Citroen C-Crosser

It's always been frustrating that so many good diesels are not available with automatic gearboxes. But with dual-clutch transmissions, more manufacturers are changing their ways. The latest is the Citroen C-Crosser twin-clutch 2.2 HDi.

The French firm hasn't bothered building an ordinary torque- convertor auto (it's difficult to engineer it to cope with the torque, and it scuppers the all-important fuel-economy and CO2 figures). Instead, there's a twin clutch. Compared to the manual, CO2 only increases by 7g/km, while economy drops by 1.7mpg.

Like other twin-clutchers, the DCS is just as smooth as an ordinary automatic with barely noticeable gear changes. Kickdown is also impressive because there's very little delay when it drops a couple of cogs.

The only downsides are two manual-emulating paddles and a Sport button (gears being held for longer). Both these functions are a waste of time in this SUV - you get the impression that someone from marketing thought (mistakenly) they'd be a good idea. The twin-clutch 'box, though, definitely is. 

Piers Ward