The Citroen C3 Aircross is a small five-seater SUV; it's a rather different and funky looking little thing and I was keen to see how family-friendly a small car like this can be. Let's find out how good it is as a BabyDrive…
The C3 Aircross is very different design-wise. Both inside and out there are things we are not used to. The first thing that struck me was the lack of cup holders!? There are none in the front… WHAT!!! I know in France coffee is to be enjoyed sitting down in a cafe not guzzled on the go but in Australia, we tired mums need our caffeine! There is one holder in the back of the central console so I had my traveller in there all week but had to be careful my little girl didn't kick it!
Storage was very minimal throughout the C3 Aircross as there is no central console storage box and no glasses case in the ceiling. Instead in the front, you have a cordless phone charging well, very small glove box, door bins that hold a large refillable water bottle and a shelf in the dash.
In the back storage is minimal too. There are no map pockets and no fold-down armrest with cup holders. Instead, you have a single cup or bottle holder and door bins that will hold a large refillable water bottle.
Now for the gear lever and hand brake. Why oh why in this day and age do we have a hand brake that is so big it takes up the entire space where a central console box should be? Especially when in most cars now it is reduced to a button the size of a dollar coin!? The gears are also very clunky to use and like the handbrake, it makes the C3 Aircross feel rather old fashioned.
The rear seats are so flat, deep and wide, I was sure that three child seats were going to fit.
But I was surprised to find I could only fit two child seats in the back and I couldn't sit between them. A 180cm driver could just fit in front of a rear-facing child seat but probably wouldn't want to drive long distances.
The boot is where the C3 Aircross excels. The boot floor drops down around 10cm, which is a lot for a small SUV and this allows a tandem stroller to fit in the boot, with both the parcel shelf in place and shopping in the boot.
The lower boot floor also meant when twin strollers are standing up in the boot you can still see out of the rear windscreen when driving.
The media system in the Citroen C3 Aircross does feel a bit basic and has a frustrating delay when you press the screen that can make you think you haven't pressed it as we are used to technology being much faster. It does have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which is great.
The reversing camera image is quite small but it has a handy birdseye image too which helps with parking and maneuvering. Visibility out of the windows is also good in the C3 Aircross.
The Citroen C3 Aircross reminds me of a little van to drive; it is actually quite noisy, the engine's quite revvy and the gear lever is clunky and I found it quite difficult to use. Saying that, it is an endearing little car that is characterful with its mock-Venetian blind details on the rear side windows and funky design features.
BabyDrive Indepth - Storage
How big is the boot of the Citroen C3 Aircross?
The boot is where the Citroen C3 Aircross excels for a small SUV. The boot floor can be dropped down about 10cm which gives great extra storage space. From empty, the boot will hold ten shopping bags. Which is two more than the Mazda CX-3 and Hyundai Kona, one less than the Mitsubishi ASX and two less than the Honda HR-V.
The Mountain Buggy Duet twin stroller fits with two shopping bags if the parcel shelf is removed. The great thing about the lower boot floor means that when you have large strollers in the boot they sit lower down and visibility is good out of the back windscreen.
The Britax Flexx tandem stroller fits with two shopping bags. The lower floor position means the stackable strollers fit in the boot with the parcel shelf in place which is great.
The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Tulsi’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.
Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.
I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.
The Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle single stroller fits with five shopping bags beside it.
It will fit in the boot with the parcel shelf in place but you hace to remove the back wheels.
The Mountain Buggy Nano compact stroller fitted with seven shopping bags beside it.
Or you could fit a medium size dog in there!
The boot floor is nice and flat when in both positions, which is good for an emergency nappy change.
How good is storage inside the Citroen C3 Aircross?
Storage in the Citroen C3 Aircross is VERY minimal; firstly there are NO cup holders in the front of the car?! WHAT!!! I know!! Not a single cup holder, where are us tired parents supposed to put our caffeine cups?!! Instead, the central console houses an enormous handbrake and in front of the gear lever is a cordless phone charging well and there is a USB and 12V socket there too.
The glove box is small and would only hold my wallet with the manual.
There is no sunglasses holder in the ceiling but there is a shelf in the dashboard which housed my glasses over the week.
The door bins in the front will hold a large refillable water bottle and an iPad just fits in them too, there are little storage wells in the handles.
In the back storage is even more minimal. The door bins are smaller but will hold a large refillable water bottle and have storage wells in the handles.
There are no map pockets and no fold down armrest with cup holders?! There is only the cup holder in the car in the back of the central console; my new Luxey Cup fitted in there nicely and there is also a 12V socket on the back of it too.
BabyDrive Indepth - Noise
How noisy is the Citroen C3 Aircross?
The Citroen C3 Aircross is quite a noisy BabyDrive, it feels a bit like a small van to drive because the engine vibrates, is quite loud and revvy up hills.
The media system in the Citroen C3 Aircross is quite basic and simple to navigate but it is slow to respond when you press the screen and you end up pressing it twice because you think you mustn't have done it first time! I had the same thing with the Peugeot 3008, infact it had an identical system. It does have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which was great. It was very easy to connect my phone and worked instantly.
The reversing camera image is quite small and it has a birdseye view which is helpful when manouvering.
The parking sensor beeping can only be turned off within the screen settings there is no handy button to press.
Lane departure warning makes a beeping sound to alert you and this can be turned off with a button by the driver's right knee
There is a distance to empty displayed on the screen in front of you which is great, the screen is more like a digital watch than a car display, but I kind of like it in a retro Casio watch way!
The indicators are nice and dull noise in the Citroen C3 Aircross and wouldn’t disturb my sleeping baby.
