Citroën has decided that everyday life needs a little more adventure. Its solution isn’t a new four-wheel-drive system, locking differentials or a collection of underbody protection plates. Instead, the French company has introduced OUTDOOR, a new specification that spreads across three very different vehicles: the C3, C3 Aircross and tiny electric Ami.
That makes the name slightly misleading, although perhaps in an interesting way.
Citroën isn’t pretending these cars have suddenly become serious off-roaders. The company describes OUTDOOR as a way of giving ordinary daily cars a stronger visual identity and a little more practicality, which probably reflects how most crossover buyers actually use their vehicles anyway.
On the C3 and C3 Aircross, OUTDOOR sits above the existing MAX trim. Both receive redesigned front bumpers with grey sections intended to resemble the protective elements found on SUVs, along with Infra Rouge details and new 17-inch alloy wheels. The same red color appears on the Citroën badges and even the seatbelts, while grey lower-door inserts carry the OUTDOOR branding.
Citroën has also created a mascot called Migoo, a comic-book-style character that appears as part of the new visual theme. Whether anyone has been waiting for their C3 to come with its own mascot is debatable, but at least Citroën hasn’t produced another anonymous black-trim special edition and stopped there.
The C3 OUTDOOR can be ordered with petrol, 110-hp hybrid or electric power. The electric version offers up to 323 km WLTP, while the larger C3 Aircross adds a 145-hp hybrid option and an extended-range EV capable of as much as 397 km. The Aircross also gets functional roof rails and LED fog lights, additions that make slightly more sense for a car carrying an OUTDOOR badge.
Then there’s the Ami.
Citroën has given its little electric quadricycle Khaki Green paint, white steel wheels, wheel-arch graphics and additional decals. More interestingly, the Ami OUTDOOR becomes the first closed-body Ami with a sunroof. Until now, that kind of open-air experience had been reserved for the Buggy.
It is difficult not to smile at the idea of a tiny Ami dressed for an expedition. Nobody is going to cross the Sahara in one, and Citroën clearly knows it.
That’s really what separates OUTDOOR from some of the more questionable SUV-inspired trim packages we’ve seen over the years. Citroën isn’t promising dramatically improved off-road ability. It’s mostly selling appearance, equipment and a slightly more playful personality.
There is a certain logic to that. Plenty of people buy crossovers because they like how they look and how easy they are to live with, not because Saturday morning involves driving across a mountain.
The C3 and C3 Aircross OUTDOOR lean into that reality. And the Ami?
That one gets a sunroof and a little green adventure costume. And sometimes that’s enough.
