The New Citroen C3 Aircross Will Seat Seven On A (Relative) Budget

If you regularly have the need to carry more than four people at once, then you need a car with more seats. More seats, generally, means physically more car, and more car means more money, which can be an issue, especially when cars in general have become really expensive.

Currently, there’s only one seven-seater car available in the UK for less than £20k: the Dacia Jogger, a car we’re rather fond of. It’s likely to soon have a competitor from the Stellantis empire, though, in the shape of this: the new Citroen C3 Aircross.

The old C3 Aircross was basically just a jacked up version of the C3 supermini, but for its second gen, it’s been given more of a distinction. It’s the latest in a raft of cars to arrive on Stellantis’ new compact Smart Car platform, following on from the new Vauxhall Frontera, Fiat Grande Panda and non-Aircross Citroen C3 (which itself has, inevitably, been SUV-ified).

Exploiting that platform’s adaptability for different powertrains, the C3 Aircross is available with a 1.2-litre, 100bhp petrol three-cylinder paired with a manual gearbox; the same engine augmented by an electric motor for a total of 134bhp; or as a full EV with 111bhp.

Quite remarkably for something that’s almost exactly the same length as a Ford Focus, Citroen’s managed to cram an optional third row of seats into the car. Those in the back still benefit from cupholders, USB ports and ventilation, although based on the images we can see, they might not benefit from functioning legs at the end of a long journey unless they’re very small children. Seven seats are only an option on the petrol and hybrid versions – you'll have to settle for five if you want the EV.

Opt for the five-seater version and that boxy back end gives you what Citroen reckons is a class-leading 460 litres of boot space. The rest of the interior is designed around Citroen’s ‘C-Zen’ concept, which is supposed to provide a comfortable, calming atmosphere. Which will probably be useful if the four-year-old and seven-year-old are fighting in the back again.

UK pricing is yet to be revealed, but in France, the C3 Aircross will start at less than €20,000 (approx. £16,900). The seven-seater will likely cost more, but will still join the Jogger as one of the most affordable family haulers around when it goes on sale later this year.