Citroën C3 Aircross review

We’d recommend avoiding the C3 Aircross’s optional panoramic roof if you’re tall yourself or plan on carrying anyone who is. Yes, it floods the interior with light, but it badly compromises head room to the point that anyone much taller than 6ft may 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-sized cupholders in front of the gearlever.

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 key rivals, such as the Seat Arona and Kia Stonic.

That said, it’s actually (relatively) comfortable for three adults sitting side by side, because the seats are mounted quite high up and the person sitting in the middle doesn’t have to straddle a chunky transmission tunnel. The rear door pockets are fairly small, though.

This is one area where the C3 Aircross utterly shames its rivals. Reclining rear seats are standard, while a sliding rear bench is optional on mid-level Feel trim and standard on range-topping Flair, allowing you to prioritise boot space or rear knee room as you wish.

The C3 Aircross 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. The only disappointment is that you can’t add height adjustment for the front passenger seat.

As with nearly all cars in this class, you get 60/40 split-folding rear seats for those trips to the tip.

If you want a small SUV but you need a big boot, the C3 Aircross is as good as it gets. Its load bay is longer and taller than an Arona’s so you can fit more clobber in it.

In fact, we managed to load six carry-on suitcases fairly easily. The Arona only swallowed five, while the Hyundai Kona managed just four. The one minor issue is that the C3 Aircross does have 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 the rear seats.