Citroen e-C3 Airc ross

New C3 Aircross majors on things buyers really want, and is set to be a hit

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AEX CITROEN has taken a very different stance with this second-generation C3 Aircross. It's quite a brave choice, because, frankly, we thought the old model was rather good.

The new car is bigger, more practical and more varied under the bonnet, and it's an approach that seems to be working, because Citroen has already taken 3,000 pre-orders for the car.

It's only a couple of centimetres shorter than a Nissan Qashqai, but unlike the Qashqai, the C3 Aircross is available with seven seats. Yet there's a caveat - to get the third row, you'll need to choose from one of the petrol or hybrid engines available; the fully electric e-C3 Aircross is five-seat only.

Space has always been an Aircross signature, and here it's no different. Up front, that's aided by a dashboard design that's largely shared with its smaller C3 sibling; the two-layer fascia places climate controls (physical switches, thankfully!) beneath the central air vents, with all of the technology sitting above.

Moving further back, there's good space to stretch out, and there's still plenty of boot capacity; Citroen quotes a generous 460 litres. The seats fold almost flat, and sit level with the boot floor.