CITROEN

VIVE LE 4x4 Citroën makes a tentative and rather overdue entry into the compact 4x4 market with the C-Crosser. Andy Enright reports

For all their history of developing cars that can drive across ploughed fields while wearing a hat, the French haven’t actually achieved too much when it comes to building 4x4s. Those with long memories will remember the Citroën Mehari while in more recent years there have been cars like the Renault Scenic RX4 and Kangoo Trekka. When it comes to capitalising on the phenomenal growth of lifestyle 4x4s, however, it’s fair to say that the French have comprehensively missed the bateau.

Things are changing though. Citroën and partners Peugeot have teamed up with Mitsubishi to share the costs of a joint venture that has resulted in a product platform that has spawned Mitsubishi’s Outlander, Peugeot’s 4007 and the vehicle we look at here, the Citroën C-Crosser. Although building a 4x4 with no real heritage to fall back on might represent something of a gamble for Citroën, the way that the company has dipped its toe into the water is really very smart. Naturally we’ll have to wait and see how the public takes to this vehicle but if Citroën can count on one thing, it’s a very strong dealer network that consistently comes up with clever ways to incentivise sales. The C-Crosser is being offered in three trim levels – VTR, VTR+ and Exclusive - with a long list of standard features including six airbags, an alarm, automatic headlamps, sliding and reclining second row seats, ABS, ESP, cruise control and automatic air conditioning. Recommended retail prices are £19,995 for the VTR, £22,495 for the VTR+ and £25,195 for the Exclusive. Two engines are available with the C-Crosser, the 2.2-litre diesel that’s good for 156bhp, or the more powerful 2.4i petrol powerplant that produces 170bhp and comes as standard with a CVT gearbox. The combustion chamber on the diesel engine has been redesigned with a reduced compression ratio and a larger diameter, as Peugeot realised that fuel in contact with the walls of the cylinder was difficult to burn efficiently. Increase the volume and the efficiency increases, helped by a redesigned piston crown. A third generation Bosch common rail system uses piezo electronic injectors to raise injection pressure to 1,800bar. Compare that to 1,350 bar for the first generation common rail units and you’ll see the precision at work here. This fuel is squirted through apertures that measure just 135 microns. Dad with his wire brush won’t even be able to see them. The average human hair is 90 microns in diameter.

"A well-styled, decently built modern compact 4x4 that’s offered at competitive price…."

Mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, the engine will satisfy most customers and is shared with the Peugeot 4007. To ensure an optimum blend of comfort, road holding and off-road capability, drivers have a choice of three transmission settings that can be changed depending on road conditions and driving style. Drivers can switch between two-wheel drive, electronically controlled four-wheel drive and a lock setting for low-grip conditions, all of which can be selected using a control mounted on the central console. Granted, beauty is in the eye of the beholder but this beholder can’t help but think that Citroën has done a much better job than sister company Peugeot in draping their version of this car in the respective corporate clothes. Where the 4007 looks rather ungainly around the front end, the C-Crosser works very well, the low-profile Citroën grille looking a lot more at home than the Cayenne-like maw of the 4007. There’s only so much that Citroën could do with a piece of engineering with firmly established ‘hard points’ and the rear three quarter view looks decidedly Japanese, the tapered C-pillars and bold wheelarches betraying the car’s Oriental origins. Likewise, the interior has a distinctly Eastern feel to it as well. There’s none of the trademark Citroën lateral thinking, the fascia being rather conventional. Two cowled dials house the major instruments and the centre console is sparse and rather plasticky it has to be said. Despite this, there isn’t too much you can finger as being wrong with the ergonomics. The ventilation controls are easy to fathom and the multifunction controls on the steering wheel are a nice touch. Citroën’s penchant for functionality and innovation is clearly visible in the C-Crosser, with its flexible 5+2 seating configuration. For ease of use when exiting the third row seats, or when reconfiguring the boot lay-out, the second row seats can be electronically folded forwards using the buttons located internally next to the rear wheel arches. The two occasional use seats in the rear can be simply folded away under the floor, while the second row of seating also slides and reclines for greater comfort. The C-Crosser also offers plenty of stowage space throughout, with over 20 individual storage compartments. All five rear seats can be folded away easily to provide a flat floor and vast load space of up to 1,686 litres, while the boot capacity is up to 510 litres when the second row of seats are in use. To help loading items into the huge boot space, there’s a split two-piece tailgate. Folded down, the lower section drops the sill by 64mm allowing heavy goods to be easily loaded, while doubling as a handy bench, capable of supporting up to 200kg. Whether or not you take to the Citroën C-Crosser will depend largely on how committed you are to the Citroën marque. The thing is with this car that brand loyalty may well be inversely significant. Dyed in the wool Citroënophiles may well see this car as a sell-out, something that despite its undoubted inherent qualities rather sullies the tradition of the company. Not having any particular interest in that debate, I rather like the idea of the C-Crosser. Pragmatists will take it for what it is – a well-styled, decently built modern compact 4x4 that’s offered at competitive price. As with many such things, thinking too much can prove detrimental. The C-Crosser represents a toe in the water by Citroën and it makes a lot of sense to adopt this approach. It’s not going to revolutionise the 4x4 market in the UK but it should do enough to prompt Citroën to a bolder move next time.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Citroën C-Crosser range PRICES: £19,995-£25,490 - on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 12-15 CO2 EMISSIONS: 191g/km to 225g/km PERFORMANCE: Max Speed (2.2-litre) 124mph / 0-60mph 9.5s FUEL CONSUMPTION: (2.4-litre VTR) (combined) 30.1mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front & side airbags, ABS, ESP [est] WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/heightmm tba

