Citroën is carrying out a second facelift on the C3-XR. The compact crossover is stripped of practically all things that still refer to the so-called Airbumps of yesteryear in its new bijpuntsession.
Huh, another Chinese facelift? Absolutely. Today’s secondary session concerns a compact Citroën crossover that in the Far East serves as a cheaper alternative to the Citroën C4 Aircross, the longer version of the car that we know as C3 Aircross in Europe. The models even share their technical basis with each other.
Citroën C3-XR (2014)
Today we have the Citroën C3-XR on the digital shelves, a compact crossover that, like the C3 Aircross and Opel Crossland, is on the PF1 platform that was also used by the current Citroën C3 and the previous generation Peugeot 2008. The C3-XR presented in 2014 debuted with the cream of the C-Elysée, in fact Citroën’s version of the Peugeot 301. Although the C3-XR is actually quite old, Citroën is doing its best in China to keep the car somewhat up to date . In 2019, the C3-XR climbed off the cutting table with a more modern Citroën nose. With its then new face, the crossover fitted better with its younger sister models, but time has not stood still. Certainly not in the Citroën design world. The layout of the grille and the trapezoidal trim in the front bumper clearly nods to the design period in which Citroën still enthusiastically applied its Airbumps. Although those Airbumps returned on the facelifted C3, they are almost completely missing on the revised C3 Aircross and new C4. Citroen is now sharpening the C3-XR for a second time and the last Airbump remnants are also sent to the trash.
Citroën C3-XR (2019)
Citroën’s Chinese design department has taken a close look at the renewed C3 Aircross. The sharpened C3-XR, of which Techzle has surfaced the photos from the database of the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Transport, will also have a new snout in which a large gaping mouth determines the image. The grille is made up of diagonal lines and no longer of cheerful semi-round shapes. The adjustments at the rear are less radical and seem to be mainly limited to the arrival of a new rear bumper.
Citroën C3L
The Citroën C3-XR is 4.26 meters long, surpassing the C3 Aircross by about 15 centimeters. In addition, the C3-XR is about 4 centimeters wider, but also 8 centimeters lower than the C3 Aircross that Citroën sells in Europe. The wheelbase of the C3-XR is another 6 centimeters longer than that of Citroën’s European compact crossover. Fun fact: the C3-XR also has a sedan brother: the C3L. Just like the Citroën C3-XR, this 4.51 meter long sedan stands quite high on its legs. Citroën is not only stubborn in Europe. The C3-XR changes ownership in China from € 13,950 onwards. 136 hp 1.2 The C4 Aircross costs € 16,250. Both slip-ons have a 136 hp 1.2 PureTech as the power source.