A French SUV That Needed Refinement — And Finally Gets It:-
The Citroen Basalt already had plenty of those typically French traits that made it a really good car. The ride quality was excellent. The interior, it’s practical, it’s spacious, and it has just the right amount of French flare, but there was definite room for improvement. The interior never really felt premium enough, and it was definitely lacking in terms of features. Sitran has tried to fix that with the Basalt X. So is this now worthy of your consideration? Well, let’s find out.
Subtle Exterior Updates, Same Distinctive Style:-
While it’s unusual to see a car refresh so soon after its launch, on the outside you’d be hardressed to tell the difference between the X and the older Basalt. Eagle-eyed viewers amongst you might be able to spot a few minor differences on the outside. This piece right here used to have a chrome trim, but now it’s all black. There’s a splash of red down there. Those fog lamps are now LED units. They used to be H hallogens. And there is this rather aftermarket looking camera here which enables the 360° camera. That is an optional accessory costing about 25,000. Apart from that, visually there are no real changes. You still get the high bonnet layered grill with double chevron logo and LED headlamps with two DRL units giving it quite a unique light signature. In profile, the highlight still remains this sloping roof line, couplike roof line, and there is still no sunroof for those of you who’ve been asking. The wheels are also the same size as before, 16 in. They do look a little small in this context, but the trade-off is that excellent ride quality. Also remaining is these flip up type door handles and this is sore of a keyhole right here. but it now has a proximity sensor.
Boot Space Remains Excellent:-
So you can just walk up to the car, flip that door handle, and get inside. And finally, at the back, this X badge is the only giveaway that this is the updated model. A rear wash wipe feature would have been nice, but it is what it is. Thankfully, the boot space remains a very useful 470 L. Now, let’s head inside and see what’s changed. Citroen’s main focus with this update wasn’t the exterior, but rather what’s inside. And that’s where the Basalt X feels like a much newer, more expensive car. Inside, it’s quite clear that this is a pretty big step up from the previous version. The dashboard is now all new. It’s much more sculpted. It’s a lot better finished than before. The top part here is still hard plastic, but there’s some very nice detailing in here. This center section finished in this lovely tan leatherrett has a soft touch to it. There’s some really nice stitching. A lot of the elements are now in piano black. There’s some very cool gold color detailing on the AC vents and on the dashboard. And the silver finish buttons here really elevate the cabin quite a bit. And then there are the seats. They are the same size and shape as before, but now they are covered in a nice black leatherrett with a tan top and a fabric in between to break it all up.
A Significantly More Premium Interior:-
It’s not really a deal breakaker. The plus side, the seats are now ventilated. In terms of features, cruise control makes a debut on the Basalt X. It was sorely missing the last time around. It also has a start stop button, keyless entry, of course. It also now gets an auto- dimming rear view mirror and ambient lighting. In terms of tech, the 10.25 in touchscreen offers wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, while the driver gets a 7in digital display. Both are the same size as before, but are now freestanding tablet style units. An optional 360° camera has also been added. However, it is a bit of a letdown. It can only be accessed via a separate button on the right side of the steering column and the resolution is quite poor. The key point is the car conversational AI assistant. Now, how useful that is is really up to you, but find that most of the features that it covers can be done with the Google Assistant on Android Auto. In terms of safety features, the Basalt gets six airbags, ESP, hillstart assist, and tire pressure monitoring.
Important Feature Additions:-
In 2024, the Basalt received four stars in the Bat Encap crash safety test. Now, despite its sloping roof line, the back seat room is actually a real highlight of the Basalt. Plenty of headroom in here, a lot of leg room. We also have that really nifty under seat thigh support adjustment and an armrest with two cup holders. It’s actually a really nice back seat to be in. Overall, the cabin is quite a lot more premium than before. The Basalt X continues with the same powertrains as before. The base engine is a 1.2 and 2 L naturally aspirated petrol producing 82 horsepower and 115 new m of torque made it to a 5-speed manual. We spent some time with the base engine and it feels surprisingly responsive in the city. The manual gearbox shifts are reasonably smooth, though it does not like to be rushed as our instrumented 0 to 100 kps time of 17.44 seconds shows. The engine that you really want is the 1.2 L turbo petrol mated to the six-speed automatic. It makes 110 horsepower and 205 new m of torque when it’s mated with the automatic and 190 new m of torque when mated with the manual.
Conversational AI: Gimmick or Useful?:-
The engine actually feels a lot punchier than the numbers suggest. Part of that is down to the throttle mapping. It is quite sensitive, maybe a little too sensitive in the city, but you could get used to that. But when you’re trying to push the car, it really feels very, very responsive. The torque converter automatic is quite well matched to the engine. The ratios are very well matched and it is quite smooth for the most part. However, every once in a while you will feel a slight jerk when it upshifts, especially when it downshifts, and that’s not quite ideal. It’s not a dealbreaker, but just being a torque converter, it could have been a lot smoother.
Fuel Efficiency:-
Now, paddle shifters are still missing, but you can take manual control using the lever. The turbo petrol is naturally the quicker of the two, as our instrumented test showed with a respectable 0 to 100 time of 11.99 seconds. We also tested both engines for fuel efficiency. The NATAS petrol returned 11.77 kPL in the city while the turbo did 9.87. It was much closer on the highway with the NATAS delivering 15.83 and the turbo returning 15.01. Now, as you would expect from Citroen, the ride quality on the Basalt is simply phenomenal. This is probably the best riding car under 30 lakhs.
Segment-Leading Ride Quality:-
The way it absorbs bumps at slow speeds and even at high speeds is really quite incredible. And despite its soft setup, it never really bottoms out or gets uncomfortable at all, even at highway speeds. One downside of the soft suspension is that there is a fair bit of body roll. It does grip quite well, and there is a good amount of feel coming through the steering, but the steering is a little too light. I would have liked a little bit more weight to the steering itself.
Pricing: Still Aggressive:-
Even with the update, the Basalt X is still quite keenly priced. The base U trim starts at rupees 7.95 lakh while the top turbo max auto is priced at rupees 12.90 lakh. With this update, the Citroen Basalt is a much more compelling package than before. Its strengths remain the same, but all of the initial complaints that we had have been mostly addressed with this update. It now all boils down to whether or not you have a Citroen dealership near you. If you do, then the Basalt is definitely worth considering.