BMW 218i vs Citroen C3 Aircross

What's the difference?

Sometimes a name change can make all the difference.

Google used to be called “Back Rub”. The Spice Girls started off as “Touch”. And – particularly in Germany – some premium sedans became known as “coupes”, as they struggled to stay popular against SUVs.

Case in point: what is essentially a 1 Series hatchback with a boot has been more glamorously badged the “2 Series Gran Coupe” since 2020.

Still following the sedan script with four doors, it’s BMW’s tilt at Mercedes’ booted A-Class hatch, the rakish CLA, unveiled early last decade as the Concept Style Coupe and now in its third series-production iteration – though since 2019 a more conservatively styled A-Class Sedan has also existed, that goes up against Audi’s A3 Sedan.

But we digress. Now there’s a “new” 2 Gran Coupe, coded F74, though it’s really a heavy facelift of the superseded F44. Oh, and the ‘i’ no longer exists in the badge, so (M-enhanced models aside) it’s just numbers from here on in. 218. 220. M235.

Regardless of names, does it live up to the BMW promise?

Citroen's C4 Cactus made quite an impression. A polarising machine, it was the Frenchest French car for ages which translated into almost no local sales but admiration for the bravery of those who signed it off.

It did quite well in its home market though and its designers took note. When the company turned its attention to a smaller SUV based on the C3 hatchback - complete with the baffling Aircross name - the Cactus was an obvious inspiration.

With the Hyundai Venue on the scene - as well as a wealth of larger machines at lower prices - the Citroen C3 Aircross needs to be good to justify a big sticker price.