KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- We drove the Citroen Basalt turbo-petrol for about 300km with four people and luggage on-board.
- The destination was Bala Qila, which is located in Alwar, Rajasthan.
- The Basalt certainly has a lot of USPs going in its favour.
The Citroen Basalt is certainly one very interesting option for new buyers today. With its size, its unique coupe-SUV styling, its engine options and set of features, the Basalt could well be a proper first 'big car for buyers upgrading from their older cars.
Hence, we decided to evaluate the Citroen Basalt's abilities in our very own way; heading out on a 300km drive with four people and luggage on-board. However, before going into any more details, make sure to join the 91wheels WhatsApp Community to keep up with the latest news and automotive updates!
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The Plan
The plan was to meet up with my boss and my team-members at a common location, after which we would load up the boot of the Basalt, and then head off on a nice, relaxing drive to Bala Qila in Alwar, Rajasthan to spot deer and other interesting wildlife.
The Citroen Basalt comes with 470 litres of boot space, and we had plenty of luggage to haul around; three suitcases packed to the brim, followed by a night stroller, and two shoulder bags. There was still some space left, so we also placed a small ziploc bag containing the car cover, toolkit, and the warning triangle. It was time to shut the boot, and there was no need to place anything on the parcel tray, since the Basalt's boot took in all our luggage easily.
There were four of us on this drive; my boss Bunny, Shipranshu, shutterbug Julian, and myself. An average Indian family comprises of four people in varying sizes, and things were similar here as well, with Boss being the tallest at 6 ft, Shipranshu being 5'10" tall, Julian at 5'9", and myself at 5'6".
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Setting Off In The Citroen Basalt
We began this drive by topping up the Basalt at a fuel station close to our meeting point in Sector 29, following which we reset the car's trip meters accordingly for the test.
Getting out of Gurugram was fairly easy this time around, given that there was not much traffic to deal with. We made it through to the Sohna Elevated Road, and ultimately onto the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway; our tried-and-tested 'test' route.
The Basalt's cabin receives a dual-tone black and beige theme which exudes a sense of premium quality; something that will be appreciated by buyers moving from a smaller car. The glass area is large enough, and it makes the cabin feel airy and spacious, even with four people on board. However, Citroen could have used some soft-touch materials on the door pads.
One thing worth noting is the infotainment touch screen. This is a 10.23-inch unit with wireless connectivity, and while many other cars require you to use the mobile phone to change or update your location for navigation purposes, Citroen simply allows you to do it from the screen itself, with a QWERTY keypad function. Speaking of the screen itself, it works fairly well and the UI is slick and overall easy to use. The Basalt is also among the few cars in this price range to come with an auto-down window function for all four doors.
Getting to the front row seats, they are supportive and comfortable, with decent cushioining, knee room and head room on offer. There is also enough width in the cabin to not rub shoulders with your co-passenger. The front armrest is large enough for both, and it also slides front and back.
The Basalt's 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine, paired with the 6-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox was performing flawlessly at this point, even with four people and a fair share of luggage on board. The gearbox was functioning quite well, and there were no jerks that could be felt. However, the range-topping variant, i.e the Turbo Max Dual-Tone, costs Rs 13.95 lakh (ex-showroom), and it does not offer cruise control, which will be a big con for who drive longer distances frequently.
One hour into the drive, and despite our taller team members sitting in the front, me and Julian had no issues with the legroom and headroom on offer, and the rear A/C vent kept things fresh and cool in the cabin. The winged headrests not only look cool, but they are also functional and they help improve comfort, especially when you want to take a short nap.
However, taller people will feel a lack of underthigh support despite the Basalt's adjustable thigh support feature, and those who want to sit back in a more loose and relaxed position are also likely to feel the same. Also, while the rear bench is good enough for two, adding a third person will make things rather tight.
Having taken a small break picking up snacks at the famous McDonald's, we continued on our way to Bala Qila. We were rather lucky to have entered the drive-thru at that very moment, for a large line formed immediately behind us!
At this point, we had covered 100km on our trip so far, with the Basalt returning a claimed efficiency figure of 20.03kmpl. The fuel level had also barely gone down. We were maintaining consistent speeds between 70 to 90kmph, and given that we were going towards an incline on the expressway with four people and luggage, the Basalt's performance was commendable. It showed no signs of running out of breath, and it just wanted to carry on.
At every trip, you will see something or the other that stays with you for a long time to come. During my time at the backseat, I was reminiscing some fond memories of my Yamaha RX135 back at home. Close to entering Rajasthan, we saw a Karnataka-based rider on a similar RX135, leaving behind the bluish-white smoke associated two-stroke motorcycles, while also filling the air with the fragrance of 2T oil.
With most of us admiring the rider's determination and the rare sight, we got our cameras out. The rider understood the assignment, so to say, and gave us a thumbs up as he flew past us.
It was not long before the roads started getting narrower, and soon we were at the backroads of Alwar. There was some traffic, but nothing too major to spoil our day. Soon, we were making our way uphill towards the road leading to Bala Qila, the buildings replaced by trees on one side, and the stunning view of Aravalli Hills on the other. However, with langurs also trotting the area, it was best to keep the windows closed.
While we did make it to the top of Bala Qila, so did a lot of other people considering it was a Saturday. Instead, we came back down and stopped at a point where we could not only breathe some clean, fresh air, but also take in the views of the hills around us, and some ruins of the fort as well.
Meanwhile our Basalt had been driven for 163.7km at this point, despite hauling all four of us and our luggage, with the A/C switched on. The fuel efficiency figure slipped down a little to 17.4kmpl, which is still a rather commendable figure for a turbo-petrol engine car with an automatic transmission.
It was time for us to head back to our base in Gurugram, and the drive back was a smooth affair as well, with just a small stop in between to pickup the local delicacies; onion kachoris and samosas. We took a moment to indulge in some spirited driving, and the Basalt backed us up pretty well, reaching 120kmph without breaking a sweat despite us four and our testing equipment in the trunk.
We ended our drive having covered a total distance of 305.9km. At the refill, the Basalt took in 17.52 litres of fuel. Simple calculations will show that the average fuel consumption figure works out to 17.4kmpl. In fact, the fuel attendant filled the tank to the brim without the auto-cut function. Otherwise, the Basalt could have possibly also delivered a figure of 17.6.kmpl.
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The Takeaways
With this kind of efficiency on a tank-to-tank basis, along with the impressive performance with a full load, great comfort and practicality, and a decent set of equipment on offer, it's clear that the Citroen Basalt has a lot USPs.
For me, the biggest takeaway was that during the entire drive, not once was there any uncomfortable movement from the car. The Basalt stayed firm and planted on the highway. With a full load, it not only reached high speeds, but more importantly it maintained its composure rather well. Even on the occasional bad patch of road here and there, the Basalt's suspension setup made sure to absorb everything nicely and not transfer any sudden bumps into the cabin.
Check out the full video of our detailed test of the Citroen Basalt with four people and luggage, and hit the subscribe button now!
Verdict
Citroen has been thoughtful while developing the Basalt, adding small, interesting touches here and there, and also making it a genuinely good all-rounder. What it needs to do now is ramp up its service network and improve the aftersales experience, in order to bring more Basalts on the road.
