Citroen eC3 Aircross review: The low-cost electric SUV that could change the EV market
The Citroen eC3 Aircross is the new sub-compact SUV (coming with a choice of five or seven seats) from the previously French outfit. Anatol Gottfried @ Continental Productions
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CITREON EC3 AIRCROSS |
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Rating |
★★★★☆ |
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Price |
from €22,455 - €26,119 as tested |
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Power |
Far from staggering at 113bhp |
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Range |
Claimed range of 320km but closer to 340km |
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The Spec |
Very impressive for the price |
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Verdict |
One of the better EVs out there and especially at this price |
It’s a rare thing, even at this stage of the evolution of electric vehicles (EV), that one can emphatically say that the electric version of any given car is better than the mild hybrid or plug-in hybrid EV variants being made by its manufacturer.
It is possibly even more rare that you can say about an EV that it represents fantastic value for money. Most of them simply do not.
So, what is it of which we speak? Well, it’s the new Citroen eC3 Aircross, which is the new sub-compact SUV (coming with a choice of five or seven seats) from the previously French outfit, but now part of a multinational conglomerate, even if it still maintains its unique identity.
Citroen, as we know, has always been different, even if in the face of modern financial, engineering and manufacturing pressures, it has had to fight its corner to be resolutely distinctive.
And, even if this car comes from a lineage which was singularly dull by the marque’s standards, the original C3 from which this one derives its name was first seen in 2002 and was a simple B-Segment supermini.
Citroen’s atypical approach to the design of that car gave us a round shape which was unusual in some ways, but the rest of the car was quite standard when compared with the opposition of the time.
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Over the years, and on trend with changing customer preferences and market forces, it has evolved into an SUV and the latest iteration – the fourth generation – is fully on board with that designation.
Of course, the move towards an SUV shape was concomitant with the need to veer towards electrification, and as we noted in these columns recently, some companies went all in on EVs in the expectation that they were the future.
All very well, but slow take-up on behalf of the buying public led to massive losses being incurred by several manufacturers as the EV fuse did not burn quite as quickly as they anticipated. Ford and Stellantis, in particular, lost out to the tune of multiple billions.
For Ford, lacking a saleable product, the comeback will be hard; for Stellantis, with certain of their marques in a strong position to capitalise on the revival in EV sales (and undoubtedly further boosted by the war in the Middle East), the future is much brighter.
Citroen, of course, is a Stellantis brand, and with the eC3 Aircross, they have a car that meets a lot of customer expectations – it’s a small SUV, it’s very affordable and, most importantly, it’s electric.
In fact, if you’re in the market for a cheap EV, then the time has never been better to buy; customers have been demanding such things for quite some time, but it is only now that they are hitting dealer forecourts in any sort of coherent volume.
In fact, Stellantis are possibly ahead of the pack here, as it currently has three of them based on the same ‘Smart Car’ platform – this one, the long-awaited Fiat Grande Panda and the Opel Frontera, which featured in these columns in recent times.
Essentially, these cars offer low-end range, less performance and fewer goodies in terms of spec than most and are all priced accordingly. It comes with only one choice of power source, a 44-kWh battery pack and an 83-kW electric motor, which combine for a claimed range of 320km.
The reality of the range is, as ever, an issue and 240km or thereabouts is a more likely figure, but then for this money and for people who don’t need to be in Donegal every second day of the week, that’s a quite workable figure.
Performance is far from staggering, and from the system output of 113 bhp, you can expect a tardy 12.9 0-100 km/h figure, while top speed is just shy of 145km/h and hardly dazzling either. But, even with a relatively limited range and performance, the car has other attributes to offer.
Aside from the chunky look of the car – and we do like Citroen’s new-era old-style chevron badging, which is big and very eye-catching – the typically mattress-y ride comfort is a real plus, especially on our poor B road network. The car gets Citroen’s patented ‘Advanced Comfort’ suspension, featuring hydraulic bump stops, and you’d have to suspect that without them, it would simply not work well here.
Certainly, it does not feel as sophisticated a ride as the C5 Aircross we had recently, but it is certainly satisfactory and will soak up the worst a road, say, from Kilmurry to Boxer’s Cross has to offer. Moreso, in fact, than anything else in this price range can do.
That the car design makes it look top-heavy might leave an impression it will lean a lot while cornering, but not so. Through fast, flowing corners, it stays flatter than you might think and is easy to place exactly where you want it, thanks to light but direct steering.
The bulky look also has an effect on the amount of noise produced as you pass through the air, and it has to be said, this is a noisy car to drive, and especially so if you’re pressing on a bit.
A lot of the character of eC3 fits into the ‘better than expected’ realm, and the interior is very much that way. Everything is smarter than the list price suggests, including the décor. The white//black theme of the vegan upholstery and door cards works well, and the seats, being French, are very comfy.
The interior is airy and roomy, even for those in the back seats (the EV is only offered with five seats, as against the seven-seat option in other versions), while the boot is reasonably commodious, but not huge. Given the shape of the car, the issue of headroom is not something that would bother LeBron James.
As is the fashion these days, the dash is cloth-covered, and there is a decent-sized 10.25” touchscreen, which was a bit clunky to use. On the upside, there are proper buttons for all the heating controls, and the Peugeot-esque small steering wheel works well to the point that you can actually adjust it so you can see the instruments – unlike in some of the Pugs.
Sure, there are plenty of hard plastics, but on the whole, the interior works well, although those ‘Have fun’ and ‘Be Cool’ labels attached to the door handles are naff and completely unnecessary.
There are two trim levels – Plus and Max – and it was the latter we drove, which added heated seats and steering wheel, sat nav, and a two-tone roof to an already pretty comprehensive package which includes 17” alloys, as well as a bunch of safety features and camera/parking sensors.
Such is the standard spec of the lesser model, I can see a situation whereby not too many will feel the need to get the Max version.
This is far from being a perfect car, but it sure is value for money for what you’re getting, and while performance and range are not as impressive as they might be, they still provide a very workable beast at workmanlike money. It’s pretty compelling, all told.