AN EASY CROSSER TO BEAR? How does the 2.4-litre petrol-engined Citroen C-Crosser compare to its more popular diesel stablemate? Steve Walker finds out

The petrol-engined Citroen C-Crosser won’t be for everyone but its exclusive availability in entry-level trim and with the CVT automatic gearbox make it a desirable option for certain customer groups. The diesel is the more satisfying engine but running the smooth, powerful 2.4-litre petrol option should be no hardship.

It’s diesel power that buyers of compact 4x4 vehicles traditionally favour and Citroen’s C-Crosser has a commendable diesel engine in its 2.2-litre HDi unit. It also has another engine, however, one that it would be easy for buyers to overlook. The question at hand is whether overlooking the 2.4-litre petrol C-Crosser is a sensible course of action, or not? The consensus of opinion is that Citroen’s first foray into the compact 4x4 market has been successful. The marque can be justifiably proud of itself, having produced a viable 4x4 product with no previous record in the SUV field. Citroen has pulled this off so effectively, the fact that the C-Crosser is little more than a re-badged Mitsubishi Outlander has been comprehensively brushed under the carpet. The C-Crosser’s Outlander origins are nothing to be ashamed of anyway. Who can argue with the policy of utilising someone else’s expertise in a given area in order to enhance your own performance? It makes perfect sense but while Mitsubishi’s 4x4 know-how forms an essential part of the C-Crosser, the Japanese marque’s 2.4-litre petrol engine appears less key to its fortunes. 4x4 buyers like diesel for a number of reasons. The muscular torque characteristics of diesel engines make them good for towing duties, getting a hefty vehicle quickly up to speed and, should the need arise, hauling one difficult off-road terrain. Diesel of course, also out performs petrol on the fuel economy front. The advantage of petrol tends to come in its upfront affordability and greater smoothness, although we’re talking in very general terms here. What about the petrol engine in the C-Crosser?

"The 2.4-litre option will make sense if you prioritise refinement, want to pay as little as possible or must have an automatic gearbox…."

