interiors: The Citroen in 2024 has only the front window controls at the drivers side, while the rear window controls are only below the handbrake.

No USB C ports, No rear AC vents in the 5 seater, even the 7 seater just gets the air blower on the rooftop.

I did not think it had many fundamental issues, but I do wish Citroen pays more attention to the safety rating of the car, as also the window buttons, rear AC vents, etc resolved.

It seems Citroen finally fixed most of the issues in the C3 and C3 Aircorss with the new models. They could've built a much better reputation for their cars, if launched the first model with these features. Anyways, better late than never.

[Varun7774]

I heard the Citroens Puretech 1.2 had the following issues:

1) Oil Degration
2) Contaminated Engine oil
3) Oil Immersed Belt issues

Did Citroen fix those in the Indian model?

Is that why they are not offering a 1 lakh km standard warranty on their engines?

Did anyone face any issues team, please guide here.

[Paritoshkalra]

Today I took a test drive for CITROEN BASALT today.

Positives:
- I really liked the ride quality of this vehicle. This is a big positive for this car.
- Engine and Gearbox Combo is also very good.
- Rear Seats are good.
- AC is really good.
- Car is very spacious.

Negatives:
- The Cruise Control is missing. Its available in under 10 lakhs cars these days.
- For my liking, the front row seats have very less under thigh support. This is a deal breaker for me. I can compromise on features, but I cannot compromise on my driving comfort.

Going further, I would like to take a test-drive and see the NEWLY UPDATED C3 AIRCROSS (which is now coming with 6 airbags). Need to observe the under-thigh support of the AIRCROSS.

To finalize my decision for buying CITROEN. Since the under-thigh support for Driver seat of this Basalt car is very less in comparison.
I need to decide between VW TAIGUN and C3 AIRCROSS.
Any idea when would the new 5 seater C3 Aircross with 6 Airbags be available??

[CarguyNish]

Originally Posted by Paritoshkalra

I need to decide between VW TAIGUN and C3 AIRCROSS.
Any idea when would the new 5 seater C3 Aircross with 6 Airbags be available??

Go for Taigun with eyes closed. While C3 Aircross is good car, it isn't selling even with massive discounts. Car doesn't feel like it's worth 18 lakhs. Taigun although has it's shares of flaws too like Average AC and scratchy plastics, but it's better package in that segment. Go for 1.5 DSG as it's the better engine of the 2. I have Taigun 1.0 AT and while it's very good, the 1.5 is excellent. In fact, it's more refined, powerful and efficient than 1.0 TSI. It's available with discounts too, so check that.