ge4934087853562193799
ge4932863671015155370
ge5720017343352766311
ge5621860971274834188
ge5631230238838122472
Bruce Newton29 Mar 2013
REVIEW

Citroen C4 Aircross 2013: Launch Review

Citroen relaunches its Mitsubishi-sourced SUV

Citroen C4 Aircross

What we liked?:
>> Better looking than Pugeot 4008 or Mitsubishi ASX?
>> Drive-away pricing cuts costs?
>> Useful and classy interior

Not so much?:
>> Drive-away pricing only temporary, probably
>> Can get noisy
>> Ride is a bit coarse??

OVERVIEW?
>> Meet the new C4 Aircross, same as the old one…
Do you know the Citroen C4 Aircross has been on-sale in Australia since July 2012?

Do you know what a Citroen C4 Aircross is?

Considering only 84 have been sold since its launch that’s not such a silly question.

Citroen Automobiles Australia (CAA), the new local distributor of the French brand, has obviously been pondering just the same subject, because it has just relaunched the compact SUV.

Relaunched is probably being a tad generous to Ateco Automotive, the previous Citroen distributor, which slid the Aircross very quietly onto the market in the last months of its reign.

Considering the boom in SUV sales in Australia, it’s no wonder CAA has decided to give the Aircross a publicity reboot, even if every little has changed from July to now.

By the way, if you’re looking at the pics of the Aircross here and thinking it looks familiar, that’s because it’s based on the Mitsubishi ASX and built in Japan, just as the 4008 of sister-brand Peugeot is.
?

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT?
>>Same price, but different
To celebrate the relaunch of the C4 Aircross, CAA have added a reversing camera to the standard equipment list and made the pricing drive-away.

So the 4x2 Exclusive is now $31,990 drive-away – a saving of $3800 – while the 4x4 Exclusive is $33,990 – a saving $3890. 

This pricing structure is only guaranteed to be in place until local stocks of the Aircross run out, which should be around July. On-road costs might return then and/or there might be a spec upgrade, or the structure might continue on as it is now.

Standard equipment includes 18-inch alloy wheels (while a 16-inch steel spare replaces a space-saver), automatic headlights and wipers, front and rear foglights, a leather-clad multi-function steering wheel, cruise control, climate control and a six-speaker sound system with auxiliary and USB inputs and Bluetooth phone connectivity.

Options include metallic paint ($800), premium paint ($1300), leather and electric heated front seats ($2500), xenon lights ($1500) and – for the 4x2 only – a panoramic fixed glass roof and rails ($1500).

Citroen expects to sell about 20 C4 Aircross’ per month, with the 4x2 accounting for around 75 per cent of sales.

MECHANICAL
?>>One engine one transmission, two-wheel drive or four
Let’s get one thing straight, the C4 Aircross has no mechanical relationship with the Citroen C4 small car.

Instead, the Aircross, as we’ve already explained, is a Mitsubishi ASX with some relatively minor technical changes, and some more obvious graphic modifications.

The ASX is also used by Citroen’s PSA partner, Peugeot, as the basis of the 4008. All three variations on the theme are built in Japan.

This is not the first Mitsu-PSA SUV co-operation, as the second generation Outlander also served duty as the Peugeot 4007 (which was sold in Australia) and the Citroen C-crosser (which was not).

You can pick the Aircross via the double chevron grille, distinctive headlights, vertical driving lights and inverted and tipless shark’s fin D-pillar.

Under the sheetmetal the Aircross remain the same car as launched by Ateco, both 4x2 and 4x4 powered by the same 2.0-litre petrol engine mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT), with six manually-adjustable pre-programmed steps.

The 4x2 is front-wheel drive, the 4x4 can be swapped manually between two-wheel drive, four-wheel drive and lock modes. Usually, the all-wheel drive system runs 98 per cent front-wheel drive, but can send as much as 50 per cent of torque to the rear wheels when slip is detected.

Under the bonnet the engine continues to pump out 110kW at 6000rpm, while torque is set at 199Nm at 4200rpm.  The combined fuel consumption average is 7.9L/00km (8.1 for the 65kg heavier 4x4), 185g CO2/km (192) and a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 10.2 secs (10.9).

An electronically-controlled alternator saves fuel by recovering energy during braking and acceleration.

Front suspension is via MacPherson struts, the rear-end suspended multi-links. The steering is a fuel-saving electrically-assisted rack and pinion system, while stopping power is supplied by ventilated front and solid rear discs.

The tuning of the Aircross varies in detail compared to the ASX (but is very similar to 4008). These changes include 10mm wider front and rear tracks (because of the larger 18-inch tyres), springs and dampers re-tuned for a firmer ride, recalibration of anti-lock brakes and stability control and heavier weighting of the steering at medium to higher speeds.

PACKAGING?
>>Small but nicely formed
The Aircross measures up at 4340mm long, 1799mm wide and 1625mm high. For comparison’s sake a Nissan Dualis’ equivalent measures are 4330mm, 1783mm and 1606mm. So the ASX is small, but not tiny.

The five-seater interior includes a split-fold rear-seat, a ski flap and a luggage capacity of 384 litres, which grows to 1193 litres with the bench folded. The boot floor is quite high, but there are storage pockets both sides and a luggage cover to provide security.

The load length from tailgate to the rear seats is 835mm and the width between the rear wheel arches is 998mm.

Cabin storage options include a cooled glovebox, a sliding height-adjustable front armrest with two storage areas, front door pockets with bottle holders, a rear centre armrest with dual cupholders and dual seat-back pockets.

