Citroen C-Crosser. A Frenchman with a Japanese heart.

Citroen C-Crosser. A Frenchman with a Japanese heart

For a long time, the Peugeot-Citroen concern did not have a single SUV or, as it is now fashionable to say, crossover in its model range. And a solid automaker cannot do without cars of this highly demanded class nowadays. The PSA concern decided not to bother about this and not to spend millions on developing a conceptually new car, but simply offered to provide some technologies to its Japanese colleagues - Mitsubishi - in exchange for a ready-made body and assembly production. And following the Mitsubishi Outlander XL model, two half-brothers appeared at once - Peugeot 4007 and Citroen C-Crosser.

This alliance is not new. The babies Peugeot 107, Citroen C1 and Toyota Aygo were created on the same principle. True, of all three, only the first one reached Russia, the other cars are practically unknown in our country. This time, all three "brothers" decided to conquer the expanses of our vast homeland at once. This time we are testing the Citroen C-Crosser.

There are almost no differences

Apart from the double chevron - the "smile on the face", the Citroen emblem on the steering wheel and two small seats in the third row, there are no other differences between these cars. We open the hood and see that everything there is Japanese, which is confirmed by the "three diamonds" emblems on all parts. Do not be surprised - all three cars are assembled in Japan on the same assembly line. It is interesting whether the internal components will remain when the plant in Kaluga is built and production moves to Russia (though this will not happen before 2011).

The parts of all three cars fit one to one, the work on their replacement also seems to be the same, but the Mitsubishi service is much more expensive than the maintenance of the "brothers". Moreover, you can still buy an Outlander XL only after standing in line, but in a Japanese Frenchman you will leave the showroom on the day of your visit. True, the C-Crosser costs a little more, but the design and appearance of the car are more modern. We will return to prices later, but for now let's talk about unification and differences.

At least something French

The C-Crosser differs from its brothers in two original features - an emblem resembling a meat grinder knife with the designation of parts of the world on the rear door pillar, and, magnificent in design, 16-inch alloy wheels. Look at the photos and pay attention to them. There are a few more differences, but they are insignificant. For example, the original Outlander XL stands on Japanese Yokohama Geolander tires, while the C-Crosser stands on French Michelin Latitude Diamaris. Well, there should be at least something French in a French car! However, excuse me... Citroen in Russia has another manifestation of French charm - it speaks and writes greetings on the onboard computer only in French. The French, apparently, cannot come to terms with the fact that the times when every somewhat educated person spoke and wrote French better than their native language have long sunk into oblivion. I had to listen to "Bienvenue" when getting into the car and "Au Revoir" when getting out for all five days of the test. The meaning of the inscription "Risque de Verglas", which appears when the temperature drops below three degrees Celsius, had to be guessed intuitively. It meant - "risk of ice". You can change the language of communication with the car. But only to English and only at the service center, for example, during scheduled repair work.

Spacious in the back, but not very comfortable

In the cabin, apart from the completely unnecessary third row of seats, nothing new has appeared. There is also no way to adjust the brightness of the instrument lighting and the central display during the daytime. The rear seats can be slid back and then the legroom increases to limousine proportions. Nevertheless, as passengers claim (I did not have to act in this role myself), sitting in the back is tiring and not very comfortable. The seats are too hard and do not give a feeling of reliability and stability of seating - there is not enough support under the knees. In the Hyundai Santa Fe, rear passengers feel much more comfortable and there you can also adjust the rear seat backs for inclination. The front seats in the C-Crosser are installed carelessly. Some screws and bolts stick out in place of the slides, which does not decorate the interior and creates an impression of sloppy work.

Again without Russian language

It was also not possible to get any information from the instruction manual found in the glove box; it turned out to be in Spanish. Of course, this language is important for manufacturers, the car undergoes European certification in Spain, but the car is being brought to Russia for sale, so where is the information in Russian? Gentlemen, if you are going to sell your cars in our country to a limited number of polyglots who speak French and Spanish, then say so publicly. And if you expect to sell anything here, then show at least a minimum of respect for the people from whom you expect to receive quite substantial money, and provide all the necessary information about the car in Russian. It is not so rare that you cannot find a translator.

The driving qualities of the C-Crosser, as expected, fully inherited from the Outlander XL, and there is practically nothing to add to this. The same verified smoothness of the ride, the same quite noticeable lateral body rolls when cornering with good sound insulation.

Why do people choose Mitsubishi?

And, summing up, let's say that people still choose the Outlander XL (which can also be bought with a 3-liter engine), not too highly appreciating the peculiar beauty of both the test hero and the Peugeot 4007. First of all, because the price of Mitsubishi is lower. For it they ask in the basic configuration - 903,696 rubles, and the base of the Citroen and the 4007th - 963,500 rubles. The price of a car with a CVT jumps immediately to 1,104,00. However, now there are discounts in the showrooms, hurry up, and you can buy a C-Crosser for 977,500 rubles.

Dmitry Shavyrin

We thank the representative office of "Peugeot Citroen Rus" for the car provided for the test.

Technical characteristics

Source – AUTOMANIA.RU