FIRST LOOK: New Citroen e-C3 Aircross. Is this £25k family SUV a winner? | Electrifying

#citroenec3aircross #citroen #electriccars

So, where does the Aircross fit in? Well, it’s a bit bigger than the dinky e-C3 hatchback, and is intended to offer a more practical, family-focussed electric SUV offering while still keeping things compact and affordable – hence a starting price of £25,000 and a range of up to 250 miles. For that money, we think it could be a big hit.

We haven’t driven it just yet, but you can find out everything there is to know about the Aircross, right here. Check out Nicola’s video of the Citroen e-C3, too, as it shares a platform, motors and a lot of its styling with this new, e-C3 Aircross.

The Citroen e-C3 Aircross uses the same basic bits as the e-C3, and also the Vauxhall Frontera. and that means a new 113bhp electric motor powering the front wheels along with a 44kWh or 54kWh battery pack, giving between 186 and 250 miles of official range.

The smaller battery is a LFP - or Lithium Ferro Phosphate – pack which is more bulky than the usual lithium-ion NMC batteries used in a lot of electric cars, but it’s also cheaper to make and should be more resistant to degradation too.

Both of the e-C3 Aircross’s batteries have 100kW DC fast charging capability, which means the battery can get from 20 to 80 percent capacity in 26 minutes on a suitable rapid charger. Standard AC recharging can be done at up to 11kW, or plug into a normal 7kW home wallbox and the battery will be full in 7- or 9 hours depending on which battery you’ve got.

Now, we need to talk about that motor, because 113bhp doesn’t sound like a lot. But, it's more power than was offered in the original Nissan Leaf and about the same as a 1.4-litre petrol engine, so should be adequate, if not exciting. I like a bit of performance, but I actually admire that Citroen realises that we don’t all need 600bhp in a family SUV.

Join Nicki as she checks out the Citroen e-C3 Aircross for the first time. Has Citroen built a winner? Let us know in the comments below.

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[marktoby]

Really getting annoyed by channels who've been crying out for cheaper EVs complaining about having to shut a tailgate or the plastics being cheap, what exactly do you expect. You either want cheaper EVs or you don't

[grahamcastle]

Why do reviewers have a preoccupation with "cheap plastic" ? It's a budget car, what do you expect? I like hard plastic, stands up well to grandchildren and easy to clean. Of much more importance and interest would be warranty period, efficiency (miles per kw/hr), service interval period and probable insurance group. Less scratchy plastic please and more informative reviews please.

[BMWHP]

Whow, thats a nice EV. We love the Citroën ë-C3 Max, and now this Aircross. Good work from Citroën.
They are putting the money where their mouth is.
Unlike Tesla and VW, they are the first to really produce that sub $25.000 affordable EV with a useable 320km range, fast charging and also with LFP batteries 👍👍
Well done Stellantis.

[gileshalliwell]

You really can’t expect Audi build quality at these prices and most of the things you DO touch regularly in these cars probably feel ok…

[Jawlf]

I do hope that they can keep this at £25, 000 or under. We now need some mainstream EV's that fit in that price bracket.

[Dqtube]

The good thing about this car is that it will also help set a decent price for the upcoming Kia EV3 and Škoda Elroq in our markets.

[keyserxx]

This car kinda highlights the question: why are EVs so expensive? It's not the batteries (any more) or the motor as far as I understand it. I own a Kona where they made 3 versions, ICE, hybrid, full electric. Those are all the same car underneath. Where is the money going? I don't think it's the dashboard.

[Ray-kifs]

The price depending on battery size seems to be growing, was £22k elsewhere (£18k for the smaller battery), but here it's £25k. What was a seemingly good price now seems to be growing legs before it makes it on to the roads...

[ISuperTed]

Now this is more like it Citroen! I’ve seen the reviews of the e-C3 and for me it was a little too small and needs a bit more range (we already have a Stellantis EV and you can take 20% off claimed WLTP range in real life).