However, there are no rear door pockets and no adjustable rear air-conditioning vents.

Adult rear-seat passengers also don’t do particularly well for leg space. It’s okay, but if you are behind a tall driver then you might have to turn your legs to the centre to get comfortable – or give them a back massage with your kneecaps! Head-space is much better.

Up-front the seats are big, soft and comfy in that enjoyable French way – even if the car is actually Japanese – and the driver’s pew slides, tilts and height adjusts . The steering wheel adjusts for reach and rake and there is a left footrest.

The multi-function steering wheel contains adjustments for cruise control, audio and Bluetooth and looks pretty snazzy with its dimpled leather trim.

Indeed, the richness of the interior presentation is one of the Aircross’ best and most unexpected assets. In Exclusive trim there are soft touch materials for the instrument pod and a glossy black surround for the controls mounted in the centre stack. Even the bin lid has been stitched nicely.

The seats are classy, in a grey velour centre with a darker vinyl-esque surround, while dull chrome/plastic provides a nice counter-balance to the mostly dark hues. Speaking of darkness, a couple of individual rear reading lights would be a nice touch, rather than the single central interior light.

SAFETY
?>>Something new here
New to the C4 Aircross under CAA’s auspices is a reversing camera that has its screen mounted within the rear-view mirror.  Rear parking sensors provide further guidance.

Carry-over standard features include seven airbags (including a driver’s knee airbag), anti-lock brakes working with electronic brake-force distribution and emergency brake assist.

Traction and stability control and hill start assist are also part of the package.

All Aircross passengers get a lap-sash seatbelt and adjustable headrests.

While the Aircross has not been subject to ANCAP testing, the ASX it is based on does gain a full five stars.

COMPETITORS
?
>>A booming category full of choices
When you consider that sales of small SUVs rose more than 50 per cent to beyond 60,000 from 2011 to 2012, then you can understand why Citroen felt it important to relaunch the C4 Aircross and alert us to its existence.

Apart from the ASX and 4008, the Hyundai ix35, Jeep Patriot and Compass non-identical twins, Nissan Dualis, Skoda Yeti, Subaru XV and entry-level Volkswagen Tiguan are obvious rivals.

While the Aircross can offer 4x2 and 4x4 options, it has neither manual or diesel drivetrain choices. The oil-burner is something the ASX can offer, as well as the ix35, Yeti and Tiguan.

ON THE ROAD?
>>Worth getting to know
?
A pleasant surprise is always, well, pleasant. And that’s what the Aircross turned out to be. There is no doubt it’s a better package than what you might initially expect from a Mitsubishi with a Citroen badge.

For a start it does look quite nice outside, especially with darker paint setting off those quite elegant 18-inch alloys. Inside, as already noted, it feels more than a touch upmarket, especially compared to most of those competitors listed above.

The raised ride height of the Aircross delivers just enough of a ‘command’ seating position for the driver without feeling you’ve graduated to the heavy-duty 4WD class and lost all contact with car-bound earth dwellers.

Fundamentally, apart from the ride height addition, the Aircross drives like a small car. Albeit, a reasonably slow one…

The DOHC, 16-valve, aluminium block engine is fitted with variable valve timing, but no matter how hard it revs it really never feels like its going very far, very fast. It’s an impression slightly more obvious in the slightly heavier 4x4.

Really, it’s not the biggest issue because no Aircross owner is going to be a speed demon. It’s more about having to consider your overtaking carefully and being prepared to pull left into the slow lane when hills – and faster traffic – loom.

More disturbing is the noise the engine makes when revving hard. Mostly, the sound deadening quells it, but right at the top of the range the effort becomes obvious. Of course, the CVT’s tendency to hold revs does exacerbate that impression.

You can avoid that scenario by flipping through the ‘gears’ via the lever (back to go down – d’oh) or paddle shifters, but the impact on actual performance seems immaterial.

Noise is also produced under the car, by the 225/55R18 Bridgestone tyres on coarse surfaces and the suspension over knobbly roads. There is also some sharp intrusions for the rear-seat passenger, suggesting Citroen may have gone slightly too far with ride firmness.

Up-front, there is some rack rattle and kick back in rough corners from the steering. The feel is also rather dead and heavy at – appropriately – top dead centre. However, start turning and it lightens and becomes quite responsively direct. What it can’t do is correct the unsurprising commitment to understeer when cornering at anything above medium speeds.

But that has it pay-backs on dirt roads where the Aircross’ rear-end sticks happily to the surface, unless it gets really loose and you decide to have a play. Then the stability control quickly reigns in the attitude.

Nice and safe then.

And that in essence is the C4 Aircross. A nice experience and safe to drive. And it also must be said, a good variation by Citroen on what is a pretty basic – if competent - Mitsubishi theme.

No wonder Citroen thought it was a good idea to let us know it actually existed.

Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site…

Share this article
Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Stay up to dateBecome a carsales member and get the latest news, reviews and advice straight to your inbox.
Looking for a family car?Get the latest advice and reviews on family car that's right for you.
Explore the Family Hub
Family
Disclaimer
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.

If the price does not contain the notation that it is "Drive Away", the price may not include additional costs, such as stamp duty and other government charges.
Download the carsales app
    AppStoreDownloadGooglePlayDownload
    App Store and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc. Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.
    © CAR Group Ltd 1999-2024
    In the spirit of reconciliation we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.