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Citroen Basalt SUV Coupe First Drive Review – Sporty Yet Comfortable
Citroen introduced themselves in the Indian market back in 2019. In 2021, the company launched its flagship SUV, the C5 Aircross and to date, it has launched a total of 4 products, including an EV.
Basalt is the 5th product from the company's portfolio for the Indian market and we were called to test-drive it in Goa. We drove the car for a few hours and here's what we have to say about the all-new SUV Coupe.
Design
The all-new Citroen Basalt has a very interesting design and that is because the car has a slooping roofline that joins the trunk giving it an SUV Coupe-like design.
At the front, the car gets LED DRLs and an LED headlight setup, apart from that you have piano black finishing and some amount of chrome. However, the fog light is a halogen unit.
Moving on to the side, it gets 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels and body cladding all around. Side mirrors are finished in gloss black and so is the roof. Moving on you will see the slooping roofline and the wrapped-around 3D taillights.
At the back, you get a sharkfin antenna and defoggers, but no rear wipers. Mover a little lower and you will find a couple of badges saying PureTech, Citroen and Basalt. It gets a reverse camera with guidelines but they are not adaptive.
Interior
On the inside, the Basalt gets a triple-tone dashboard. A 10.25 touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and AndroidAuto. You also get auto climate control and a 15W wireless charger. You also get amp0le of storage space all around the car.
It gets the same 7-inch TFT display as seen on the C3 Aircross. The screen has 3 different themes and can be customized as per the driver's need. It also provides a lot of information about the car.
It gets a flat-bottom steering wheel with steering-mounted controls on both sides. The steering wheel is only adjustable for tilt, there is no telescopic adjustment.
Both the front and rear seats are extremely comfortable and have extra cushioning. However, one new thing is the adjustable under-thigh support on the rear seat which has 3 levels of adjustments. so now tall people will not have difficulty travelling for long. Also, the rear headrests have side wings so that one's head does not move around much when they are sleeping.
The rear gets AC vents and 2 charging sockets. Overall the Basalt's cabin feels premium and gets decent features. But it also misses out on some features such as ventilated front seats, sunroof, etc.
Engine & Handling
The Basalt is powered by 2 engine options, both are petrol. One is a 1.2 NA motor that produces 82bhp and 115Nm of torque. On the other hand, the one we drove, was the 1.2 turbo petrol 3-cylinder motor that pushes 109bhp the manual produces 190Nm and the AT produces 205Nm.
We drove the AT variant and let me tell you this the Basalt has a linear acceleration but it gets a good mid-range and top-end. Triple-digit speeds come up soon. and the gear shifts are fine, not very laggy.
However, the steering feels a little heavy, which is good, as at high speeds a little stiff steering wheel is better than a light one. The steering response is good and the cars change lanes with the slightest of input.
Now, talking about the suspension, the company says the suspension setup on the Basalt will give you a flying carpet feel and yes it does to a certain level. The suspension offers you the best of both worlds. It absorbs the bumps and potholes with the slightest disturbance in the cabin. NVH levels are decent and could have been better as some noise starts creeping inside the cabin as the revs climb.
Safety-wise, the Basalt comes equipped with 6 airbags, ABS, EBD, ISOFIX and many more safety features. As far as the mileage goes, the company claims that the car will deliver between 18 to 19.5 km/l depending on what motor you choose out of the two.
Verdict
The Citroen Basalt SUV Coupe marks an exciting addition to the midsize SUV in the Indian market. The car has a distinctive exterior design and decent features that will definitely attract young buyers. So if you're looking for a car that has decent features, looks good, drives well and has decent power, then you should go check out the Citroen Basalt SUV Coupe.
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