In this review
Passenger & boot space
How it copes with people and clutter
Front space
We’d recommend avoiding the C3 Aircross’s optional panoramic glass roof if you’re tall or plan on carrying any passengers who are. Yes, it floods the interior with light, but it badly compromises head room to the point that anyone much taller than 6ft might struggle to fit.
You’re unlikely to complain about leg room, though, and there are plenty of cubbies dotted around for stashing keys, coins and phones. You’ll also find a couple of good-size cupholders in front of the gearlever.
Rear space
The optional panoramic roof compromises head room in the back even more than it does in the front. The C3 Aircross also has less rear knee room than the Seat Arona and Kia Stonic.
That said, it’s relatively comfortable for three adults sitting side by side, because the seats are mounted quite high up and there’s no hump in the floor for the central passenger to straddle. The rear door pockets are fairly small, though.
Seat folding and flexibility
If you tick the right option boxes, this is one area in which the C3 Aircross can utterly shame its rivals. While the usual 60/40-split folding rear seats are standard across the range, Flair trim gets reclining rear seats that form a sliding rear bench, allowing you to prioritise boot space or rear knee room as you wish. This feature is optional on Feel and Origins trims.
As part of the optional Family Pack, the range-topping Flair model is also available with a folding front passenger seat for those occasions when you need to carry really long items, such as flatpack furniture or a ladder. It’s a shame this can’t be added to lower trim levels, though, and passenger seat height adjustment isn’t offered at all.
Boot space
If you want a small SUV but need a big boot, the C3 Aircross is as good as it gets. Its load bay is longer and taller than the Arona’s, so you can fit more clobber into it.
In fact, we managed to load six carry-on suitcases fairly easily. The Arona swallowed five, while the Hyundai Kona managed just four. The one minor issue is that the C3 Aircross has a fairly narrow boot by class standards.
All versions come with a false boot floor, so there’s no lip at the entrance and no annoying step in the floor of the extended load bay when you drop down the rear seats.
