Citroen Basalt SUV Coupe Launched In India. Should You Buy It?

The Basalt range starts with a 82bhp 1.2l naturally aspirated petrol while the top-end 1.2l turbo unit develops 110bhp

Citroen Basalt SUV Coupe: Efficiency would be 18 kmpl for automatic while real world would be around 12 kmpl.

Source : Somnath Chatterjee

Citroen has announced the starting prices for its Basalt SUV in India and it starts from Rs 7.99 lakh for deliveries till October. The Basalt range starts with a 82bhp 1.2l naturally aspirated petrol while the top-end 1.2l turbo unit develops 110bhp. The automatic turbo petrol 1.2 develops more torque at 190Nm and it has a 6-speed automatic torque converter gearbox.

The standard 1.2l manual has a 5-speed gearbox only. Based on the C3 Aicross, the Basalt is a good looking car and design is probably its biggest highlight here. It also stays closer to the concept while cladding at the sides plus the two part grille makes it striking looking. There are finally new LED projectors as well and the alloys are 16-inch ones which look proportionate.

The best part of the design is the rear styling with the way the tail-lamps are shaped to the detailing. There are six colours on offer while our test car looks big and had a white. That said, the same pull-type door handles do stick out. Inside, we do like what we see with the pleasant light upholstery which would be slightly difficult to maintain but adds a sense of space.

The dashboard is similar to the C3 Aircross but as it has been throughout the range, Citroen has listened to our feedback and made the necessary changes. There is a much premium centre console with automatic climate control, a nice large touchscreen and a front armrest. There are new rear headrests too and you can even adjust the rear thigh support- which is unique.

Features include a 10.25-inch touchscreen, a 7-inch digital display, wireless charging, rear camera (display could be better though), 6 airbags etc. That said, it does miss out on cooled seats, panoramic sunroof or any sunroof plus ADAS. Space and comfort is top notch though and despite the coupe-like roofline, headroom has not been affected so much.

The boot space at 470 litres is also large. The Basalt may not be the most powerful but the engine and the gearbox makes for a smooth combination in terms of being linear plus an able family SUV. This is not a dual clutch but the automatic serves well and the suspension is robust enough for our roads.

Efficiency would be 18 kmpl for automatic while real world would be around 12 kmpl. For the price, the Basalt offers very good value and while it does miss out on a lot of features, the looks and the space on offer makes it an interesting proposition since it's a 4m plus SUV at a price which is common for below 4m ones.