Last week, the French carmaker has launched a new version of the C4. After the sporty DS4, the new C4 Aircross is a compact crossover based on the Mitsubishi ASX, which promises to compete in style in this segment, dominated so far by the Nissan Qashqai. Compared to the normal version of the C4, the Aircross features a taller ride height, a modified suspension system, widened front fenders and oversized front and rear bumpers. The side sills have also been modified, for a more off-road look, and the car also comes equipped with roof racks.
The French carmaker is already offering an Aircross version of the C3 on the South American market, so it was quite easy to imagine how the C4 Aircross would look like, even before Citroen released the official images. What’s also interesting about this launch is that the carmaker chose to unveil the details and photos of the car on their official Facebook page.
As for the technical specs, one of the C4 Aircross versions to come equipped with all wheel drive, for extra grip in off-road situations. The entry-level version of the C4 Aircross will be offered with a 1.6-liter petrol engine producing 115-hp and 152 Nm of torque and will be a front wheel drive car available with a five-speed manual transmission. The diesel engines range will include 1.6-liter and 1.8-liter units, with the Hdi version of the 1.6-liter engine having the best fuel economy, while the 1.8-liter engine delivering 150-hp and 300 Nm will be the range’s “athlete”.
The all wheel drive versions of the C4 Aircross, will only be available with diesel engines and will feature a system that will allow the driver to select between front wheel drive, all wheel drive and a “LOCK” mode which can be used in situations where things kind of tend to get out of control.
The other off-roader in the French carmaker’s range is the C-Crosser, which is also built on a platform shared with Mitsubishi and Peugeot. But if the C-Crosser, the Peugeot 4007 and the Mitsubishi Outlander are almost similar, the three companies tried to differentiate their small crossovers as much as possible, both French carmakers planning on releasing several other models based on Mitsubishi platforms but with a completely different look and technical features.
So far, Citroen hasn’t released any details about when the C4 Aircross is going to hit showrooms, but we’re expecting that in the first part of 2012.