Review of the new Citroen C-Crosser - Day To Day Choice

A major reason why the compact 4x4 has grown in popularity so dramatically in recent times is its versatility. You couldn't call these cars specialists in any particular area. Many of them aren't even comfortable on the off-road terrain for which their ancestors were originally conceived. The thing is though that they do a lot of different things well and this adaptable quality is just what many people need in a car. We've been using a Citroen C-Crosser compact 4x4 for the kind of everyday trips that owners are likely to take just to see how versatile it really is.

The week of motoring monotony we had planned for the big Citroen kicked off with a crawl through Monday morning traffic to the office. It's a big vehicle (4,645mm long and 1,805mm wide) to be commuting in on your own but a glance around at the other pale-faced automatons gallantly edging their way towards another working week revealed plenty of larger cars with a single occupant on board. In fact, despite its apparent bulk, the C-Crosser is markedly more compact that traditional company cars like Ford's Mondeo (4,778mm long and 1,886mm wide) or the Vauxhall Insignia (4,830mm long and 1,956mm wide).

The impression of size is created partly by the bulbous looks of the car and partly by its elevated driving position. In traffic, the height at which you sit is certainly beneficial as you get a better view of the C-Crosser's extremities (which is handy for judging gaps) and a better chance of seeing up the road over other cars to ascertain what the latest hold-up is.

Commuting ten miles to work is a piece of cake that most cars would manage without difficulty, so we set out a sterner test for the C-Crosser on day two. A motorway blast to a business meeting some 50 miles distant was going to reveal more about the car's powers. Citroen's 2.2-litre HDi diesel engine got the chance to stretch its 156bhp legs and the 380Nm of torque generated quickly proved ideal for accelerating easily up to motorway speeds and overtaking middle-lane dawdlers.

"Families ask a lot of their vehicles but this is one that can come up with the goods"

The ride is well set-up for road use by the standards set elsewhere in the compact 4x4 sector. It crosses undulations in the carriageway without getting unsettled and masks small surface bumps without sending too much feedback through the cabin. The refinement of the diesel engine also impressed on the open road and our motorway trip passed in very comfortable fashion. Another thumbs-up for the Citroen.

So at this stage, the C-Crosser looks to be putting in a bit of a flawless performance but carrying a single person on day-to-day journeys isn't really what the family car role is all about. We needed a family to really give this French 4x4 the one over and the brother-in-law was only too happy to supply his. The C-Crosser is a seven-seat vehicle but with only two kids, we needed one in the second row and another to ride in the occasional seats that rise up out of the boot floor.

Once the tantrums had subsided, we got the seven-year-old in the rear and found that space was adequate for now but a couple more growth spurts down the line, legroom would be getting very tight. The third row definitely isn't suitable for full grown adults and folding the seats could be easier to manipulate. There's no such problem in the middle row with the two sections of the bench seat able to slide and recline individually. Prospective C-Crosser buyers should really be banking on running the car in five-seater guise with the rearmost seats left for emergencies. Besides, when they're in use, there's next to no boot.

Which brings us nicely onto the boot. The shifting of various large boxes packed with miscellaneous tat that had been gathering dust in the parents' loft space proved an ideal test of the C-Crosser's carrying capacity. There's a substantial 510 litres of space available, which is always a help but it's also well shaped and has some neat features. The tailgate is split so the top half lifts up and the bottom part drops down. This means it's easier to open when space behind the vehicle is tight but also that the bottom section creates a loading platform for sliding heavy items in or sitting on when all that heavy lifting gets the better of you. The ledge can support 200kg and it's only 600mm off the ground so you don't have to hoist those suitcases too high to get them inside. With all of the C-Crosser's seats folded, there's 1,686 litres available and that should be enough for most family eventualities.

The final test on our tortuous family car obstacle course was a drive down some of our favourite B-roads because even a family car should be able to put a smile on your face with its handling without making passengers sick. The suspension that was composed on the motorway also does a good job of controlling body roll when the car is cornered quickly. This is a large-ish 4x4 so it's never going to be as agile as a family hatchback but it feels controllable on the back lanes with the nicely weighted steering and positive gearchange combining well. The 4x4 mechanicals give assured traction when accelerating out of bends and the engine has more than enough grunt to put them to a good test.

After facing down a series of the kinds of challenges that a family car would encounter, the Citroen C-Crosser has gone up in our estimation. It isn't the most slickly designed of the compact 4x4s and the interior, while robust, lacks the quality feel you'd get in the top models but the way it drives and accommodates different loads with ease is worthy of praise. Families ask a lot of their vehicles but this is one that can come up with the goods.