REVIEW
A chunky little run-around – in (nearly) all the colours of the rainbow Alexandra Tilley Loughrey gets behind the wheel of the new Citroen C3 Aircross If you’re looking for a second, or even a third vehicle (darn those pesky learner driving teenagers’), this chunky little car is “un bon choix” (a good choice). My first ever car was a Citroen 2CV named Henri, so I’ve always had a soft-spot for the odd Citroen (I know, some people think they’re all odd!). They’re well known for good suspension – just what you need when negotiating the potholed roads of the Cotswolds. The 2CV was quirky with bags of character, and for a modern run-around this is ‘tres fun’ too – so is the sort of car that owners may well want to name (NO answers on a postcard please). Citroen describe the C3 Aircross as an SUV on the outside and MPV inside. That means it has a solid feeling when bouncing along the Cotswold lanes – and is high enough to get a really good view of what’s around the corner or about to leap over the next
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COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE
hedge (is it me, or is the pheasant ‘season’ getting longer?) – as well as having enough room inside for three long-legged teenagers in the back (they overtake any adult in the leg stakes with their ever extending limbs and slouchy poses – biased, moi?), with enough comfort still for the driver and front passenger. Oh – and the boot is big enough for all their clobber as well. In fact, this car has the biggest boot-space of any similar sized car. The C3 Aircross has twelve change-at-thetouch-of-a-button driving aids, including ‘grip control’ designed to make it easy for your to drive in a range of conditions. I initially pooh-poohed the need for the ‘hill descent’ option (I hate paying for unnecessary gimmicks), designed for slowing you down on sand-dunes or thick snow. I know we had a hard winter, but how often would you use this, I thought, until I drove down the hill along the extremely steep
driveway to have lunch at the Fish Hotel above Broadway – and rather than driving like something from an out-of-control Wacky Races, it helped me glide over the descending speed-bumps with grace and ease. This car will never set the world on fire (like most small SUVs it’s not that kind of motor), but driving around in it with the radio on did make me smile – and for something that really is just designed to get you from A to B, joie de vivre is surely a bonus. I liked the easy-to-see dashboard, loads of cubby space for storing all the usual rubbish that we all need to drive around with, from sunglasses to chewing gum, to bite cream (or is that just my family?), big enough cup-holders to actually keep drinks upright in – and the lack of faff with having a wireless phone charging point, which worked brilliantly with my iPhone (they don’t guarantee compatibility with all phones).