If Citroën can get a 250 mile WLTP version out there for under £30k fully specced up, then this goes to the top of my list for our next family car. Don’t need neck-breaking 0-60, just a comfortable, roomy EV with a reasonable range for a reasonable price.

[god]

Full version 30k 400km range plus quick charge makes even long distance trip possible thats great enough car for normal people this car tottly works for me

[fallinginthedp]

It's great to see cheaper EVs for normal people instead of 800hp monsters for the 1%. £25k, 130hp, around 200 mile range sound pretty good for a daily family car that can also be used for long trips.

[JermaineBrown-tk]

i like the honest approach, no ass kissing if it feels cheap it feels cheap

[urbanstrencan]

This is what Citroen Berlingo should be 😊

[Coltv]

At home we got a ´23 Renault Clio and a ´23 Polestar 2, and when i get in the Clio, the first thing that comes to my mind, is not the cheaper materials compared to the Polestar. I never touch the interior of my cars, so when the steering wheel feels nice and seats are comfortable, its basically all i need.

This car is not for me, but i think it is great that there are coming EV´s that people can afford.

Also, whats with the obsession over storage and plugs? I really dont get it, are you bringing all your stuff in the car? I know im a simple man, but i have my phone and me keys with me, nothing else. Going to work i have a small backpack with me, but that goes into the trunk anyway. Phone goes to wireless charge pad, so why you need so many plugs? I´ve never used any of them in my Polestar 2.

[Holeyguagaamoley]

I love every review that Nikki does, her voice and style are fantastic. Best thing about this channel.

[patrickjr]

An odd comment perhaps but if you are going to review what is an excellent but value family car, it is possible not to send a terrible car snob to do the review? So what if the interior is hard wearing in places, it would need to be with my kids. Not every car needs to get super luxury, super high price, super high insurance. This car is not going to be or supposed to be any of those things.

[francisdoran]

Interesting that the roof load is up to 200kg, which is massive. I suppose to cater for the latest trend of roof-tents.
Personally, I'd be interested in knowing what the towing capacity really is, if any. On EV Techspecs, it's showing as only 300kg, which doesn't seem right as very low, compared to the basic eC3 which is showing as 550kg.
I couldn't actually see the boot size as the image was too dark to actually see anything. This is quite common for testers. Not lighting up the boot and all we can see is darkness. Maybe use the camera light next time?
But the car itself looks good, both inside and out.
To Citroen, I would suggest considering either as standard or as an option to offer a sliding rear seat, to allow a bigger covered boot when there are no rear passengers.
Regarding the "scratchy" plastics, I've driven a car with "scratchy" plastics for the last 100, 000 miles. Think the only times I've ever felt them is when I clean them, which is easy to do and not that often. Certainly put softer plastics in areas where there's going to be regular human contact, like the door armrest where your elbow might go, or on the centre console where your hands would be, but on the upper dash under the windscreen, why would you be feeling it? Is it some weird fetish among car testers?

Looks like it could be a good seller for Citroen, though the smaller battery might struggle to give a decent range due to the additional height and drag of the vehicle and we haven't actually seen what the basic eC3 will do in the real world yet.

Hopefully also, the towing capacity is larger than 300kg.

[prz]

People in comments complaining that she shows lower aspects. That’s the point of review. You show all good AND BAD. It’s up to viewer to decide if they can handle the lower aspects in their use case. When watching I want to see all cost cutting choices to know if it’s worth considering.
The car is cheap, yes, but it still doesn’t change the fact that it has lower quality elements. And it’s only fair to show pros and cons of it.

[jonathantaylor]

The price differential between the 1.2 petrol C3 and C3 Aircross, after discounts, is about £3, 750
So, with the eC3 list price being £21, 990, that would suggest this new eC3 Aircross will actually start around £26k-ish...?

[xWood]

The car seems so good but the lack of a heatpump or battery pre heating option is not good for Finland's cold climate