Citroën C3 Aircross review

If you’re in the market for a small SUV, there’s a good chance that you like an elevated driving position. If that is the case, you’ll enjoy the one in the Citroën C3 Aircross, because even with its driver’s seat set to the lowest position, you’re a few centimetres higher above the road than you are in the Seat Arona or Skoda Kamiq.

As part of a recent refresh, Citroën introduced its Advanced Comfort Seats to the C3 Aircross, and while we’re yet to try them in this model, they impressed us in the bigger C5 Aircross, feeling soft like a favourite armchair while still offering support in all the key places.

On the other hand, it’s really annoying that the only way to operate the C3’s climate control is to go through the infotainment touchscreen. Even tweaking the interior temperature requires you to visit a specific menu and stab away at the screen repeatedly, which is fiddly and distracting.

Forward visibility in the Citroën C3 Aircross is good, helped by the lofty driving position. However, over-the-shoulder vision is less impressive – particularly if you opt to customise your car with decals on the rear three-quarter glass area.

At least all versions get rear parking sensors to help with manoeuvring, while a rear-view camera is an option on Shine and Shine Plus models.

The touchscreen you get in the Citroën C3 Aircross (7.0in on entry-level cars, 9.0in on pricier models) doesn’t have the contrast or crispness in its graphics you might hope for. Meanwhile, the delay between pressing an icon on the display and anything actually happening is often long enough for you to make a cup of tea.

The menu layout isn’t particularly user-friendly, either, although you do get a DAB radio, a USB port, Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone mirroring. Shine and Shine Plus cars also come with sat-nav.

There’s more to get excited about inside the Citroën C3 Aircross than in most small SUVs. From the Art Deco air vents to the silver accents below the touchscreen, everything has been designed to be interesting to look at rather than purely functional.

You can even choose from various colour schemes if you’re prepared to pay extra, including tan-and-black dashboard and seats, or grey seats with red highlights on the dashboard. Just bear in mind that the quality of the interior plastics is no better than you'll find in the Seat Arona or Skoda Kamiq, while fit and finish are slightly worse.