New Citroen C3 Aircross 2024 preview: seven-seat interior, specs and full details

The new Citroen C3 Aircross is a beefy-looking small SUV that’s got the hugely popular Dacia Duster in its crosshairs, and is packing a few unique selling points to help it snare potential buyers.  

The biggest surprise is Citroen’s smallest SUV being available as a seven-seater, despite measuring just 4.39 metres long – about the same size as the latest Duster. It’ll also be offered with a choice of petrol, hybrid and electric powertrains, and while the electric car only comes with five seats, it’s expected to start from around £25,000 when order books open in September.  

That would make the Citroen e-C3 Aircross – the official name of Citroen’s first all-electric compact SUV – one of the UK’s cheapest electric cars, and pose a substantial threat to the chunky Jeep Avenger and value-focused MG ZS EV. Meanwhile, petrol-powered C3 Aircross models will also rival the Renault Captur and Ford Puma, among other top-sellers.

What powertrain options and performance can we expect?

The engine range kicks off with a simple 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine that produces 100bhp and is paired to a six-speed manual gearbox.

‘Hybrid 136’ models feature a similar engine under the bonnet, but it produces 134bhp and is coupled to a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that has an integrated 28bhp electric motor. This allows the hybrid C3 Aircross to spend up to 50 per cent of the time driving in town on pure-electric power.

At launch, the e-C3 Aircross is only offered with a 44kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery and 111bhp e-motor. Top speed stands at 84mph, and the e-C3 Aircross probably won’t get there in a hurry, as the French firm says it “offers sufficient performance to slot into everyday traffic with ease.” 

That’s not surprising given Citroen’s focus on comfort, and to help with that, every C3 Aircross will come equipped with Advanced Comfort suspension that uses hydraulic bump stops to better absorb impacts.

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The 44kWh battery will offer around 186 miles of range. Entry-level versions of both the MG ZS EV and new MINI Aceman have similar range figures, that said, it’s a long way off the roughly 250 miles the Jeep Avenger or Peugeot E-2008 can cover without needing to stop.

A bigger battery will be available in 2025, however, to boost the range of the e-C3 Aircross to over 250 miles – matching the claims of the Citroen’s sister car, the new Vauxhall Frontera. Both cars sit on the Smart Car platform from parent company Stellantis, with the underpinnings also used by the latest Citroen C3 supermini and recently unveiled Fiat Grande Panda.

What do we know about the efficiency and running costs? 

In terms of efficiency, all we know so far is that the hybrid C3 Aircross emits 121g/km of CO2, thanks in part to its pure-electric driving capabilities. These will also allow for better fuel economy compared to pure-petrol models, though no efficiency figures have been shared for those either.

The hybrid systems’s e-motor is powered by a small 48-volt battery located under the floor that’s recharged via regenerative braking when the car slows down, so the car never needs to be plugged in.

The e-C3 Aircross has a maximum charging speed of 100kW, meaning a 20 to 80 per cent top-up takes 26 minutes from most DC rapid chargers. A similar charging session at home using a typical 7kW wallbox will take a little over four hours, says Citroen.

The EV also features an E-Routes function for planning journeys, and it shows where the best points to stop and charge are on the way, as well as how busy the locations are in real-time. It’s also connected to the vehicle, so can it monitor your remaining charge.

What is the exterior and interior design like?

The new Citroen C3 Aircross incorporates “style language elements” from the Citroen Oli concept from 2022. This includes a bluff front end with the new Citroen badge sitting prominently over a blanked-off chevron-pattern grille. Despite the visual similarities to the C3 supermini, the wings and wheel tracks are wider on the SUV.

The rear certainly borrows a lot from the C3 supermini, but the bumper and rear lights are bespoke to the C3 Aircross. Helping to accentuate the SUV aesthetic are a set of roof rails, wheelarch cladding that wraps around the bottom of the car, and over 20cm of ground clearance.

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Meanwhile, the interior offers “all the features of a living room on wheels,” says Citroen. Standard-fit on every model are the company’s Advanced Comfort seats, now with 10 to 15mm of extra foam and redesigned to be more supportive. 

We had the opportunity to examine the new C3 Aircross during its official reveal and found the seats are indeed incredibly soft, squishy and comfortable as Citroen suggests. The driving position also feels quite high and commanding, with the horizontal bonnet in front. 

We like the fabric used for the centre section of the dashboard and other splashes of light grey trim, as they help make the cabin feel inviting, in contrast to the large amount of hard black plastic used for the rest. That’s to be expected, of course, from a car at this price.

What do we know about the infotainment system? 

All the essential driving information is projected onto a slim head-up display, rather than traditional dials, and to read it, drivers are meant to look over the slightly oblong-shaped steering wheel. 

The 10.25-inch central touchscreen is subtly angled towards the driver, and comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity as standard. The built-in infotainment system is very simple, so it’s easy to navigate and clearly laid out, if occasionally laggy.

How practical is the new Citroen C3 Aircross and how big is the boot space?

The new C3 Aircross comes with five seats as standard, and Citroen expects the vast majority of customers will stick with this configuration. Without a third row to accommodate, the 40:60-split bench seat sits 65mm further back to make the most of the 2.76-metre-long wheelbase and create more space for those in the rear. In fact, Citroen claims the C3 Aircross offers best-in-class knee and elbow room. 

We certainly found there’s enough legroom for six feet tall adults to get comfortable, plus space under the front seats for their feet, while the brick-like shape and tall roofline ensure headroom is very generous. That said, it’s very bare back there, with just two USB-C charging ports and a 12V socket in the model we sat in.

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The regular C3 Aircross has a 460-litre boot and wide, square load space, plus a height-adjustable floor. Luggage capacity expands to 1,600 litres when the rear seats are folded down.

If you decide to go for the optional seven-seat layout, folding down the ‘easy-tilt’ middle seats is quick and easy using the pull tabs, however those rearmosts seats only offer enough space for small children. We tried them out for ourselves, and found our legs crushed up against the seats in the front and no room for our feet. The Dacia Jogger on the other hand can happily seat seven adults, as we can attest.

With all the seats in place, the seven-seat C3 Aircross has only 40 litres of boot space available. But the third row seats also fold completely flat, opening up 330 litres of luggage capacity in five-seat mode when needed. 

What safety tech does the new Citroen C3 Aircross have? 

Every new C3 Aircross comes with safety features like a reversing camera, driver attention alert and lane departure warning, while higher-spec models benefit from blind spot detection and front parking sensors.

What will the new Citroen C3 Aircross price be?

Official pricing hasn’t been confirmed yet, but we’re told the new Citroen C3 Aircross will cost around £2-3k more than the equivalent C3 supermini. That means petrol-powered versions should start from around £20,000, and the EV just under £25,000. The brand is also hoping to offer the seven-seat layout as an optional extra for less than £1,000 and start delivering cars before the end of 2024.

Buyers will have a choice of just two trim levels in the UK: Plus and Max. The base specification comes with Advance Comfort seats and suspension, 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, 10.25-inch touchscreen, wireless smartphone connectivity and automatic air conditioning.

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