I found the Sat-Nav relatively easy to use, however muting the navigation voice isn't an easy one touch. Like the parking sensors, you have to go into the screen settings.
Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!
That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.
If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?
It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?
A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.
Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!
I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.
The doors open nice and quietly but they do close with quite a slam. You can lock them with a big button on the central dash.
The windows are noisy to open and close with a bit of a thump. You can also lock them with a button on the driver's door control panel.
Since becoming a mum I spend A LOT of time parked up somewhere with a nice view while my daughter is asleep in the back! If it's hot I need to leave the engine running and the aircon on but I do like to get out and drink my cuppa tea in the fresh air while enjoying the fact my limbs are free from said dangling child!!
So this is a very important test as I have found that sometimes I have been held hostage by a cars BEEEEPING alarms when I have taken off my seatbelt or opened the door while the engine is still running!! (I only stand outside the car, I am not a bad mother!!)
The cruise controls are on a stalk behind the steering wheel, like in the Peugeot 3008, only I can see the stalk in the C3 Aircross which makes it easier to see what I am doing. I found once I got used to how they worked it was okay to use. I did find it good at faster speeds on the motorway but at 60km/h on undulating roads, it got carried away just like the Peugeot 3008 did.
There is a seatbelt removal alarm and a great visual in the ceiling where the glases case would normally be.
BabyDrive Indepth - Car Seats
How many child seats fit in the Citroen C3 Aircross?
I was so sure it was going to be three! The rear seats are lovely and flat and wide, perfect for child car seat fitting. There are three top tether anchorages in the back of the seat backrests. They are clearly labelled but really close to the seat backs, which did make them a bit hard to clip on to.
There are Isofix points in the two outer rear seats; they are not within plastic guides but the seat has been shaped to allow access to them which is a nice detail and made them easy to connect to.
Dispite my expectations I could only fit two child seats in the back. They were lovely and easy to install and I found I couldn't fit between them.
We found with a rear-facing child seat installed a 180cm driver could just fit in front of it but probably wouldn't want to drive long distances.
Posting bub into their child seat, rear-facing and forward-facing, from outside the car is really nice and easy in the Citroen C3 Aircross because the door openings are wide. Inside the ceiling is high enough that posting Bub into their seats from inside is good too. There are handles above the rear doors so you can hang a child's toy.
Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!
There is plenty of room to feed bub in the back if you only have one child seat installed.
BabyDrive Indepth - Drive & Comfort
How comfortable is the Citroen C3 Aircross? And how nice is the Citroen C3 Aircross to drive?
In the front of the Citroen C3 Aircross, the seats are comfortable, they don't have much shaping to them so they can feel like they lack support if you are used to more sculpted seats. They are manually adjusted and upholstered with tonal grey woven fabric with minimal fuss in stitching etc but they might easily get spills and crumbs ground into them and not be easy to wipe clean.
The same fabric is used on the armrests in the doors which would be harder to keep clean too.
The headrests are not adjustable and I found I couldn't have a ponytail in the driver's seat.
I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too… said no new mum ever!!!
For a mum travelling in the back with bub, the seats are comfortable, but not supportive and there is a small hump in the central footwell you would have to straddle if you were sitting in the central seat.
For the first year of Tulsi’s life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Tulsi so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!
The steering wheel is fully adjustable in/out and up/down.
There are four air-conditioning vents across the front dashboard; two horizontal central ones and a vertical one at either end.
The controls are nice and easy to use through the media touch screen. There are no air vents in the back which I think would not be sufficient to keep rear passengers cool in an Australian summer.
There are vanity mirrors in both front visors but they are not lit.
The rear interior lights are located centrally in the ceiling but right back above the rear headrests so I couldn't reach those while driving.
I have found Tulsi does not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it’s really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.
Also if I am traveling home and it is getting near to bed time and I DEFINITELY DON’T want her to fall asleep in the car as even a five-minute nap in the car means bed time is all over!!!! I lean back and pop the light on so it’s not dark and try to keep her awake!! Along with screaming/singing at the top of my voice!!!
It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.
Visibility in the Citroen C3 Aircross is good, out of the back and side windows.
One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Tulsi has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the little C3 Aircross was really easy to park.
Aesthetically the Citroen C3 Aircross looks and feels like a funky little SUV and I especially like the rear side windows with their venetian blinds.
BabyDrive Indepth - Safety
How safe is the Citroen C3 Aircross?
The Citroen C3 Aircross scored a five-star Euro-NCAP safety rating in 2018.
Scoring a total of 32.6 points, which is, 85% for adult occupancy. Broken down into 7.7 points for the full-width frontal crash test, 7.8 points. Whiplash 1.6 points and 15.5points for lateral impact.
For Child Occupancy protection the Citroen C3 Aircross scored a total of 40.5 points which is 82%.
Euro-NCAP said of the testing:Â In the frontal offset test, protection of both the 6 and 10 year dummies was good or adequate. In the side barrier test, protection was good for all critical body areas. The front passenger airbag can be disabled to allow a rearward-facing child restraint to be used in that seating position. Clear information is provided to the driver regarding the status of the airbag and the system was rewarded. Universal restraints which use the adult seatbelt should not be used in the rear centre seating position but, otherwise, restraints could be properly installed and accommodated.
Six airbags come as standard; there are dual frontal airbags and front side airbags and side head curtain airbags for the front and the rear side passengers.
As standard, all models of the Citroen C3 Aircross come with seat belt pre-tensioners in the front seats, autonomous emergency braking (AEB),anti-lock braking system (ABS), blind spot monitoring (BSM), emergency brake assist (EBA), hill launch assist, lane departure warning (LDW), fatigue reminder, electronic stability control (ESC), and electric child locks.
Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Tulsi’s asleep!
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