Mass-market Coupe SUVs are going to be a thing really soon, with Citroen having finally unveiled the Basalt, while Tata’s Curvv is also around the corner. However, let’s focus on the Basalt for now. The Citroen Basalt is built on the same C-Cubed platform, and also gets the same petrol powertrains as the C3 hatch and the C3 Aircross. However, the Basalt will be the first to get an automatic option right from the get-go.
The Citroen Basalt also gets LED projector headlights right from the get-go; something that has now also been added to the C3 and the C3 Aircross. The Basalt also gets the familiar Chevron grille, 16-inch diamond-cut alloy rims, and 3D-effect tail lamps. There are 5 monotone paint schemes, and 2 dual-tone options to choose from.
Under the hood, the 1.2-litre nat-asp, and the 1.2 turbo-petrols continue to be featured here; the 1.2-litre nat-asp puts out 80.4 bhp and 11.75 kgm of torque, paired to a 5-speed manual transmission, while the 1.2-litre turbo powertrain produces 107 bhp and 19.37 kgm of torque, paired to a 6-speed manual transmission. The automatic is a 6-speed torque-converter unit, and in this configuration, the turbo engine produces slightly more torque, at 20.90 kgm.
It remains to be seen how much larger or smaller the Basalt is going to be against the Tata Curvv, but at 2651 mm, its wheelbase is marginally longer than that of a Hyundai Creta. The Citroen Basalt also comes equipped with features such as a smart tilt cushion in the rear seats, with three-step thigh support adjustability, along with a 10.23-inch touch screen infotainment, a 7-inch TFT digital cluster, connected features such as remote start/stop, geo-fencing etc via the Citroen 2.0 app, reverse parking camera, hill-hold, seatbelt reminder, six airbags, and rear A/C vents among other things.
Stay tuned for the full price announcement, and also for our driving impressions and verdict on the Citroen Basalt coming very soon!
