Citroen Basalt

Basalt is a great car in terms of ride quality, comfort, and suspension. It is better than the segment above cars in this regard. The engine is very smooth and refined. Power delivery is great. It is a very spacious car and go for it if you are fine with the features it comes with as some are missing.

Driven for 3000 Kms and hasn't disappointed me yet on the comfort half. The engine is just ready to go with you to any extent. The mileage of 19Kmpl with AC from Bangalore to Kochi and the city is about 12-13 KMPL inside Kochi, However, Bangalore being notorious for its traffic gave me about 8-9KMPL all with AC on. On my Ecsport, the climate control is always at 22 degrees, while on Basalt I have settled for 25-26 Deg. You do not want to go below that if it is sunny. Driving is fun, however, if you are a VW Skoda fan then you wouldn't like it, it's built for comfort and the suspension just works like magic on Bangalore roads.

1. Driving Experience: I drove the turbo petrol manual, and the driving experience was amazing for city driving. The turbo engine is peppy, and you will immediately spot the difference if you drive a Hyundai or a Kia. I drove through bumpy roads and the suspension handled it all really well, Citreon is known for their suspension, so this was no surprise. The seats were cushy. I experienced no bodyroll even at higher speeds. The gear handling could’ve been smoother, especially as you shift from the first to the second gear, but it isn’t a dealbreaker. It was also fairly fuel efficient. 2. Passenger Comfort and Safety: The cabin was comfortable, and completely insulated from noise. The seats had decent thigh support, and legroom. Taller passengers also had decent headroom in the front and backseats despite the coupe design, which was one of my initial concerns. The AC was surprisingly very powerful for a European car, so it’s great for Indian summer. There were no creaky sounds in the cabin, and the door thud was sturdy. Basalt comes equipped with 6 airbags and has safety features like hill hold control, brake assist, right from the base model. The fact that it has already received a 4 star Bharat NCAP rating definitely adds to the appeal of the car. 3. Looks: Basalt definitely looks stunning for its price segment. I feel Citreon could provide bigger tires in the Basalt, and angle it’s boot inwards to make it look less like a sedan, but that’s a personal preference. It definitely has road presence and the lettering on the backside looks great. On the inside, I really liked the dual tone interiors. The car felt premium on the inside but some of the plastics could’ve been better. 4. Features and Pricing: Basalt packs in most of the features one will use in day to day driving. Priced similarly to the Curvv Pure Variant, the Basalt Plus Turbo adds additional features like rear ac vents, rear armrest and cup holders, engine start stop and idle start stop. But the lack of cruise control at this price range can annoy those who need to travel out of town quite a bit. I hope Citreon works on this. I also found the pricing for the turbo models to be expensive, if they want to undercut Tata Curvv that has a higher brand appeal inside India. 5. Service: Citreon provides easy pickup and drop for servicing and maintenance is not that expensive. A standard service will cost you around ₹4000. However there are limited service centres. Citreon could work here to expand their service coverage. All in all, it is a good car with a great engine and driving dynamics. Those who care more about performance, ride handling, fuel efficiency, comfort and safety will find it appealing. Those who want fancy features, like a sunroof, ventilated seats and the likes, will not. If Citreon adds cruise control in the turbo variants, or reduces the price of turbo variants, it would be a GREAT buy.

The price should be way less for automatic transmission. Not a good engine..no features at all..8 lakh price is a gimmick...need to lower the price in all variants, SPECIFICALLY automatic to survive, otherwise Tata Curvv will eat this