THE FRENCH OFFENSIVE

Citroen recently unveiled the C3 Aircross, which has shed its European hatchback lineage and donned a midsize SUV avatar. Developed and made with India in mind, the Aircross will compete in the hotly contested midsize SUV segment. Anagh Bhaskar brings all the details

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The midsize SUV segment has ballooned in the last few years, with four of the major contenders joining the fray in the last two years. So it doesn't really come as a surprise that Citroen too is trying to reap the benefits that this highly profitable segment offers. Readers who have travelled to Europe may have spotted the C3 and the C3 Aircross on the streets, but like the C3 sold here in India is unlike its European namesake, the same goes for the Aircross. It has been developed on the CMP platform and is part of the brand's India-specific C-Cubed programme, which also spawned the C3.

At 4.3 metres, the C3 Aircross does have size on its side. The design too has been done with the segment in mind, there are a lot of SUV-ish elements like the upright stance, chunky wheel arches, thick plastic cladding, large 17-inch alloys, faux skid plates and the works. It also carries forward the family DNA, with the split fascia setup mimicking the double chevron insignia. The particular variants showcased by Citroen has LED DRLs, however, the brand has omitted LED headlamps. In profile, the SUV is tall, but it is its length of 4.3m and the long(est) wheelbase of 2,671mm which makes up a large chunk of the SUV's road presence. The wheelbase beats that of the Korean siblings - Creta and Seltos and VW Group's Taigun and Kushaq. The ground clearance sits at a healthy 200mm.