French manufacture Citroen has added a new vehicle to its local lineup called the Basalt which is a strange name and the car debuts in a more unusual form for the brand which is a SUV Coupe body. Nonetheless they've launched it locally so let's take a look at what this will means for potential customers of the Basalt and the competitors of the local B-segment,
On the exterior, the car looks quite good. The front features the signature Citroën fascia with stacked, split assorted headlights and DRL fixtures flanking the Citroën badging and grille. The car has some red accents that can be seen all around the vehicle. Moving to the side, you see the coupe silhouette taking center stage , highlighted by red accents, flush door handles, and beautiful 16-inch diamond-cut alloys.
The Basalt has ground clearance of 180 mm, measuring at 4 352 mm long whilst equipped with a boot space worth 470 liters. The rear has not much going on, with the sloping roof line taking center stage, the Basalt will be available with five colors which are polar white, grey steel, garnet red, cosmo blue and pearl black.
The rear again retains a familiar Citroen touch as can be seen with the lights similar to that of the Aircross and C3 with the addition of this black strip that connects the two taillights as a lightbar effect. Altogether the vehicle has a clean coupe body style and no fussy lines, quite the looker if I must say.
Jump into the interior, and it is a Citroën space that has a combination of comfy seats, good use of storage spaces, and a lot of buttons to operate important functions, which creates a great environment for user-friendliness on the move. The driver is given a 7 inch digital instrument cluster to view important figures , while the rest of the occupants can connect and mirror their phones on the 10-inch Citroën Connect floating touchscreen, which is easy to use.
Some more key features you are treated to in the Basalt include automatic air-conditioning with rear air vents, front and rear armrests, and height-adjustable front headrests. For safety and peace of mind the car comes equipped with Two ISOFIX child-seat anchor points, High-strength body structure, Six airbags as standard, Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) and Hill Hold Control, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), Rear parking sensors, and ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution.
"The Basalt forms part of Citroën’s global C-CUBED programme and reinforces the brand’s commitment to delivering vehicles that are Simple, Comfortable, Sustainable and Daring - values that remain central to Citroën's global product strategy." say Citreon South Africa. They also exclaim that this car positions between a traditional hatchback and an SUV. It has been developed for customers who look for good practicality and some road presence, they aim to appeal to young professionals and growing families seeking a more expressive alternative to conventional offerings, while remaining accessible to own and operate.
From launch there are only two derivatives on offer feature one 1.2l turbo engine that will only be available in a 6 speed AMT, the engine should produce 81kW and 205nm. Altogether this engine is said to produce a fuel efficiency rate of 6.3l per 100km.
As far as pricing stands, from launch the Basalt will be available as follows :
| Citroën Basalt 1.2T Plus 6AT | R354 900 |
| Citroën Basalt 1.2T Max 6AT | R369 900 |
The prices above include a 5-year/100 000 km warranty and a 4-year/60 000 km service plan (with intervals of 15 000 km).