[moto_rrevver]

I am in market in search for a family car, it was a nice option for me, I was waiting for the launch and after the launch I am amazed by the good reviews regarding the ride quality, engine and gearbox performance. I don't need fancy things like sunroof, 360° camera, auto headlight and wipers. I have riggear's after marked vetilated seat covers which works for me very well so I am not bothered about lack of ventilated seats but but but, cruise control is a deal breaker for me. Just a small miss and it is out of my consideration. I got to know there is a company named aha innovations, they have launched after market cruise control for every car and its plug and play. Want to know more about the same from you guys.

[ron178]

I think the Bapeppers would also do well to be renamed with the feature update. A mundane alphanumeric name like C3 just doesn’t have the kind of gravity “Basalt” does, especially when the product already doesn’t stand out.

These still aren’t cars one will buy just looking at a spec sheet — all Citroën have to do is get people to shortlist their cars and come drive them. Makes a strong case for GTO’s point that Citroën and Jeep should share showroom space (they are now starting “Stellantis Brand Houses” in some places).

I can’t adequately stress the importance of investing in GNCAP testing. People just don’t have the kind of confidence in BNCAP yet that they’ll be willing to accept a derivative of a 0-star car getting (fingers crossed) a 4 or a 5 overnight.

[ashutoshb]

To me, the Basalt looks more a threat to sedans than boxy crossovers.

If we look at the sub 4 metre sedan prices, most of them are b/w 6.5 - 10 lakh rupees. Basalt's variant list doesnt have a top variant for the 1.2 NA. But, there should be. If the base is 8 lakhs, top manual variant could be 10-10.5. Pretty close to the top end variants of the sub 4 metre sedans.

Similarly, the Ciaz, Virtus, Slavia might see some competition from the top end variant of the Basalt 1.2 Turbo petrol. The Basalt has now enough kit to be compared to the mid variants of these sedans.

And I dont think I have said this enough, there should be a torque converter for the 1.2 NA engine. It should have been there for the C3, and now for the Basalt as well.

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by Nanolover

I would like to remind all forum members that this base price is for the NA engine with hardly 82 hp. It will struggle to move this much bulk. So please bear in mind this fact.

If it was the turbo that was launched at this price, it would have been a steal,but that will never happen!

I agree with your point. And then Mahindra launched their 1.2 Ltr Turbo charged MPFi petrol 110 HP /200 NM Torque engine 3XO MX1 base model with an introductory price of INR 7.49 L. Ofcourse it is in compact SUV segment, but for a base / entry level car, it still boasts of disc brakes on all 4 wheels, driver arm rest, electronically operated ORVM, adjustable head rest for driver and all passenger seats, Tilt steering, 6 airbags, possibly 5* safety being a FL of XUV 300, Front height adjustable seat belt, power windows, rear AC vent etc.

So, if Citroen wanted, they could have perhaps kept only the Turbo charges engines and not offered the NA engine with the same price or slightly higher price for the features they are offering in the base Basalt You variant.

An interesting feature I noticed with Basalt is the 3 step adjustable thigh support for comfortable seating for rear passengers. I thought about this from design aspect and this is what stuck me. Basalt is touted as a Coupe SUV and the head room for the rear passengers is severly restricted due to the sloping coupe shape roof at the rear. Now when you raise the thigh support, the rear passengers actually plonck "into the seat" rather than "on the seat". Just lift your legs and lean back and you notice that you slump a little instead of sitting upright. Is this a clever ploy by the citroen designers to accomodate taller passengers in the rear seat by ploncking them into the seat and thus an inch or two advantage is gained. Try it and see. lift your legs and lean back a little, your head could be an inch or two lower than when you are sitting upright. Interesting design element though

I am dilly dallying between the Basalt base model NA engine and the Mahindra 3XO MXI. Personally I liked the Mahindra 3XO interior ambience better than the C3 / C3 aircross interior ambience. I believe Basalt shall carry similar ambience as in C3. Plastic quality could have been better and some finer aspects have been overlooked, probably cost cutting measures.

