If you think the new Citroen C3 Aircross looks familiar to the Vauxhall Frontera, you’d be right, as the two Stellantis group models are the effectively the same car, but the Citroen gets its own look, dashboard, and the brand’s Advanced Comfort suspension and seats.
More interesting is that on average, a C3 Aircross is £500 cheaper across the powertrains – with increased specifications. It will be fascinating to see which manufacturer and model will be the best-seller in fleet.
Design and interior
Outside, the C3 Aircross’s tall and slim silhouette is where you see the closest link to its Vauxhall sister car. The Citroen, and the new Fiat Grande Panda, share the same new ‘Smart Car’ BEV-native platform. However, the C3 Aircross follows the Citroen family look, with its vertical front design, the new Citroen logo in the centre, and the three-segment lighting signature.
Like the Frontera, the most distinctive part of the design is a curvy C-pillar, which is made even more special with a white contrast roof. The back of the C3 Aircross again is quite upright, with the rear light clusters stretching across the boot. Overall, it’s an attractive design that probably shows the new Citroen family look best.
Inside, the Citroen gets a simpler, ‘C-Zen Lounge concept’ design, with new head-up vision system. To put it more simply, the instruments are in a slim display at the top of the dashboard. As you need to look over the small steering wheel to see the instrument display, it’s not really a ‘head-up display’. It is like the Peugeot I-Cockpit, except this works better! The display is much closer to the driver, and the small steering wheel doesn’t obscure the instruments.
The dashboard has a 10.25in infotainment screen in the centre, plus separate, physical ventilation controls below. The driving position is comfortable, but the Advanced Comfort front seats are not notably more comfortable than those in the Vauxhall. With its taller dashboard design, the Citroen’s interior stowage doesn’t feel as impressive either.
There’s a surprising amount of rear room in the C3 Aircross, with the option of an extra pair of seats in the boot on mild hybrid models, for an additional £765. Having tried them, they are only suitable for kids and short journeys, but the 460-litre boot is practically shaped. There’s plenty of hard plastic around this Citroen’s interior, but clever use of fabric and colour make the C3 Aircross feel better quality.
Performance and drive
Citroen’s new C-SUV rival is available with the choice of electric, mild hybrid, and petrol powertrains. A larger battery version of the EV with a range of up to 248 miles is expected next Spring. Until then, like the Frontera, the E-C3 Aircross is fitted with 44kWh battery, with 113hp and 125Nm of torque, and a range of 188 miles. Capable of being fast charged, it can go from 20 to 80% on a rapid charger in just 26 minutes.
On the road, the E-C3 feels willing enough in everyday use. Acceleration is acceptable off the mark, but like the Vauxhall, it feels underpowered if you choose the more relaxed ‘Comfort’ mode – which retards the throttle. Performance is perfectly adequate, and the Advanced Comfort suspension is more comfortable and refined than the Frontera on matching 17in wheels. Brake feel is fine, too. The only demerits for the E-C3 Aircross are its lifeless steering, and small steering wheel.
Alongside the E-C3, the Aircross will also be available with a 100hp, 1.2-litre turbo petrol, and six-speed manual transmission. Plus, the 136hp 1.2-litre 48V mild hybrid engine, which is fitted with a belt-driven starter/generator.
Citroen is predicting an equal split of sales between EV and petrol versions of the C3 Aircross, and our favourite is still the E-C3. However, thanks to the more refined drive, the mild hybrid engine feels more at home here than in the Frontera. Starting in electric mode, the engine quickly fires up and its three-cylinder thrum can be clearly heard, with the petrol engine seeming to be working hard most of the time. This Citroen might boast 121g/km CO2 emissions, with a 29% company car tax BIK figure, plus 53.3mpg fuel economy, but again it likes to defer to the highest gear possible on steep inclines, making it feel slower and noisier than its 10.1-second 0-62mph acceleration figure would suggest.
The C3/E-C3 Aircross feels like a car of its time, with 2025 likely to be the year of the affordable EV. In our opinion, the Citroen’s changes to the comfort, plus extra specification and lower prices, make it our favourite of the two Stellantis offerings.
Positive: Attractive if unadventurous design, spacious and practical interior, cheaper and better-equipped than the Vauxhall Frontera.
Negative: Adequate to drive, seven-seat option only for kids and short journeys, basic infotainment.
Standard equipment: 17in alloy wheels, roof rails, dark tinted side and tailgate glass, LED headlights and daytime running lights, automatic headlights, electric front and rear windows, heated electric mirrors, rain sensing windscreen wipers, 10.25in touchscreen, Advanced Comfort seats.
Engines: Petrol: 100hp; Mild hybrid: 136hp; Electric: 113hp
Equipment grades: Plus, Max
Transmissions: Six-speed manual, seven-speed automatic (mild hybrid), single-speed automatic (EV)
| Model | Citroen E-C3 Aircross 44kWh Max |
| P11D | £24,935 |
| Residual value | TBC |
| Depreciation | TBC |
| Fuel | TBC |
| Service, maintenance and repair | TBC |
| Cost per mile | TBC |
| Range | 188 miles |
| CO2 (BIK%) | 0g/km (2%) |
| BIK 20/40% a month | £8/£17 |
| Luggage capacity | 460 litres |
| Battery size/power | 44kWh/113hp |
| Score | 8/10 |
