Citroen Basalt vs Nexon, Brezza, Venue, Sonet

Due to its larger size, the Citroën Basalt has the longest wheelbase and the largest luggage space, while still being competitively priced.

SUVs under 4 meters in length have always been popular, as they bring in coveted sales and healthy profits for manufacturers. Being under 4 meters in length, these vehicles fall into the B tax class (except the Brezza). But the Citroën Basalt has just entered the market with a larger size, but a comparable price. How does it perform? Let’s find out.

Citroen Basalt vs SUVs under 4 meters – Pricing

Citroen Basalt not only enters the niche coupe SUV segment, but also enters the sub-40 lakh SUV pricing segment. Vehicles in this segment are priced between Rs 6 lakh to Rs 15.5 lakh (ex-showroom), depending on the brand, engine-gearbox combination and feature list. On the other hand, compact SUVs are priced between Rs 10 lakh to Rs 21 lakh (ex-showroom).

The Citroen Basalt is a larger compact SUV model but is priced under $40 million. This is a much-needed move by Citroen as the company has been experiencing disappointing sales for a long time. Aggressive pricing could work in the company’s favor and increased sales could help the company stay afloat in India.

With a starting price of Rs 8 lakh (ex-showroom), the Citroen Basalt offers unbeatable value for money compared to other SUVs under Rs 40 lakh. The Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger remain the most affordable models, starting at Rs 6 lakh (ex-showroom). In terms of the top-of-the-line Turbo manual model, the Nissan Magnite is the most affordable.

It is noteworthy that some vehicles do not even offer a manual gearbox option for their top-end models. The Citroen Basalt is the most expensive petrol manual model at Rs 12.49 lakh (ex-sh), which is lower than the likes of the Nexon, Venue, Brezza and Sonet. This is despite it being in the upper segment.

The most affordable petrol automatic version of the Basalt is priced at Rs 12.79 lakh, which seems to be the most expensive in this list. However, Citroen only offers the Basalt automatic version with the turbo engine and torque converter. While most competitors offer AMT in lower models. The most expensive Basalt model is priced at Rs 13.83 lakh (Ex-sh), which is lower than the Nexon, Sonet, Brezza and XUV3XO.

Size quotient!

Before we get into the prices, we have to consider that the Citroën Basalt is a large vehicle and falls into the compact SUV segment. Also, it is a stylish vehicle and fits into the coupe SUV segment. The other products in this comparison all stick to the sub-4-meter length limit. Maruti Suzuki had a chance to surpass the 4-meter length with the Brezza but didn’t.

In terms of dimensions, the Citroen Basalt is the longest in this comparison at 4,352 mm in length. The Mahindra XUV3XO is still the widest. The XUV3XO is 1,821 mm in length, making it wider than many compact SUVs. Although the Basalt is the longest, it is not the tallest. That title belongs to the Maruti Suzuki Brezza.

Due to its length, the Basalt has the longest wheelbase among all the models at 2,651 mm, which is slightly longer than the XUV3XO’s 2,600 mm. The Basalt has the largest trunk capacity in its segment at 470 litres. Interestingly, despite being similar in size to the Magnite, the Kiger has a trunk capacity of 405 litres. In terms of ground clearance, the Basalt has the lowest at 180 mm, while the Tata Nexon has the highest at 209 mm. With the Basalt commencing deliveries and the expansion of the Citroën dealer network, it will be interesting to see how this latest SUV Coupe performs in the Indian automotive industry.