[shortbread]

Originally Posted by Nanolover

I would like to remind all forum members that this base price is for the NA engine with hardly 82 hp. It will struggle to move this much bulk. So please bear in mind this fact.

Originally Posted by VRSriram

Seems many are getting carried away by pricing for base model with underpowered NA engine and minimum features.

The purpose of the introductory price isn't to sell one a base white Citroen Basalt but to lure people into their dormant showrooms. Then hopefully sell a 12 lac turbo variant. If they say the turbo starts at 10.99 Lacs, both the showrooms and perhaps this thread will both become dormant.

[AMG1]

Its good to support a new entrant/underdog but being ignorant isnt a bliss! Old school enthusiasts who love the 'raw manuals', 'simple, basic, electronics free cars', 'scoff at sunroofs' and 'need involving drive to attack every corner' are lesser than the very endangered lions in India. Their expectations of a mass market car are just not aligned either with 'aam majority car buying junta' or with the serious carmakers now. Nowdays, most of the car enthusiasts have evolved from loving the basic mechanicals to cars with features along with the kitchen sink plus 'involving drive'- la i20 Nline or Creta Nline.

Example- Skoda Kushaq, the beloved of enthusiasts is quite a naked car (infront of Creta featurewise) and it sells in 1 year, what a Creta sells in 1 month, give or take a few thousands) with sales decreasing yearly basis, opposite of whats happening to Creta! So, features now play a significant role whether one likes or not. Take the example of Honda Elevate, another naked car- sells poorly. XUV300 got its shot of ADAS, pano roofs and much more, and it now it sells for 9000-10,000 units regularly from mid 3000s earlier. Heck even Marutis sport 360 camera and HUDs.

See how TATAs or Mahindras are now equipped with so many features and many times more than a Hyundai too- and they are doing exceptionally well. Consumers dont want a tough, extremely reliable but basic Nokia phone, they crave for smartphones with even bigger screens and more cameras than the very fingers on palms! Citroen is launching a great product but so were the basic Triber, Datsun Go/Redido, Etios/Liva, C3, C3 Aircross and many more! Most of them were great handlers too but did they sell? No. Will the Basalt realise its potential? Not like this being so naked.

As Phoenix rightly put, if the real truly raw Thar can now go on to sport ADAS, pano roofs and what not! so can these European car makers atleast offer parity features- and in 2024, cruise control is a parity so is keyless entry or even a sunroof- atleast for mid variants/top ends. Thats what seem to be drawing footfalls in showrooms since couple of years.

Now, another view to my points stated, I gather from blogs/reports, that Citroen India is already making profits due to engines/parts exports and they may need not chase huge volumes as targets and Basalt with its space and price can become an excellent fleet car and may even actually sell more than its siblings but Citroen is taking a very myopic unsustainable view if their strategy is extrapolated for long term. They pose a serious risk of becoming a maker of cheap low end cars in India- brand image wise, a la Renault and in turn when they want, they may find a big challenge in selling cars in more expensive/premium segments.

Now lets see the latest sales figures of Citroens- it gets beaten by even Mercedes, BMW and Audis. I am sure, in terms of sales, they will be competing Porsche in sales soon enough with such naked cars!

[VRSriram]

Originally Posted by shortbread

The purpose of the introductory price isn't to sell one a base white Citroen Basalt but to lure people into their dormant showrooms. Then hopefully sell a 12 lac turbo variant. If they say the turbo starts at 10.99 Lacs, both the showrooms and perhaps this thread will both become dormant.

Market has moved much ahead and Citroën is still some 10 years behind. Even though they have improved some feature list they have still not given features that should have been standard... Whatever be the purpose of introductory, it is still for a base model. And knowing Citroën they would have removed essential feature list even for base model.

[Straight6_N54]

Citroen has invested nearly 11,000 crores in the C3 platform in india, they are surely staying for a while. Among all the german and Japanese cars in my garage,
the features i barely use are sun roof and cruise control, simply because of our climate conditions and stop and go traffic. Not having them in Basalt shouldn’t be a con.

We need more brands and competition to keep Koreans, Tata and mahindra in check. Koreans have upped the game, though our indian brands are progressing radpidly, the after sales and quality control is horrible in Tata and Mahindra.

