Citroen Basalt: French carmaker's winning attempt at Indian market

Citroen, the prominent French carmaker in the multi-dimensional Stellantis group and forayed into the Indian market in CY22, has had a tough start in the world’s third-largest passenger vehicle market. While its lacklustre marketing, sales, and product planning strategies have been the key reasons for the brand's insignificant performance in the country so far, the company has taken feedback, and made amends with its latest introduction - the Citroen Basalt. 

The Basalt which is Citroen’s fifth product in India, aims to give a fillip to the carmaker’s piffling volumes (FY22 to Q1 FY24: 19,462 units estimated) across its SUV-centric portfolio, by offering strong attributes and positioning itself as a highly differentiated product by virtue of a unique design approach.

The Basalt makes a strong statement with its fresh coupe-SUV styling and aims to stand out among rivals in a hotly-contested mid-size SUV segment that is dominated by contenders like the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, and Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, among others.

Interestingly, the Tata Curvv and Citroen Basalt are two of the latest products to have adopted the coupe-SUV approach and attempted to create a new sub-segment within the fast-growing mid-size SUV category. While the Curvv is based on the Tata Nexon compact SUV, the Basalt too emphasises value engineering by sharing its C-Cube platform with Citroen's C3 hatchback and C3 Aircross SUV. 

Design, feature focus

While it resembles its siblings in terms of a familiar face that possesses attractive elements, like a pair of sleek LED DRLs separated by a large dual-slat grille with the big ‘Chevron’ moniker in the centre, an upright and muscular bonnet, and a large air dam, the view from the side profile brings about a clear distinction between the Basalt and the C3 twins. 

The elongated wheelbase which stands at 2,651mm and is only 20mm shorter than the C3 Aircross, a rising window line, and a sloping roof towards the C-pillar, bring the uniqueness of the coupe-SUVs style statement to the Basalt. The design is further complemented by a tall stance with 180mm ground clearance, 16-inch diamond-cut wheels, and a short rear overhang that gives a stubby look to the tail section. The amalgamation of these styling elements, coupled with SUV-like wheel and body claddings, give immense character and an athletic stance to the Basalt.

From the rear too, the Basalt looks imposing with its high-set halogen tail lamps and a large windscreen that slopes into a tall boot lid. While a large Citroen moniker sits in the centre of the boot lid, the bumper is split into two halves by virtue of its body-coloured and all-black finishes. 

On the inside, the Basalt gets a familiar cabin with a dual-tone theme lending an airier feel. A large 10.25-inch touchscreen display takes centre stage on the dashboard while a smaller 7-inch driver instrument cluster does duty ahead of the steering wheel. The semi-leatherette seats offer large proportions and uniquely, the rear bench gets an innovative ratchet mechanism for adjusting under-thigh support. While the doors get a speaker each, a pair of tweeters is mounted on the A-pillars to give a decent sound audio output. But Citroen has given the much sought-after sunroof a miss in the Basalt. 

The company, however, has made significant strides in terms of its product planning with the Basalt by finally introducing features such as a flip key, automatic climate control, electronic adjustment for the ORVMs, power window switches on the respective rear doors, and projector headlamps at the front. A passive entry and passive start (PEPS) system, split-folding rear seats, ventilated front seats, and cruise control, are some of the key aspirational features that continue to remain missing from the equipment list of the Basalt. However, what Citroen has brought to the table is a well-engineered product that scores high in terms of its fundamentals.

Potent drivetrain

The Basalt finally sees the introduction of an automatic transmission in Citroen’s India range and the six-speed unit now extends to the C3 hatchback and the C3 SUV as well. In the Basalt, the company offers two engine options – a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder 82hp naturally-aspirated mill and a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged engine that produces 110hp. While a six-speed manual is the sole choice on the 82hp variant, the turbocharged unit gets the option of an automatic transmission as well.

Coupled with the Aisin-sourced torque-convertor automatic unit, the 1.2-litre turbocharged engine develops 205Nm of peak torque, and the drivetrain is tuned to offer a balance of performance and convenience. The power delivery at low rpms is adequate and builds up strongly after the spooling of the variable-geometry turbocharger begins at around 2,000rpm.

The gearbox, however, requires further refinement in its calibration as the shifts at slow speeds tend to be perceptible, also feeling jerky, particularly at some part-throttle instances due to a sharp tip-off point for the fuel injection, primarily to gain fuel efficiency, which is claimed at 18.7kpl for the automatic variants. With heavier throttle inputs, the gearbox shifts seamlessly at higher engine revolutions, and propels the Basalt to triple-digit speeds with ease. 

However, with a softly-sprung suspension that offers a superior ride quality over broken patches, the Basalt suffers plentiful body roll, with the steering offering little feedback from the road. The resultant of such soft suspension tuning leads to a stellar straight-line stability, albeit with poor dynamics around corners and fast bends. Thus, with a supremely comfortable back seat, good NVH, and a polished suspension setup, the Basalt’s character unfolds more as a chauffeur-driven and highly practical car with a well-shaped 470-litre boot.

Value engineering

Citroen which marked its India entry in CY21 with the C5 Aircross SUV that was introduced as a CBU to showcase the brand’s premium product capabilities, later followed a value-engineering approach with its made-in-India models to strengthen cost structures to offer reasonably-priced options to customers. However, the company misread the Indian buyer’s want for value-for-money products that score high on aspirational value and appeal.

As a result, while the C3 hatchback and SUV twins were launched in CY22 and CY23, respectively, with a sub-optimal feature set, the Basalt now ticks the right boxes in terms of the must-have features in a modern-day product. However, the company has remained conservative in its approach and not loaded the Basalt with all the modern gizmos, thus, limiting the car’s appeal to a wider audience looking for a more premium product. 

Cost-cutting measures like a visible layer of insulation material between the dashboard top and front windshield, dashboard with visible seams for the passenger airbag cutout, and unfinished edges of the bag hook in the boot, pronounce the Basalt’s value engineering and take away from its premium appeal.

However, at prices ranging between Rs 7.99 lakh and Rs 13.83 lakh, ex-showroom, the Basalt comes across as a well-engineered product that aims to offer immense value to prospective customers looking at a low-frills, comfortable, stylish, and family-oriented car.