French Flexibility

The C3 Aircross may well prove to be Citroën's smartest move yet. We check it out in Mahabalipuram in southern India

- Joshua Varghese

CITROËN'S PLAN FOR INDIA HAS BEEN slow but steady but now the pace seems to have been quickened because the C3 Aircross is the French marque's fourth car for the country and the second one in 2023. Having accepted their invitation to drive the pre-production car, we arrived in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, curious to see just how different the C3 Aircross is from the C3 and if it has what it takes to fight for a place in the highly competitive mid-size SUV segment.

The styling of the C3 Aircross is distinctly French: subtle with soft lines and an elegance that prompts an admiring turn of the head. I like the way it looks primarily because of its proportions. Comparison with the C3 would not be fair because this is a larger car and it certainly looks more premium. It is longer, wider, and taller. With a length of 4.32 metres, it fits perfectly into the midsize SUV segment. In spite of the flowing lines, the designers have managed to retain a muscular stance and the tasteful fourspoke alloy wheels fill up the wheel-arches quite well, complementing the impressive 200-millimetre ground clearance. This makes the C3 Aircross a serious contender in its segment for road presence alone. "Born in France but made for India" seems like an appropriate way to describe this car.