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The rarest of the Outlander – 4007 – C-Crosser trio, yet it might be the best buy for you. Citroen C-Crosser, the looked after member of the trio.

The story begins somewhere before 2007 when Mitsubishi was seeking a potential market and PSA wanted a slice of the SUV-crossover cake because they had nothing at the time, and in 2004 the X3 had arrived, followed in 2005 by the third generation Rav4, and they took the car market by storm, and that’s how the bonanza began. The heavyweights soon arrived, namely the Audi Q5, Mercedes GLK, and perhaps the most important recent crossover that truly ignited the whole mania – the Nissan Qashqai. And so the thief met… wait, not that… the Japanese met the French, they made a pot of sake and garlic soup, and in 2007, the Mitsubishi Outlander – Peugeot 4007 – Citroen C-Crosser trio emerged. Like at a civil wedding where you’re not sure what to buy and if you should pay cash directly, everyone brought something. The Japanese brought the engines, Peugeot brought the design, and Citroen took care of the interior design because the SUV also came in a 7-seat configuration (inspired by the C4 Picasso), and the interior is optimized in terms of storage spaces.

Why a C-Crosser and not the other two?

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the C-Crosser is the last one on the list of reviews, and it’s quite difficult to write the same review three times but behold, in life, everything is possible if you have enough booze by your side. If back when they were new the only differences were the badge and the options list between manufacturers, today the C-Crosser stands out on the second-hand market as the most exclusive, not to say the worst-selling of them all. Seriously, the Outlander sold like Sasha Grey movies, the 4007 did somewhat decently, and the Citroen C-Crosser sold the least.

Why wasn’t it a commercial success?

Because nobody knew what a C-Crosser was, and the French didn’t bother much to market it and explain what it was about. Plus, initially, it was supposed to be called the Citroen C7, which was somewhat familiar to typical buyers, but with this name and face, nobody understood anything. The car is way too spartan and utilitarian for a Citroen. Mitsubishi, in general, seems to be sponsored by Sparta, and with Peugeot, you can see simplicity in the interior, but with Citroen, you never see anything standard. Handbrake on the ceiling, vertical engines, nothing really makes sense on a Citroen. And to come with a spartan car and present it as a Citroen is a recipe for disaster.

And now comes the positive part because I won’t leave it alone in the tough times, as it seems from the classifieds that the Citroen C-Crosser was bought quite modestly but by private buyers who bought the car for themselves. I also noticed that most of the 3 models for sale come with most of the equipment, and one of them is fully loaded, so if you want a “for the picky” C-Crosser and are willing to pay extra for a well-maintained and well-equipped car, then the C-Crosser is the best of the trio.

Citroen C-Crosser Engines

Petrol

2.4 4B12 with 140 horsepower – This MIVEC engine brought to the table by the Japanese is very good and nice, only that nobody bought it. Not in Europe, at least, where we all want only diesel, we want good fuel economy, and we don’t want to pay taxes, but we want big cars with small engines. But if you do have a bizarre fetish with this engine, go for it, replace the O2 sensor, fill it up with quality petrol and enjoy the ride.

Diesel

2.2 DW12 with 156 horsepower – The French didn’t bother with another engine, and frankly, they didn’t have to. The legendary 2.2 diesel DW12 with a single turbo is up there with the 2.2 diesel from Mercedes and is a fantastic, reliable engine that you can buy with confidence. In fact, it’s so good that it was fitted on the Freelander and the Evoque. The only specific issue is the crankshaft seal that cracks and leaks oil, and you don’t want to know what happens next. No, don’t insist.

Citroen C-Crosser Reliability Issues

• The manual gearbox is not very good for towing because it’s geared very short, but here I’m referring to serious stuff, not necessarily a 750 kg trailer.


• Yes, there’s the 7-seat version, but the rear seats are fun sized. I wouldn’t necessarily buy a C-Crosser for this option, but it’s good to know you have it and you can put some friends or relatives you can’t stand in the back for short distances.

Citroen C-Crosser Verdict

The Citroen C-Crosser remains the best-maintained and most expensive of the trio because it was mainly bought by private individuals, and many of them were even bought here in Romania. People who today drive a Toyota Highlander or a Ssanyong Korando were buying a new C-Crosser back in 2010. It’s not the latest trend, but it’s not the last poverty either. Honest, decent cars that have been taken care of. So if you have fireflies telling you that a car from 2010 should be new when you buy it in 2023, with the Citroen C-Crosser, you have the best chances among the Japanese-French SUV trio.

Which engines do I recommend? Anyway, you only have a 2.4 petrol with 140 horsepower and a 2.2 diesel with 156 horsepower, and both are good.