Road Test: Citroën C4 Aircross 2.0i 4WD CVT Exclusive

From around 1974, Citroën got all too sensible and, well, a bit boring. Now, however, the company has found some joie de vivre with its expression of ‘Créative Technologie’. Richard Webb gets a French lesson.

Originally Citroën was a mass-market car manufacturer with conventional designs, but they shocked the world in 1934 with the innovative Traction Avant, the world’s first mass-produced front-wheel drive car. This sealed the company’s reputation for approaching car design in a radical way. Think of the 2CV, the DS, GS and CX.

Recently, the sales success of the Nissan Qashqai has caused some Gallic envieux, prompting Citroën to enter the fast growing compact sports utility vehicle (SUV) market with their ‘compact crossover’, the C4 Aircross. Grant Bowring, GM of Marketing for Citroën South Africa, reckons the Aircross will place the firm on the SUV map locally. “The introduction of a compact SUV has worked remarkably well for many brands locally and we believe the C4 Aircross will allow us to reap the benefits that this type of vehicle is reflecting in our market.”

This new model is taller and chunkier than the base C4 hatchback and, whilst it sounds like a Nike training shoe, it is in fact a Mitsubishi ASX. When Citroën and Mitsubishi started planning, it was agreed that Mitsubishi were going to be the first to market with their ASX. This gave Citroën time to fix any bugs and tune the car to their French DNA channel.

Citroën have used their time wisely, giving the C4 Aircross its own unique look and character to hide its multi-tasking origins well, with its DS5-esque floating C-pillar corporate double chevron grille morphing seamlessly into the headlights. The vertical LED strips are an acknowledgement to the DS3, while the side profiles’ inverted shark fin at the rear hints at the Hypnos design concept unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 2008. It’s finished with some neat flourishes like the indicator repeaters in the door mirrors.

The real shocker is that dynamically, it’s a sporty and impressive drive, with all of the main controls feeling burst-proof and yet aesthetically pleasing. Multi-link suspension reduces roll through corners despite its high centre of gravity. The ride over rough surfaces is almost billiard table smooth and yet the steering gives adequate feel and report back to the driver. You enjoy a clear view from its raised driving position and there is also a sense of general well-being thanks, in part, to the large panoramic glass roof.

All models get the 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine, which develops 110 kW of power and 197 Nm of torque. Both the Attraction and Seduction models have a 5-speed manual gearbox, while the Seduction and the range-topping Exclusive are available with a continuously variable ‘automatic’ transmission. I personally think you should avoid the CVT gearbox unless you really like that sort of thing. The manual gearbox has a precise throw and feel, adding to the cars’ fluent driving manners.

The intelligent 4WD on demand system is designed to sense wheel slip and adjust the split of power for maximum traction. The central differential can be locked for those really tough conditions to provide a 50:50 split between the drive to the front and rear wheels. Don’t be bothered by fiddling around with the switchable four-wheel-drive system in normal driving though. There’s no need. When off road, however, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how impressive the grip is when in 4WD.

Alas, South Africa does not receive the diesel, so we will have to make do with the 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine. Specification wise, you can choose between two- or four-wheel drive and three trim and equipment levels: Attraction, Seduction and Exclusive. Attraction and Seduction? It’s the French way, non?

Inside the car, it’s a more upmarket ASX, but with the quality of materials noticeably better, aided by soft-touch materials over the dashboard and doors. Much of the switchgear and dashboard architecture and software remains stock ASX though. There’s a load of room for up to five adults and the boot is a useful 416-litres that can expand up to 1 193-litres when the rear seats are put down.

Good standard specification includes USB/Bluetooth connectivity for portable audio players and a multi-function on-board computer, which provides decent driver information. The large glove box is lit, as well as being chilled by the automatic air conditioning.

The Citroën Aircross range is covered by a 3-year/100 000km warranty and a 5-year/100 000km service plan with the option to upgrade the warranty to 5-years/100 000km, while FreeDrive, includes the extended warranty and also incorporates a 100 000km maintenance plan.

So, has Citroën managed to inject some of their joie de vivre into the already saturated SUV market? The C4 Aircross does have a lot to compete against in this segment, but I reckon its unique selling point lies in its dynamic looks and Gallic charm. It is, therefore, easily a match for other SUV’s in this segment. It manages to expresses Créative Technologie rather successfully.

What we like…

• It looks like a French Range Rover Evoque.
• Citroën clothes the sensible shoes of the ASX mechanicals in a sexy French wrapper.
• Roadholding, grip and sporty drive.

What we would like…

• The HDi 150, a 110 kW/300 Nm 1.8-litre diesel unit.
• The be-heading of all CVT’s. Forever.

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