The C-Crosser may be little more than a Mitsubishi Outlander with a different engine mounted transversely in its nose, but in reality there’s not a great deal wrong with that. True, the fact that it is described by Citroën’s marketing people as being “a true Citroën, featuring genuine Citroën DNA” may well be one of the more ambitious uses of hyperbole you’ll likely come across in a press pack (which is saying something) but the C-Crosser’s Mitsubishi underpinnings are nevertheless hard to fault. And when it comes to its engine and six-speed gearbox the Citroën makes an extremely convincing case for itself beside any rival, including its own Mitsubishi cousin.
Unlike the Outlander, the C-Crosser uses the same 2.2-litre HDi unit found in both the Peugeot 4007 and Land Rover’s class-beating Freelander HDi, among others. This produces 156bhp at 4000rpm and a solid 280lb ft at 2000rpm, and is unusually clean for such a torquey off road powerplant, producing just 190g/km of CO2.
Otherwise, the C-Crosser is identical to the Outlander mechanically, featuring a part-time four-wheel drive system that can be engaged merely by rotating an iDrive-like knob down by the gearlever. This engages a series of sensors that detect wheel slip, steering angle and road speed to apportion however much torque to the rear wheels the system sees fit.
Suspension is by struts and coil springs at the front with what Citroën ambitiously describes as a multi-link arrangement at the rear (in fact there are only four links, not five, the traditional number required in multi-link suspension). Citroën also claims the C-Crosser’s spring and dampers rates are bespoke compared with those of the Outlander and 4007, but the rack-and-pinion power steering and all-round disc braking systems are identical.