Everyone, Please Take Note of What Citroën is Doing: Quickie

It’s no secret to the few merry readers of this glorious blog that I’ve been on a French kick as of late. Not because the government politics are refreshingly left-leaning, but that the domestic carmakers know what the people want.

For one, it won’t take the American route and try to upsell you to a nicer package or a bigger size — if you can help it. If small works for you, it works for the Euro manufacturers with the brevity to sell you something kinder to your wallet.

But the reason I admire the 2025 Citroën C3 Aircross has to do with the inside:

Look at that! Not an oversized center tablet in sight, just a minimal digital readout that integrates cleverly into the dashboard so you don’t take your eyes off the road. It’s a mundane solution to a problem that I think is blown out of proportion by people who think screens in cars are a distraction.

And they are, to a degree. The trouble is that since double-din radios went out of style in the 2010s — the reason you could pick up a new radio at your local Best Buy — manufacturers have followed their own interpretations of how to apply a new generation of displays in vehicles. As a result, the infotainment in a Ford Explorer could be wildly different from the one in a Honda Pilot built simultaneously.

Then Apple CarPlay was released, followed shortly by Android Auto, and fixed a lot of the jarring issues that came with each company’s efforts. The interface itself was bad, but once you connected your device and the iPhone-esque arrangement came up, the software pains disappeared. Pull up any story that reviewed the center display in the last ten years and critics will unanimously praise that CarPlay — or Android Auto for anti-fruit heathens — alleviated the quality of infotainment regardless of manufacturer.

But manufacturers still do this. Buttons may be coming back to cars per a new European law, but the screen itself is a free-for-all. Apple CarPlay is very much prominent in the marketplace for people who just want to connect it and go. But if you already have your smartphone with you, why do you need another screen?

So I appreciate that in the Citroën, there’s a phone mount to accommodate various sizes of your device. And the fact that there’s a USB port next to it to charge it while on the move.

And the C3 Aircross isn’t alone in offering a largely screen-free experience. Volkswagen pulled a similar move with the Up! (no yelling) and Opel has a similar setup for its new Frontera:

I do feel like this design is overall less attractive, on account of the phone mount enacting as a substitute to something clearly meant to there. It’s a blank slab of plastic versus Citroën incorporating it into the dash.

Ye of little faith, options for the C3 Aircross can accommodate the techies:

Even then, it doesn’t make for a prominent showing. The cabin is stylish while giving you Apple CarPlay access, wireless phone charging, and an automatic transmission. There’s nothing wrong with companies giving you less if it means lowering the average transaction price of nearly $50,000 that induces budget-minders to tears.

Citroën and vehicles like the Chevrolet Trax are proof that cheap cars can feel like a reward. That’s why the latter sold north of 200,000 units in 2024 and why the Mitsubishi Mirage posted a 125-percent jump in sales despite plans to phase it out of production.

On the subject of screens, if we must look at them everyday, is there a good use of screens? Of course! Mazda is probably the most controversial in that it gives you physical controls and touch ability depending on the function. But then it separates HVAC controls instead of integrating them onto the display, like a lot of companies do these days.

But even a screen-only setup can prove to not be a disaster. One of the perks of working at a third Mazda store is that this particular one doesn’t only sell Mazdas, but Fords and Lincolns. So having a go in the new Nautilus surprised me because it contains a dashboard-wide setup.

Despite the necessity of using the smaller display to control aspects of the bigger one, I have to say it was one of the least obtrusive experiences I’ve encountered. Lincoln knows it can be overwhelming, particularly for the older audience, so there’s even a calm mode that makes all but the necessary info such as speed disappear.

And that’s coming from someone who errs on the side of a technophobe.

-TA