Citroën C3 Aircross long-term test: report 4
Our videographer needed something small and efficient with space for his camera gear, can the latest Citroën C3 Aircross fit the bill?...
The Car Citroën C3 Aircross Hybrid 145hp automatic Run by: Tom Goodban, videographer
Why it’s here To see if Citroën's smallest SUV can be a videographers workhorse, combining practicality with efficiency
Needs to Ferry camera kit and crew to filming locations around the country whilst being efficient
Mileage 4761 List price £26,930 Price as tested £27,970 Official economy 53.3mpg Test economy 44.8mpg
9 June 2026 – Happy campers
If there’s one thing camping teaches you, it’s to appreciate all the creature comforts that we have in normal life. That was particularly true when I recently spent the weekend in a tent in Wales because, while the previous week had been glorious sunshine and heat, it rained almost none-stop and it turned out that our six man tent had more holes in it than the sieve in your kitchen cupboard.
What I needed from the Citroën C3 Aircross, then, was a dependable companion that made life a little easier when we needed respite from bailing water from the multiple swimming pools appearing in our bedrooms. And for the most part, it delivered.
In my last update, I talked about the 300-litre boot and how you have to be clever with your packing to get the most out of it. But, after applying our best Tetris skills, we managed to fit a six-man tent, four sleeping bags, three large packs, two camping stoves, a foldable fire pit and two camp beds into the boot.
That’s no mean feat, and the sheer amount of stuff meant that we needed to tie it all down, but it allowed us to take more kit than the three of us really needed. I can’t tell you how much we appreciated that fire pit at night.
With all that and three fully grown adults in the car, I’m glad that I went for the more powerful Hybrid 145 engine in the C3, because it had no problems pulling us along and still felt sufficiently spritely even with its heavy load. Given that the lesser 99bhp Turbo 100’s official 0-62mph sprint of 12.5 seconds is already 3.4 seconds slower than my car’s, I’m not sure it would have coped with the strain.
Considering we’ve never praised the C3’s ride, it isn’t great that being weighed down by lots of kit didn’t help things, causing it to thud even more over scarred Welsh roads. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but rivals like the Dacia Jogger or Skoda Kamiq would have been better in that respect.
I’d have also liked the front heated seats to be a little more powerful. Sure, it’s great to have them when you’re jumping in the car after a fairly chilly hike, but even on their highest setting they aren’t all that warm.
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