The Citroen C3 Aircross makes light work of a rather unexpected car shopping adventure

I was looking forward to a quiet weekend with the C3 Aircross – perhaps a jaunt to the supermarket on Saturday afternoon, but little else. But that was about to change.

I’d had my own car for sale for some time – a 2010 Volkswagen Scirocco. Whether it was the fact no-one wanted a diesel Scirocco, or they just didn’t want mine, I just couldn’t shift it, and had about given up hope after advertising it for two months.

Then, on Friday night, I had a call from a presumable timewaster. But no, this was the real deal and a couple of hours later, the cash was in my hand, V5C signed and off it drove.

But that left a problem, I now was without transport on my own accord. I’d known what car I wanted for some time – a Seat Ibiza ST (an estate to you and me), but it had to have the 1.2-litre TSI petrol engine. Not hard to find, surely?

But you’d be wrong – there were four for sale in my budget across the UK, and it was my intention to look at three of them at the weekend. Here’s where the Aircross comes in.

My first impressions of the Citroen are good. It is a funky-looking crossover, and attracts plenty of glances on the road, although I’m not sure if these are positive or negative.

It also does the basics phenomenally well. It’s one of the most comfortable cars I’ve been in for some time, and the interior offers bucket loads of room. Sure, the boot isn’t the largest in its class, but it offers rear seat space that you’d struggle to find in cars in the class above, and feels genuinely airy throughout the cabin.

On the road, the Aircross is refined and while the 1.2-litre PureTech petrol engine could do with a couple more horses, it’s brisk enough in most scenarios with 109bhp on tap. It’s let down by the five-speed gearbox, though, which feels notchy and you really have to stretch your arm to put it into first gear (such is the gearstick’s awkward placing) – thus meaning town driving can feel like you’re doing Pilates, rather than driving.

The journeys to Swindon, Twickenham and Bournemouth to look at three cars showed off the Aircross’s impressive infotainment. With the option of both the built-in satellite navigation or Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, you’re never short on route planners – particularly when you tire of Apple Maps wishing to take you to the wrong destination. The touchscreen in general is a doddle to use, although the increasing tendency for the air-con buttons on new cars to be on the touchscreen drives me up the wall. Just give me a dial to turn.

The Aircross hardly broke a sweat in the 300 miles it covered looking at estate cars, and while it’s not built for the motorway, it feels more than up to the job of cruising. A six-speed gearbox would be a welcome addition to this engine, but you’ll find that on the more powerful 128bhp unit, which is only £390 more expensive.

Unfortunately, my car buying exploits failed, with all three Ibizas having issues, or frankly being too expensive, but I’m a picky so-and-so. The search continues…

Sunday’s adventures proved to be more in the Aircross’s comfort zone. A morning shop to Lidl, a visit to the charity shop to pick up some furniture and a jolt to the garden centre is stereotypically what Aircross owners might be doing with their time – rather than spending most of their day at 70mph on the M4. There was even a prime photo opportunity to park next to someone else’s brand new 68-plate Aircross, which was, I dare say, in a better colour combination than ours.

The Aircross is sadly departing our fleet soon, after a solid spell of service. It’s fair to say it will be missed, as it offers an impressive all-round ability for a car of its size and price.

But more on that soon, and for the meantime I need to track down a new motor. If you have a Seat Ibiza ST for sale, I’d love to know…