Well, it’s a 2.4-litre 170bhp unit which makes it more powerful than the 156bhp 2.2-litre HDi diesel alternative. It’s a little faster from 0-60mph with a 9.2s showing compared to the 9.9s managed by the HDi and it’s available with a CVT automatic gearbox. The engine revs freely and offers superior refinement to the diesel but that low-end muscle that 4x4 buyers like is never very forthcoming. It feels like you need to work the engine harder to get the most out of it. The C-Crosser does a fine job on the road for a compact 4x4. The ride is on the firm side but the bounciness that afflicts some 4x4 vehicles never manifests itself. Body roll, another major bugbear for high sided vehicles like the C-Crosser, is also well contained but the flipside of these polished road manners is a paucity of ability in the rough stuff. The C-Crosser’s habitat is firmly on the asphalt, the steering has a nice weight to it and despite being a large vehicle, capable of seating seven in some guises, it changes direction swiftly making it well suited to urban driving. The C-Crosser’s Mitsubishi Outlander heritage is well masked by the exterior styling which is far better executed than that of its Peugeot 4007 sister vehicle. Even though the front end is resolutely Citroen, there’s still a Japanese flavour to the rear and overall shape of the car. Likewise, the interior has a distinctly Eastern feel to it. There’s none of the trademark Citroën lateral thinking, the fascia being rather conventional. Two cowled dials house the major instruments and the centre console is sparse and rather plasticky it has to be said. Despite this, there isn’t too much you can finger as being wrong with the ergonomics. The ventilation controls are easy to fathom and the multifunction controls on the steering wheel are a nice touch. Citroën’s penchant for functionality and innovation is clearly visible in the C-Crosser, with its flexible 5+2 seating configuration. For ease of use when exiting the third row seats, or when reconfiguring the boot lay-out, the second row seats can be electronically folded forwards using the buttons located internally next to the rear wheel arches. The two occasional use seats in the rear can be simply folded away under the floor, while the second row of seating also slides and reclines for greater comfort. The C-Crosser also offers plenty of stowage space throughout, with over 20 individual storage compartments. All five rear seats can be folded away easily to provide a flat floor and vast load space of up to 1,686 litres, while the boot capacity is up to 510 litres when the second row of seats are in use. To help loading items into the huge boot space, there’s a split two-piece tailgate. Folded down, the lower section drops the sill by 64mm allowing heavy goods to be easily loaded, while doubling as a handy bench, capable of supporting up to 200kg. The 2.4-litre petrol engine in the C-Crosser is the entry-level choice, despite its 14bhp power advantage over the 2.2-litre diesel. The price differential between the two engines appears to be a big one as well, but while the more expensive diesel model opens in VTR+ trim, the base 2.4-litre comes as a less luxurious VTR. You can get the 2.4-litre as a VTR+ or a plush Exclusive, should you feel that way inclined, but only if you also take the CVT gearbox. Because of this, direct comparisons between the petrol and diesel aren’t that easy to make. There’s no automatic option with the oil-burner so anyone intent on having the cogs swapped for them is stuck with petrol and it’s a similar story with the VTR trim level. This comes accompanied exclusively by the 2.4-litre engine and a five-speed manual gearbox. The C-Crosser VTR is still reasonably well equipped despite its lowly positioning in the range. It comes with only five seats but automatic folding rear seats, cruise control, light sensing headlamps and a split tailgate are standard. Safety features run to ABS with EBD, ESP stability control and six airbags. A 2.4-litre VTR is the most affordable way into a Citroen C-Crosser and it definitely has something to offer from a value for money perspective. The party line when it comes to choosing between petrol and diesel power on cost grounds is for high mileage drivers to choose diesel and low mileage drivers to go petrol – leaving those in the middle with a trickier decision to make. This still holds true but fuel costs have increased the mileage tipping point at which diesel makes more sense. The 2.4-litre petrol C-Crosser could be a major beneficiary of this because although its 30.1mpg average economy is a hefty burden, it will take a diesel buyer averaging 39.2mpg some time to recoup the additional outlay they’ve made in reduced fuel savings. CO2 emissions for the two cars are 225g/km for the petrol and 191g/km for the diesel although the CVT gearbox on the petrol does improve economy and emissions slightly to 30.4mpg and 222g/km. In general, ‘soft’ SUVs of this kind really aren’t any more expensive to run than your average medium range estate. Depreciation? Well, it should be slightly better than Far Eastern alternatives and what you lose against the posh brands should be recouped by the discount you’ll be needing to ask from your friendly dealer upfront. Petrol-engined compact 4x4s haven’t been particularly popular with UK buyers but Citroen has structured its C-Crosser range in a manner that should promote sales of the 2.4-litre models. The 170bhp petrol engine is the only way into the affordable VTR trim level and the sole option for buyers seeking a self-shifting gearbox. With fuel prices tipping the balance in petrol’s favour, it might be time for some customers to give the green pump a chance. There’s no doubt that the C-Crosser is at its best in diesel form. The petrol unit can’t match its muscle or its economy and the HDi unit delivers a more flexible, relaxing driving experience. The 2.4-litre option will still make sense if you prioritise refinement, want to pay as little as possible for your C-Crosser or must have an automatic gearbox. Regardless of the engine installed, the C-Crosser is one of the top road-going compact 4x4s for value and practicality.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Citroën C-Crosser 2.4i range PRICES: £19,995-£25,195 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 12-13 CO2 EMISSIONS: 191-225g/km PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 124mph / 0-60mph 9.2s FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 30.1mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front & side airbags, ABS, ESP WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/heightmm 4646/2072/1713