New prices of C3 Aircross is very attractive. While no one gives torque converter gearbox these days, Citroen is providing fantastic driving experience.

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by shortbread

The purpose of the introductory price isn't to sell one a base white Citroen Basalt but to lure people into their dormant showrooms. Then hopefully sell a 12 lac turbo variant. If they say the turbo starts at 10.99 Lacs, both the showrooms and perhaps this thread will both become dormant.

I concur with your views. The introductory price is always to generate an interest and lure the potential customers to the showroom where only the high-end variants are at display and available for test drive. The conversion from base model to a middle or top variant is astounding.

I don't appreciate nor enjoy a sun roof in the car. It's a purely personal choice. I am a senior citizen and old school, as they say.

The other day while test driving a Mahindra 3XO, the dealership provided me a 2nd Top variant, the AX5 L that was loaded with features that included sunroof. I wasn't interested in this feature loaded car but having no option I took the car for a spin with SA. During the 15-20 minutes spent test driving the car, the sales advisor opened the sunroof, allowed the cool breeze and bright sunlight inside the cabin and made it feel so airy and nice that I almost fell for it and decided that, this is the model I want. The 20 minutes spent with the SA changed a lot of perspective. They are there to sell their car and they do it pretty well.

Another ploy is that the SA keeps harking that base variant takes 6-8 months for delivery and new prices at the time of delivery will be applicable while the top variant is available right off the shelf. You could drive off in a new top variant car by next week. They put forth a very juicy proposition that a weak hearted cannot refuse.

Anyways, I used to laugh at the SA and tell him in his face that the introductory offer on the base variant is nothing but a gimmick and publicity stunt and is only done to lure customers to the showroom. They too laugh, because they know both of us are right & aware of the dynamics of this trade

[Vinod_nair]

Base price is yummy for such a large SUV, hope it comes with AC and front PW PS, at the least, unlike Maruti the market leader who don't have AC in many of their base model

Buy it take it to Karol Bagh, and load it up.

[userAditya]

What the realistic mileage number expected in city? If its below 15, I doubt any budget constraint buyer should consider it.

I hate it how single digit mileage numbers have been normalised.

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by userAditya

What the realistic mileage number expected in city? If its below 15, I doubt any budget constraint buyer should consider it.

I hate it how single digit mileage numbers have been normalised.

Turbo petrol engine fuel efficiency varies drastically from city driving to highway driving. I was surprised to hear that in some cases, the highway fuel efficiency is double that of city fuel efficiency. He said the FE in city is 9 Kmpl while on highway it's as high as 18 Kmpl.

I have heard about this from more than one Turbo petrol car owner on internet (YouTube) that in city, the Turbo petrol engine FE is very dismal while it shines through in highway driving.

Considering what I have gathered from owners of Turbo petrol engine cars, the FE in city for such cars is expected to be way less than 15, however hard one might try.

The naturally aspirated petrol engines fare better in this regard that there is no such huge difference in FE in city and highway driving.

[Asoon]

Originally Posted by Nanolover

I would like to remind all forum members that this base price is for the NA engine with hardly 82 hp. It will struggle to move this much bulk. So please bear in mind this fact.

If it was the turbo that was launched at this price, it would have been a steal,but that will never happen!

Still there will be demand pockets in Indian buyer audience who would appreciate VFM offering over driving feel. Think this competing with Punch / Exter / Wagon R, if I was in the market for Punch I would have picked this over any thing in that range.

Plus the the target segment for this product will be someone who is not bothered about the power but looking for a big car at small price. We have witnessed underpowered car taking markets just because of the overall package [Triber, Ertiga, Dzire)

[EasyRider Suraj]

Citroen is marketing their brand to relatively middle class people who wants to appear upper middle class. This is bad for brand image and very short sighted strategy.

[Ays7]

5 Stars for the review. As for the car, this price point will attract a lot of attention, especially people who are cross - shopping between entry level segments. I am sure this will atleast create brand awareness if not anything else.

I have personally seen and know people who will rather buy a base version of a car from one segment up than a fully loaded car from lower version. This car will certainly attract those kinds of buyers.