Say Hello To Citroen's C3 Aircross and C4 Cactus

Say hello to Citroen’s C3 Aircross and C4 Cactus, which provide bohemian French resistance against city-car mediocrity in Singapore.

- David Ting

When I collected the C3 Aircross and C4 Cactus from C&C France at Alexandra Road, their respective press packs were already placed, thoughtfully, on their front passenger seats for my reference. But the Aircross got the Cactus’ press pack, and vice versa.

This minor mix-up is less confusing than how the two French vehicles fit within the Citroen scheme of things – from Paris to Pasir Ris and every city street in between.

The C3 is a smaller “number” than the C4, but it’s a slightly bigger and significantly heavier (+153kg) hatchback that sits on a marginally longer wheelbase (+9mm).

Both are crossovers with SUV cues, but the Aircross is the more convincing soft-roader for the hard concrete jungle, because it’s taller (+97mm) and equipped with skid plates, along with a chunkier rear bumper that looks ready to bump molehills offas the Aircross crosses the countryside.

My confusion continues with the lineage of the two Citroen newcomers.

The C3 Aircross is a new SUV that supersedes the old C3 Picasso MPV, which wasn’t sold in Singapore, but there was a C3 marketed here as a neoclassical supermini. The C4 Cactus uses the platform of the C3/DS3 instead of the one underpinning the C4/DS4 and is unrelated to the C4 Picasso/SpaceTourer.

Learning conversational French in Singapore might be easier than figuring this out.

One thing I know for sure is, these are quirky rides with a unique sense of vehicular humour, which starts with their exterior designs. They qualify as French-style automotive art, almost worthy of display in the Louvre.

In a Singapore sea of Honda HR-Vezels, these two Citroens are like a breath of fresh French air.

If common compact crossovers were the kopitiam bread and butter-kaya of grassroots motoring, these two Citroens would be the delicious, buttery croissants of Delifrance.