By Clive Funizwe

If Bold, Funky or Different – was a car, it would be the Citroen C3 Aircross. It joins the VW T-Cross and Hyundai Venue and the ubiquitous Ford EcoSport in a fight for market share in the compact SUV segment. All these cars are relatively new in this space and offer that little something to entice and attract the young buyer of his or her hard-earned South African rand.

Let’s discuss how good a case does the C3 Aircross make.

Looks

The looks are bold, modern and trendy. The contrasting exterior colours add to its level of exterior customization. It is one of the most spacious in this segment. It has a high bonnet line and the driving position has been raised and ensures optimum visibility for the driver. We however can’t stop wondering why does the C3 Aircross not have the side air-bumps. This is most likes aimed at the young family who will have small kids swinging doors at every corner.

Interior and practicality

What these young families will not worry about is the aforementioned space and robustness of the interior. The seats are large and wide which provides a great deal of comfort. General storage space is good you will not be left wanting when 4 people need to put a drink somewhere. No marks are lost for the use of plastic materials here. We feel they are adequately used and are more functional which should translate to holding well against little fingers that know no creative boundaries when excitement hits in traffic and they have a crayon or lightweight adhesive (a.k.a Pritt) in their hand.

Boot space is also very good for this segment and offers a dual-height mobile boot floor which provides a flat floor when the rear seats are folded down.

As is the norm these days, Android Auto and Apple Car Play come standard. Generally, the infotainment is okay. The display is adequate but can sometimes require a double click before responding. We enjoyed features like the reverse camera, lane departure warning system, key-less entry and start, plus hill assist.

Performance

To-be buyers will be happy to know what there is no manual transmission option with this car. We found the transmission to be fairly quick but a little rough under heavy acceleration. We did however average very good economy. Claimed consumption figures for the 81kW/205 Nm 1.2l Pure Tech are 6.5l / 100km. We did manage to keep this on par with the claimed figures but occasionally saw the reading dip down to 6.2l/100km.

As far as options in this segment are concerned – the buyer is spoilt for choice. For buyers seeking space and something fresh, the C3 Aircross makes a very good case for itself.

Price starts at R345, 900 with a 5 Year Service Plan and Warranty.