18/02/08

• Price22,790-£25,490
• We like...Comfy, smooth engine
• We don't...Cramped extra seats

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If you’re seeking a mid-sized off-roader that seats seven, read on...If you’re after a mid-sized off-roader, you’re spoiled. Citrn’s C-crosser is among the Johnny-come-latelys into the market, tagging along with Mitsubishi and Peugeot to each sell their own take on what is, badges and a few other bits aside, the same car. Citrn calls it the C-Crosser, Peugeot the 4007, while Mitsubishi wins the name game by tagging its version the Outlander.

The two Frenchies here market what is, badges aside, the same car: a 2.2 turbodiesel in a choice of two upmarket trims. Here we’re aboard the C-Crosser. There’s plenty to like: it rides smoothly and handles tidily. That diesel is powerful and quiet enough even on the motorway, although ours whistled its turbo like a (rather quiet) police siren as the revs rose.

The C-Crosser is big and high as you’d expect but it threads tidily through tight spaces thanks to quick, light steering. It uses its cabin space well and there’s a handy tailgate flap that drops for you to sit on, or to make loading less of a puff.

Its trump card is that it seats seven where most rivals can accommodate no more than five. Don’t go thinking it’ll work as a full-time seven-seater, though. The rearmost pair sit low and cramped, reducing luggage space to a small gap between them and the tailgate. They’re suitable for children, who may complain about the poor view out. They fold flat into the boot floor until needed, which is as well: while the other chairs in our top-spec Exclusive model were leather-covered, the back ones made do with cheap-looking cloth.

We've driven a C-crosser off-road and it coped better than we’d expected on muddy tracks and down steep slopes. It runs in front-wheel drive most of the time but switches into four-wheel-drive at the twirl of a knob, or you can lock the differential for extra grip. But Citrn admits that it isn’t really intended as a full-on bog-trotter, lacking the grip and the gears.

Both models available, the VTR+ and the Exclusive, are well equipped. But then they should be, given the asking prices. As they stand, a Land Rover Freelander, a Honda CR-V or even Volkswagen’s newcomer, the Tiguan, are cheaper.

If Citrn slash prices, as well it may, the C-Crosser is worth considering. But, until then, its rivals make better buys.

• Engines2.2 HDi
• Power156bhp
• 0-60 mph9.9sec
• Economy39.2mpg
• CO2g/km191
• Insurance groups13
• EuroNCAP
• Airbags6
• Seats7

Motors.co.uk value verdict: