A six-wheeled Citroen pick-up truck? Are you serious?
Certainly am. And with its weird Cruise Crosser, Citroen is too. Pick-ups are big business, particularly in the UK where people have started buying them as a cheap alternative to 4x4s. And the firm’s bosses told us that a pick-up could feature in its range in the future. If you’re already making an off-roader – and Citroen is with the C-Crosser it launches this summer – it’s not difficult to re-engineer from the floorpan up to create a pick-up truck. After all, Nissan managed it easily enough with the Pathfinder/Navara combo.
It looks like the C-Crosser but how much does it borrow from it?
A lot – they share similar names for a good reason. Almost 90% of it is based on the C-Crosser. That’s basically everything up to the first set of rear wheels. After that they’ve extended the rear overhang to accommodate a second rear suspension unit. They’ve chosen to end the roof just in front of the third row of seats, thereby creating a pick-up style load bed.
Anything else different about it?
Well there’s the eye-catching interior with its fancy seats that have been woven to resemble a watchstrap – yes, really – and the cable that goes round the edge of the cabin instead of grab handles is quite a neat idea. But what is really exciting is something you can’t see. Under the pick-up bed there’s a 20kilowatt battery-powered motor. This is used to power the third row of wheels. So when flick the switch on the dash to change from two to four-wheel drive, you actually get six-wheel drive.
Blimey. So what’s it like on the road then?
You might be surprised to hear that it feels fairly agile. When drive isn’t engaged to them, the third row of wheels doesn’t adversely affect handling. But switch to six-wheel drive and the amount of grip at the back is astonishing when you’re on a loose surface. Of course when you’re not in six-wheel drive the 2.2-litre turbo diesel has to haul around 100kg of extra weight so it doesn’t feel particularly nippy. But having 26bhp extra when you’re off-roading is quite handy.
Tell us about that third row of seats
They’re exactly as they are in the C-Crosser so if your legs are longer than the average eight year old’s, you won’t be wanting to sit there for any length of time. If you do manage to squeeze in and the weather’s nice you’ll really enjoy the ride. The aerodynamics of the car are such that unlike sitting in the back of normal four-seater convertibles you’re not blasted to kingdom come as soon as the driver picks up a bit of speed. And they’ll certainly bring out the poser in you.
And what have buyers of the regular C-Crosser got to look forward to?
Along with Peugeot’s forthcoming 4007, the C-Crosser is essentially the Mitsubishi Outlander with a nose job. Inside, Chevron badging apart, it’s identical. That means it’s pretty well screwed together and clean and simple to look at – if a little bland. As with any SUV, visibility’s good and the driving position isn’t helped by the lack of reach adjustment for the steering wheel. The ride is firm but still supple and the steering transmits a reasonable amount of feel for the road.
Verdict
The big surprise with the Cruise Crosser is that fact that it’s the first SUV-derived pick-up truck to come from a European manufacturer, given the booming popularity of the class. That aside it’s a sensible attempt at making one. Admittedly the third row of wheels is a bit over the top but that shows that Citroen are serious about making a diesel hybrid 4×4 in the near future. Of course there are issues to resolve with it and the third row of chairs would probably be lost in a finished version but it’s a novel take on the leisure pick-up concept and despite its rather wacky appearance, a serious statement of intent from Citroen. Oddjob concept car or a sneak peak at a future Citroen model? Click ‘Add Comment’ below and tell us what you think…