Citroen Basalt 2025 Price - Images & Specifications

The Citroen Basalt is a bet on a body style that barely existed in the Indian mass market until recently: the coupe-SUV, a sloping-roofline crossover that trades some outright practicality for a silhouette that looks noticeably more expensive than its price tag suggests. It sits alongside the Tata Curvv as one of the only affordable coupe-SUVs sold in India, and it's aimed at a buyer who cross-shops the C3 Aircross internally but ultimately wants something that looks less like a family appliance in the driveway.

Citroen built the Basalt on the same underlying architecture as the C3 and C3 Aircross, sharing the wheelbase, much of the powertrain lineup, and a good portion of the interior architecture, but wrapping it all in genuinely distinctive coupe-SUV bodywork with a sharply raked rear window and a more aggressive front fascia. It's a deliberate strategy from Citroen — rather than developing an entirely new platform for a niche body style, the company leveraged an existing one to bring a design-led product to market at a price point that undercuts most rivals attempting anything similar.

Power comes from the familiar 1199 cc, three-cylinder PureTech turbo-petrol, producing 109 bhp at 5500 rpm and 190 Nm of torque from 1750 rpm, paired with either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed torque-converter automatic driving the front wheels. It's the same engine doing duty in the C3 Aircross, and it brings the same character here — eager low-end response that makes city driving feel unstrained, with enough mid-range pull for confident highway overtakes, even if outright refinement at higher revs isn't the three-cylinder's strongest suit. ARAI-rated efficiency comes in at 18.75 kmpl for the manual and 18.58 kmpl for the automatic, competitive figures for a turbo-petrol in this class.

Ride quality carries over Citroen's now-familiar Indian-road tuning philosophy: at 180 mm, ground clearance is generous enough to handle speed breakers and uneven surfaces with confidence, and the suspension leans toward comfort over outright body control, soaking up the kind of broken tarmac that unsettles firmer-riding rivals. The trade-off for the coupe-SUV silhouette shows up in the cabin rather than the chassis — that sloping roofline noticeably eats into rear headroom compared to the boxier C3 Aircross, a genuine consideration for buyers who regularly carry taller rear passengers rather than just occasional guests.

Inside, the Basalt gets the same 10.25-inch touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, paired with a matching 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, both generously sized for the segment. Wireless charging is available on the top variant, along with automatic climate control, though — in keeping with Citroen's value-focused positioning — there's no sunroof at any trim level, and the six-speaker sound system doesn't stand out. Boot space of 470 litres is genuinely good for a coupe-SUV, where a sloping tailgate often costs practicality; Citroen has clearly worked to preserve usable cargo room despite the styling compromise. Seating is strictly five, with no third-row option here unlike its C3 Aircross sibling — the sloped roof simply doesn't leave room for it. Safety kit covers six airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control, a rear camera and parking sensors, hill-hold assist, TPMS, and ISOFIX mounts, though it's worth noting plainly that ADAS driver-assistance features are absent on most variants, a genuine gap against segment trends where even budget-conscious rivals are beginning to offer at least basic ADAS on top trims.

Pricing starts from around Rs. 7.99 lakh ex-showroom for the base manual and climbs toward Rs. 15 lakh for the fully loaded automatic Max variant, undercutting the Tata Curvv's petrol range at comparable trim levels while offering a genuinely distinctive design that few rivals at this price can match. For a buyer specifically shopping for coupe-SUV styling on a budget, the Basalt's pricing is one of its strongest arguments.

The honest weaknesses deserve direct acknowledgement. The sloping roofline is a genuine practicality trade-off, not just a styling flourish — rear headroom is noticeably tighter than in the C3 Aircross or a conventional compact SUV, and taller passengers will notice on longer journeys. Engine choice is limited to the single turbo-petrol unit; there's no diesel and no hybrid option, which rules the Basalt out for buyers specifically seeking those powertrains. The absence of ADAS on most variants is a real shortcoming relative to where the segment is heading, even if it hasn't yet become a dealbreaker for most Indian buyers. And Citroen's after-sales network, as with its other India products, remains thinner than what Tata, Hyundai, or Maruti buyers are used to, meaning routine servicing requires more planning in smaller cities and towns.

Verdict: the Citroen Basalt succeeds at exactly what it sets out to do — deliver coupe-SUV styling at a genuinely accessible price, backed by a comfortable ride and a well-equipped touchscreen and cluster setup. It's the right pick for a buyer who prioritises how the car looks and rides over outright rear-seat space or the reassurance of driver-assistance tech. Buyers who need genuine rear headroom for regularly carrying tall adults, or who consider ADAS a non-negotiable at this price point, should look at the standard C3 Aircross or a rival like the Curvv instead — but as a style statement on a budget, the Basalt is hard to beat.