2019 Citroen C3 vs 2020

What's the difference?

Really small cars aren't what they used to be, and there are a number of reasons for that. The first is that, compared to five years ago, nobody buys them. The world of small hatchbacks is a shadow of its former self, mostly because there's so much money sloshing around in Australia that we buy a class up and often an SUV rather hatch.

As usual, Citroen is taking the path less travelled. There's no getting away from the fact that the C3 hatch has always been an a brave choice - there are still a few of the original, arch-roofed version kicking around, a car I was very fond of, despite it not being very good.

For 2019 Citroen has addressed a couple of glaring issues with the C3, namely a lack of safety gear that contributed to a four-star ANCAP safety rating and a couple of little dramas that marred an otherwise impressive package.

Citroen has embarked on yet another relaunch in Australia, led by its arrival into one of the hottest new car segments: small SUVs.

Aimed at competitors such as the Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3 and Hyundai Kona is the C3 Aircross, which takes some of what we know about the brand, like funky styling, and combines it with actual practicality to produce one of the more well-rounded small SUVs on the market.

It’s been available in Europe for a few years and is based on PSA’s 'PF1' platform that also underpins the Peugeot 2008, and in Australia is available with a single model grade/engine choice for now.