Stumble It!
C-Crosser comes late to the party
14/11/07 13:23 Filed in: Road
Test
Considering that Citroen has had a long involvement in events
like the Dakar Rally, in the tough off-road conditions of the
Sahara, it's perhaps surprising that it has taken until now for the
famous chevrons to appear on the nose of an off-road vehicle. The
new Citroen C-Crosser is the product of
international collaboration between Citroen, its sister company Peugeot and Mitsubishi.
The result is three very similar 4X4s - the Mitsubishi Outlander, the Peugeot 4007 and the Citroen C-Crosser. The latter two are virtually identical – apart from the unique nose and the badging – even down to price. That really brings the argument down to style and appearance between the two French versions and I would award the C-Crosser the slight advantage there.
In truth, there is little to excite about the style of this vehicle either outside or inside. The interior, in particular, has very little Citroen cues about it - apart from the chevrons on the steering wheel. So why should the C-Crosser get a second look from you when you are considering an off-roader?
Well the price of the C-Crosser is competitive with others in this market sector, notably the market-leading Freelander. But, the C-Crosser offers the distinct advantage of two additional seats in the very back, a good diesel engine in the 2.2HDI and a good package of equipment.
That's the logical reasons to put the C-Crosser ahead. But, when it comes down to the things that make a vehicle like this a pleasure to own - style, refinement and ability, then the C-Crosser gets more of a run for its money. Which one wins?
Well, although I know the old Freelander only too well (durability was not an attribute that my one possessed) I have not yet driven Freelander 2, with its promise of greater reliability. That will be rectified in the coming weeks, so watch this space.
Although perhaps a little dull, I found the C-Crosser endearing. The 2.2 diesel is a very willing unit. So much so that it is sometimes difficult to stop the front wheels from spinning on a greasy surface. The answer, there is to dial in four-wheel-drive to keep the power in check.
It is very easy to live with. The diesel harshness and clatter are well subdued and the result is a vehicle that is quick enough to keep up with traffic both in town and out on the open dual carriageways. I did find that progress in traffic queues was a little jerky (particularly until I became really familiar with things like clutch 'bite' points) due to the sudden transition between power on and power off.
On the sections of twisty by-way that make up my daily commute. The C-Crosser demonstrated good road manners, cornering quite flatly and with a reassuring amount of feedback from the wheels. With its ability to run as a front wheel drive vehicle it is perhaps not surprising that it is a tad more economical, according to the figures, than the equivalent 2.2 Freelander. On my city driving and commutes, this relatively big vehicle returned a creditable 27 to 28 mpg.
The driving position is good and visibility it quite good apart from the heavy rear pillars. Manoeuvring confidence is boosted on the test car with the £1,600 option of an excellent touch-screen sat-nav system combined with a rear view camera.
Space in the back seats is quite generous and the boot is huge and flat floored when the sixth and seventh seat are folded flush.
I did try the C-Crosser on the rough stuff. It acquitted itself well on my patch of heather moor, with its option to dial in four wheel drive and differential locks and the twist a knob. The Freelander, however, is the more technically advanced option for off-roading - it has Land Rover's Terrain Response system, where you dial in the conditions and the car adjusts the setting to suit. It also has more ground clearance and the distinct advantage of the hill descent control to keep downhill speeds in check.
That said, most owners of these vehicles are really only looking for something that can cope with mild off-road conditions, rather than anything too serious. For on-road use I surprised myself by really enjoying my time behind the wheel of the C-Crosser. The test car came with all the things I would expect on an up-market model in this price bracket, and more.
Steering wheel buttons controlled the radio and the cruise control and the dashboard was simple and easy to read. Indeed the only tiny gripe was the crazy location of the heated seat controls - some people are just never satisfied! Another niggle is the indicators which are sometimes reluctant to cancel, a problem compounded by an overly quiet ticker when the indicators are flashing.
The test car was the up-market version of the C-Crosser, namely the Citroen C-Crosser 2.2HDI Exclusive. It is priced at £25,490.
The result is three very similar 4X4s - the Mitsubishi Outlander, the Peugeot 4007 and the Citroen C-Crosser. The latter two are virtually identical – apart from the unique nose and the badging – even down to price. That really brings the argument down to style and appearance between the two French versions and I would award the C-Crosser the slight advantage there.
In truth, there is little to excite about the style of this vehicle either outside or inside. The interior, in particular, has very little Citroen cues about it - apart from the chevrons on the steering wheel. So why should the C-Crosser get a second look from you when you are considering an off-roader?
Well the price of the C-Crosser is competitive with others in this market sector, notably the market-leading Freelander. But, the C-Crosser offers the distinct advantage of two additional seats in the very back, a good diesel engine in the 2.2HDI and a good package of equipment.
That's the logical reasons to put the C-Crosser ahead. But, when it comes down to the things that make a vehicle like this a pleasure to own - style, refinement and ability, then the C-Crosser gets more of a run for its money. Which one wins?
Well, although I know the old Freelander only too well (durability was not an attribute that my one possessed) I have not yet driven Freelander 2, with its promise of greater reliability. That will be rectified in the coming weeks, so watch this space.
Although perhaps a little dull, I found the C-Crosser endearing. The 2.2 diesel is a very willing unit. So much so that it is sometimes difficult to stop the front wheels from spinning on a greasy surface. The answer, there is to dial in four-wheel-drive to keep the power in check.
It is very easy to live with. The diesel harshness and clatter are well subdued and the result is a vehicle that is quick enough to keep up with traffic both in town and out on the open dual carriageways. I did find that progress in traffic queues was a little jerky (particularly until I became really familiar with things like clutch 'bite' points) due to the sudden transition between power on and power off.
On the sections of twisty by-way that make up my daily commute. The C-Crosser demonstrated good road manners, cornering quite flatly and with a reassuring amount of feedback from the wheels. With its ability to run as a front wheel drive vehicle it is perhaps not surprising that it is a tad more economical, according to the figures, than the equivalent 2.2 Freelander. On my city driving and commutes, this relatively big vehicle returned a creditable 27 to 28 mpg.
The driving position is good and visibility it quite good apart from the heavy rear pillars. Manoeuvring confidence is boosted on the test car with the £1,600 option of an excellent touch-screen sat-nav system combined with a rear view camera.
Space in the back seats is quite generous and the boot is huge and flat floored when the sixth and seventh seat are folded flush.
I did try the C-Crosser on the rough stuff. It acquitted itself well on my patch of heather moor, with its option to dial in four wheel drive and differential locks and the twist a knob. The Freelander, however, is the more technically advanced option for off-roading - it has Land Rover's Terrain Response system, where you dial in the conditions and the car adjusts the setting to suit. It also has more ground clearance and the distinct advantage of the hill descent control to keep downhill speeds in check.
That said, most owners of these vehicles are really only looking for something that can cope with mild off-road conditions, rather than anything too serious. For on-road use I surprised myself by really enjoying my time behind the wheel of the C-Crosser. The test car came with all the things I would expect on an up-market model in this price bracket, and more.
Steering wheel buttons controlled the radio and the cruise control and the dashboard was simple and easy to read. Indeed the only tiny gripe was the crazy location of the heated seat controls - some people are just never satisfied! Another niggle is the indicators which are sometimes reluctant to cancel, a problem compounded by an overly quiet ticker when the indicators are flashing.
The test car was the up-market version of the C-Crosser, namely the Citroen C-Crosser 2.2HDI Exclusive. It is priced at £25,490.
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