Citroen C-Crosser 2.2 HDi Exclusive review
by David Finlay (25 January 2008)
As regular readers have been informed to the point where they could not possibly give a wrong answer on the subject in a pub quiz, the C-Crosser is one-third of a Euro-Japanese agreement which has also created the Mitsubishi Outlander and Peugeot 4007 SUVs. Like the Peugeot, it's available with just one engine, namely the 2.2-litre turbo diesel which PSA Peugeot Citroen which can also be requested in the Outlander.
A strange thing about the deal is that Mitsubishi uses this particular diesel only in the range-topping Outlander, which has far more equipment and is therefore significantly costlier than either of the French cars. Outlanders of similar price use either Mitsubishi's own 2.4-litre petrol engine or a two-litre diesel bought in from Volkswagen, so there are no directly comparable models across the East-West divide.
That's not the case with the European cars (which are actually built in Japan, but let's not complicate matters any more than we have to). Apart from their individual front ends, designed to give a family resemblance within each manufacturer's overall ranges, the C-Crosser and the 4007 are the same thing. The suspension set-ups are identical - Mitsubishi slightly went its own way in this respect - and so are the equipment levels.
The C-Crosser Exclusive tested here is the more expensive of the two versions Citroen produces, and is therefore to all intents and purposes a 4007 GT. That means it comes with 18" alloy wheels, black leather upholstery, a 6-CD autochanger, xenon headlights, rear parking sensors, tinted rear windows and more exterior chrome than you'll find on the VTR+, which costs just under £3000 less.
This equipment hardly loads the car down, and officially there's no difference in either kerb weight or performance compared with the VTR+. It seems that the larger wheels and lower-profile tyres may cause some extra drag, though, because the Exclusive is fractionally less economical.
And I mean "fractionally". On the combined cycle the margin is 0.5mpg, and that figure could easily be outweighed by different driving styles, or even by a change of wind direction. The related difference in CO2 emissions outputs is similarly minute - 3g/km doesn't affect the VED Band F tax rating (£205 annually now, £210 from April 1 this year).
Apart from the difference in list price, then, there's no suggestion that the Exclusive will cost more to run than the VTR+, except perhaps when you have to start changing tyres.
As with its close relatives, there are several good things about the C-Crosser, others not so good. I like the way it drives - it's comfortable and rides well most of the time, as long as it doesn't encounter too many bumps in the road surface, which confuse it terribly.
Its transmission has three modes: front-wheel drive, four-wheel drive and four-wheel drive with differential lock. The last of these is required for moderately serious off-road use, and I suspect that not many owners will ever have the need to use it.
The non-diff lock four-wheel drive option is another matter; it's definitely required on damp tarmac, because the front axle can't deal with 156bhp on its own when the levels of traction are below average. In the dry, front-wheel drive is fine, and indeed advisable since that's the only setting that will allow you to approach the combined fuel economy figure.
Other good points are the split folding tailgate, the lower half of which will carry loads of up to 200kg (preferably not when the car is moving, of course), and the fact that the C-Crosser has seven seats.
The two in the third row are definitely for small children only - there's not nearly enough room for anyone larger - but it's a handy feature for the school run, and the seats fold flat into the floor when you don't need them.
Bad points include the rear side windows, which are way too small and do a fine job of limiting the rear visibility (a rear view camera is available as an option, and I can't recommend it highly enough), and the fact that the steering wheel is not adjustable for reach. This is neither a Citroen nor a Peugeot problem, because they inherited it from Mitsubishi, but it does make the C-Crosser and its stablemates less comfortable to drive than they might have been.
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