autoX Awards 2023: Citroen C3 Aircross Performance, Quality and Value for Money Ranked

autoX Awards 2023: When I first drove the C3 Aircross, I was thoroughly impressed by it, despite not knowing its price at the time. Its specifications had said that it was powered by a 1.0-litre turbocharged engine, which made me a bit sceptical if it had enough power for a three-row SUV capable of seating seven people. But the moment that we hit the road, the Aircross proved to be a revelation. Its turbocharged engine offers a strong grunt in the mid-range, making it effortless to attain three-digit speeds. The steering has a decent feel, and it definitively confirms Citroën’s reputation for offering brilliant ride comfort, given its fantastic ride quality on broken roads.

In fact, the Aircross is a really competent product in terms of driving appeal and engagement. Moreover, its three rows of seating are notably practical, as reflected in our comfort and space rating. The clever removable seats in the last row are a thoughtful touch. The seats themselves are very well-designed and comfortable. As I mentioned, we didn’t know the price of the C3 Aircross when we first drove it, but when the prices were revealed, we found them to be quite fair for the product, as can be seen in our value-for-money rating.

Also Read: Citroen C3 Aircross Review: A Better SUV Than Hyundai Creta and Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara?

That said, the C3 Aircross does have a couple of areas where it falls short. The first is a notable lack of features, especially in today’s hyper competitive automotive market. Indian customers have now become accustomed to a plethora of features, making the absence of features like automatic climate control and LED headlights a discernible drawback. The lack of such features puts the Aircross at a disadvantage compared to its rivals. And second, the limited dealership network of Citroën across the vast expanse of our country restricts access to the Aircross, limiting its availability to a select group of customers. With a better feature set, the Citroen C3 Aircross could’ve made it to the top-five list or, at least, could have scored closer to them. But as it stands, it must settle for a commendable, but not exceptional, score.

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