Citroën C3 has the flair and ability

Citroën’s return to South Africa earlier this year after a three year hiatus has been an eagerly awaited one with a three model line-up packed to the brim with features and styled in a typical quirky way only the marque can pull-off. As a means of catering to all, Andre de Kock went on a mud plugging track behind the wheel of the high-riding C3 Aircross, while Charl Bosch took command of the model on which it is based, the standard C3.

C3 Aircross

This writer recently had a sophisticated French model as a house guest for a full week. At my age, stuff like that does not happen often and I planned to take her on a dirty weekend while the opportunity presented itself. Now, if I were rich, Paris would have been a perfect destination, being the “City of Love” and all. But, this is South Africa and I never got my share of the white monopoly capital that apparently made others really rich.

So, a compromise was reached, and we went to Parys, where we did, indeed, proceed to have a dirty weekend. Which is a roundabout way of saying that ace motorsports photographer Dave Ledbitter and I drove the C3 Aircross to the Parys 400, the final round of this year’s South African Cross Country racing championship.

Attending such an event with Ledbitter involves Google Earth, an exact travelling time schedule and much driving on untarred roads. And, it rained – hard – almost all weekend. Taking the fancy, city slicker into the harsh Free State countryside via wet farm tracks seemed like a bad idea. But, the Citroen shed her fishnet stockings and high heels, donned army boots and went mud wrestling when asked to do so.

The C3 Aircross is powered by a turbocharged, three-cylinder petrol engine, producing 81 kW of power at 5 500 rpm and 205 Nm of torque at 1 500 rpm. This goes to the front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission, with the test model sitting on 17-inch alloy wheels in 215/50/R17 rubber. We do not have the space here to list all of the C3 Aircross’ features. Suffice to say, if it clicks, bangs, flashes, computerises or can call Donald Trump direct, the Citroën has it.

The manufacturer prides itself on the fact that Citroëns do not come with an options list – the car has everything, and what you see is what you get. They pointed out the ground clearance of 178 mm. That served us well on the muddy, uneven roads around the Parys 400 route.

The little Citroën never bottomed and, as long as one maintained momentum, there never seemed a possibility of getting stuck. Meanwhile, the suspension easily handled the rough stuff. She got wet, muddy and we tramped a lot of the Free State into her carpets, but the C3 Aircross never faltered. After a car wash, she showed no signs of the dirty weekend. The vehicle costs R359 900, which includes a five year/100 000 km service plan, warranty and roadside assistance.

C3

In much the same way Volkswagen proved with the original CrossPolo more than a decade ago, the novelty of crossover-inspired hatchbacks has become engraved into the minds of many, despite the fact they offer no real traction advantage and command the forking out of more Randelas.

What they do offer is a SUV-like driving sensation, thanks to the increase height and slightly more macho looks, but while Citroën has pulled many of these traits off with the C3 Aircross, the standard model impresses.

Despite being lower and doing without the painted-on vents on the C-pillar as well as the roof rails, the C3 looks every bit like a Citroën should from the outside; modern, funky, fabulously quirky and with obvious nodes to the erstwhile C4 Cactus in the Airbumps on the doors.

The same goes for the interior that continues with the squared motif from the exterior. With its red wrap around dashboard, folded-up like seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus premium materials, the cabin is also spacious and the boot decent at 300 litres.

Like the Aircross, the C3 is powered by a 1.2-litre PureTech turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine that produces 81kW/205Nm. It is a vocal unit when pushed and while the sixspeed automatic gearbox is reasonably slick, it develops a propensity to double shift with each cog swap, resulting in hesitation with a noticeable jerk. Once on the move, the little three-pot is punchy and does do a good job of carting the C3’s 1 090kg kerb weight along with ease. The steering is light and ride comfortable if not completely soft.

Citroën’s return to South Africa has been a welcome one and with the brand working hard on tidying up its reputation, the C3 is certainly a step in the right direction, and while the top-spec Shine does offer a compelling and fully kitted-out package for its R289 900 sticker price, it will sadly remain a left-field choice in a segment where the desire to be different not always resonates with the masses

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