Citroen C3X Review: Worth Considering Over Tata Punch and Hyundai Exter?

Citroen C3X Review: Buyers, when exploring for a new budget micro-SUV that offers good features, has a punchy performance from the engine and has comfortable seating, there are various options available in the market. In this segment, some popular choices among buyers include the Tata Punch, Hyundai Exter, Maruti Suzuki Ignis, and others. In this segment, there is one more option from Citroen India: the C3, an entry-level micro-SUV in the lineup and an underrated choice in the market.

However, Citroen updated the regular C3  with new features that were missing earlier, and added a new C3X variant to the lineup. The C3X is now equipped with a 360-degree parking camera, a push start/stop button, and other convenience features. Moreover, the French automaker offers the C3X with two engine options and multiple colour options.

Here are our thoughts after driving it for 500 km, and we will tell you whether the Citroen C3X is worth considering or not and why it is an underrated car in the segment:

What’s Good

Performance

The Citroen C3X is offered with two petrol engines. Both are 1.2L inline three-cylinder units, with a naturally aspirated and a turbocharged petrol offering. We drove the turbocharged petrol engine paired with a six-speed torque-converter gearbox. This engine makes 110 bhp and 205Nm of torque.

Talking about the performance, this engine is punchy, and post 2,000 RPM, it pulls effortlessly. Though there are no driving modes on offer, the turbo lag is well contained, and there is ample grunt on offer. This is the same engine that powers other Citroen models as well, but it feels peppy and punchy to drive in the C3.

Since we drove the six-speed automatic gearbox, the gearbox isn’t the smoothest in its segment. There is a bit of jerk while upshifting, and once you cross 60-70 km/h speed, the shifts become smooth. In the manual mode, the C3 has tall gearing, and the third gear easily crosses triple-digit speeds.

Ride Quality

The Citroen C3X offers a comfortable ride quality. We enjoyed the ride in it, and it glides through bad roads and bumps comfortably. Since the suspension is on the softer side, there is a bit of body roll, however, it is well contained and the car maintains its line while pushing through corners. 

Though the steering wheel feels a bit disconnected, it is well calibrated and has decent feel and feedback. On triple-digit speeds, Citroen could have offered added weight so that it became more fun-to-drive.

Features

The Citroen C3X has decent features on offer, as it got updated recently. The new C3X now comes with a push button start/stop, a 360-degree parking camera, cruise control, automatic climate control, and others.

During our experience, we liked the cruise control, which was earlier missing in this. Moreover, the 10.25-inch infotainment system comes with wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and has a decent music system. Though the phone connected instantly and the touch is also responsive, the sound output is okayish and if you are a music lover, you’ll require to upgrade the audio system.

Comfort

The seats in the Citroen C3X are comfortable, and the cabin has decent space on offer. Though it is a micro-SUV, it has easy ingress and egress, making it comfortable for elderly passengers. The front seats have good cushioning, and if Citroen have offered more bolstering, the comfort could have been improved. There is decent shoulder room, and you don’t rub your shoulders.

Coming to the rear seats, there is ample space on offer. The seats are comfortable, and the cabin is wide enough for three passengers. You get ample knee room and leg room, and despite it does not have a tall boy design, you get ample headroom. However, it misses out on adjustable rear-seat headrests, which could have improved the comfort.

What’s Bad

Features

Despite Citroen adding new features to the C3X, there were some features that we didn’t like. For starters, it gets a 360-degree parking camera, but the camera quality is not up to par. 

Moreover, at night, it gets pixelated, and we faced a bit of difficulty while reversing. The C3X gets USB Type-A ports in the front and Type-C ports at the rear, which we feel could have been swapped. Talking about comfort features, it misses out on front and rear armrests, which could have improved the comfort inside the cabin.

Fuel Efficiency

Since the C3X comes equipped with a 1.2L turbo petrol engine with an automatic gearbox, the ARAI claimed fuel efficiency is 18.3km/L. 

However, during our drives, we got a fuel efficiency of 14 km/l. We expected slightly better fuel efficiency, and since it was an automatic, it remained in fifth gear at around 75-80km/h speeds. Despite shifting it manually to sixth gear, it sometimes downshifted on its own.

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Noise Vibrations Harshness

As the Citroen C3X comes with a three-cylinder turbo petrol engine, the NVH levels could have been better. The engine vibrations filter inside the cabin and are evident on the pedals or on the door panels. 

The road noise does not filter inside the cabin, but the suspension noise and the tyre noise do filter inside. To get a better experience, buyers can get aftermarket damping done to add more weight to the car.

What is the price of the Citroen C3X?

The price of the Citroen C3X starts at ₹5.71 lakh (on-road, Noida) for the base variant and goes to ₹10.78 lakh (on-road, Noida) for the top-spec automatic variant.

Verdict

Now the main question is -- should you consider the Citroen C3 in its segment or not? Our answer is Yes. The exterior design is similar to other cars in the lineup, and the interior has plenty of hard plastic elements. Moreover, with the new C3X variant, you get more features, which could be a deal breaker for some buyers at its price. However, the C3X cabin has vibrations from the engine at low-end, but the shifts are smooth. It may not feel as boxy outside as rivals like the Maruti Suzuki Ignis, Tata Punch, and Hyundai Exter, but if punchy performance from a turbo petrol engine and good ride quality matter more than fuel efficiency and certain features, this Citroen makes a solid choice.

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