Citroën C3 Aircross SUV - Interior & comfort

Citroen is on a mission to make driving a more relaxed affair and this is immediately apparent when you hit the road. Long-travel suspension gives the Aircross a smooth, loping ride quality on most road surfaces, although the occasional shock of potholes is the price you pay for a suspension that takes the edge off uncomfortable body lean when cornering. This is a rare occurrence, however, and the C3 Aircross will soak up imperfections that would see a sporty SUV like the Ford Puma bobbing on its suspension.

There are wide seats designed to mimic your living-room armchair and you can choose from a selection of ‘Ambiances’, with different themes and colours for the upholstery. Importantly, the Aircross offers customers something different in an already overpopulated class, with the choice of sticking with a black-and-grey palette or ticking the box marked ‘Hype Colorado’ and enjoying a characterful two-tone interior.

For the 2021 facelift, the Shine Plus trim got Citroen’s Advanced Comfort seats, with special foam to help absorb impacts and 15mm of memory foam-style cushioning under the upholstery for a unique feel compared with the firm seats of most rivals. There are also new retractable blinds for the rear windows, which should appeal to parents with small children.

Citroen C3 Aircross dashboard

The C3 Aircross' dashboard has a lot in common with that of the Citroen C3 supermini, with a clean look and lots of emphasis on the central infotainment screen. The dashboard texture varies depending on the ‘Ambiance’ you choose and how much money you spend, with soft-touch materials added as you go.

New features include a slimmer handbrake, allowing the cupholders to move between the front seats in a more user-friendly layout. There's also a new cubby which can be accessed from the front or rear seats, which is a handy touch. The new nine-inch infotainment screen is sharper and has easier menus to navigate. There's now a 'home' function and just six items for the menu, making it far easier to swap between functions.

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Equipment

The C-Series trim, the current entry-point, includes 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, LED lights, automatic air-conditioning and a bodystyling kit with plastic front and rear skid plates under the bumpers for a stocky look. You also get a leather-trimmed steering wheel and a soft-touch dashboard fascia. There’s a seven-inch display with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. This means you can hook up a compatible phone and enjoy navigation and services like Spotify – as long as you have enough mobile data. It's important to note that the C-Series is only available on Citroen's website, not in dealerships, which is partly how the price is kept down.

Shine trim adds the nine-inch touchscreen with sat nav, black exterior trim and a pull out boot floor. The top spec standard trim level is Shine Plus, with 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, a contrasting roof colour and keyless entry. It also gets front parking sensors, automatic lights, a reversing camera, Advanced Comfort seats and a sliding rear bench.

Options

There are very few standard paint colours, with ‘Khaki Grey’ coming in at £300 and metallic colours costing around £500. A bi-tone roof can also be added to some versions for around £300. You can upgrade to black artificial leather and grey upholstery for £500.

Every C3 Aircross has front-wheel drive, but you can add a system called Grip Control to the Shine and Shine Plus spec cars to help improve traction on slippery surfaces, for £300. It works by applying the brake to a spinning wheel to send torque to the tyre with more traction.

Colour packs that finish the headlight surround, door mirror, roof rails and C-pillar white or orange cost £250 and a detachable tow bar costs £500.