Citroen C5 Aircross Review

Citroen's aims for the new C5 Aircross were to give it more space for back-seat passengers, a more premium-feeling cabin and more modern engine and battery options. They've delivered on all fronts, even if there are still some flies in the C5's soup.

It looks far sharper than the car it replaces, with new LED headlights and daytime running lights, and finned taillights that actually protrude sideways from the bodywork. A soft swage line down the side of the car is said to have increased the electric e-C5 Aircross's range by 15 miles in wind-tunnel testing.

You'll find alloy wheels on all models – entry-level You! versions get 18-inch items, while mid-spec Plus and top-spec Max get 19-inch designs. That top-spec model also gets matrix LED headlights which can cunningly block out cars in front of you from the beam pattern, allowing you to use main beam without dazzling other motorists.

The new C5 Aircross' cabin feels less downmarket than before, with clever use of cloth trim disguising any hard plastics. A whopping 13-inch screen sits proudly in the middle of the dashboard in a vertical orientation, leaving storage space behind and below it – Citroen calls it a 'waterfall' screen. Regardless of its soggy origins, it works well and has all the functionality you'd expect such as wireless smartphone mirroring.

Back seat space is much improved over the old car, allowing tall adults to sit behind one another, and there's much more room for bulky child seats than before. We slightly miss the old car's three independently adjustable seats but, by switching to a more traditional rear bench, Citroen has noticeably improved room – and it helps that the car is much longer too.

Boot space is up to 651 litres too, though it is a slightly narrower space than we'd have liked to see. Much of the space is below the removable boot floor – except you'll have to leave the floor at home because there's nowhere to keep it in the car.

You can get the C5 Aircross as either a 1.2-litre mild-hybrid petrol, a plug-in hybrid with 53 miles of range (and a 28% bigger petrol tank than before) or an EV with either a 73kWh or 97kWh battery. These electric versions – called the e-C5 Aircross – offer 320 miles or 421 miles of claimed range respectively.

Out on the road, the C5 Aircross is pleasingly quiet at speed and feels soft over bumps, though this will have you pitching about in your seat as you accelerate, brake and turn. It's definitely a change from its firmly sprung rivals, but it could have those with a less stern constitution reaching for the sick bags. 

Finally, it's worth mentioning that all models get a Citroen service-activated 8-year warranty.

Given the C5 Aircross is considerably more affordable than the likes of the Kia Sportage and VW Tiguan, you'd expect its cabin to feel cheap. And sure, there are some hard plastics lower down in the interior, but most of the areas you see and touch are covered in fabric. 

Citroen's gone to pains to remove any real leather and as much chrome as possible to help postpone the Earth's inevitable demise at the hands of humanity. Some of the plastics on the door cards, for example, are partially made from pressed grape vines from France's wine-making regions.

The leather-wrapped steering wheel feels good to hold, and the digital driver's dials tucked behind the wheel are easy to read through the wheel's spokes. A start/stop button sits to the left of the wheel, and that giant 13-inch infotainment system sits to the left of that button. 

That large screen is the largest offered in any vehicle produced by Citroen's parent company Stellantis, and it's mostly a pleasure to use. It's snappy enough and looks phenomenal when you fire up wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Beneath it are a couple of physical buttons, but you'll need to use the bottom section of the screen to adjust the air-con. The climate controls are nearly always on display, however, so it's not too painful to warm things up on the move.

A cooled wireless phone-charging pad is nestled in front of the screen on all models, and next to it is the same gear selector we've seen in Peugeots and Citroens since around the time of the last ice age.

Top-spec models get a head-up display that shows your speed, the current speed limit and cruise-control info in the windscreen. It's nice to have, but not really vital given how clear the dashboard screen is. These Max models also get heated seats and a heated wheel, as well as part-faux-leather seats. We actually slightly prefer the feel of the entry-level's cloth ones – but all have a layer of memory foam in them and are riotously comfy.

The new C5 Aircross gets a big tick for practicality where its predecessor could only manage a 'see me'. That extra 16cm has benefited back-seat space to the tune of 5cm more legroom and 7cm more headroom than the older model. Pick a mid or top-spec C5 Aircross and you can use a (fairly flimsy feeling) switch to recline the seat by up to 12 degrees.

Back seats are heated in top-spec models, and all versions get a phone holder and cup holders in a flip-down centre arm rest. Citroen says they've ditched the previous car's three separate sliding/reclining seats because they took up valuable space and 'no one really used them'. Okay then. We don't like Citroen's continued use of quite weak-feeling and fiddly zips to hide the Isofix attachments, and we live in constant fear of accidentally pulling the zip's tab off.

Boot space is up to 651 litres, or 1,985 litres with the rear seats folded down. They fold down in a useful 40:20:40 split, allowing you to seat one or two rear passengers with a christmas tree poking through the unused seat's orifice. The boot itself is reasonably narrow, and lots of the available space is actually underneath the boot floor. You'll want to leave the boot floor at home if you're packing for a big trip – we couldn't find anywhere to store it in the car.

Boot space now stays the same regardless of powertrain you pick – the old C5 PHEV's boot shrunk quite considerably compared to the petrol version. It's worth noting that the old car offered up to 720 litres of boot space, but this was with the seats slid all the way forwards, removing most rear-passenger legroom.

Up front, there are plenty of storage cubbies and nice big door bins for large bottles of water. It's a shame that the centre armrest doesn't adjust for angle, but it does split open to reveal a useful cubby. Look behind and beneath that 'waterfall' screen and you'll also find a pair of USB-Cs and your cupholders, which are a little fiddly to access on the move.  

There are three powertrain options for the new C5 Aircross and e-C5 Aircross, all of which have automatic gearboxes… or are electric.

First up is the 1.2-litre mild hybrid with 145hp. It's the cheapest version of the C5 Aircross and also the noisiest, with a fairly noticeable thrum if you boot it onto a motorway slip road. With a 0-62mph time of 11.2 seconds, it's the slowest C5 but, in normal driving, feels perfectly fine.

Next up is the new plug-in-hybrid version. This has a 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine with 150hp and a 125hp electric motor, for a combined output of 195hp. The 21kWh battery gives up to 53 miles of electric driving range, and a bigger petrol tank than before offers 620 miles of total range with everything filled up. It feels pleasingly brisk to drive, with a 0-62mph time of 8.3 seconds. It can tow up to 1.5 tonnes as well, which is an improvement over the old car.

Finally, there are two electric options in the e-C5 Aircross. The 'comfort range' has a 73kWh battery, 320 miles of theoretical range and a 210hp motor. This battery pack is made in China, so doesn't attract the full UK electric car grant.

Secondly, there's the 93kWh 'long range' option, which gives up to 420 miles of range and has a 230hp motor. This battery is made in France and therefore gets the full £3,750 EV grant. Both batteries will take about 27 minutes to get from 10-80% charge.

Like its predecessor, the new C5 Aircross has all the sporty athleticism of a pastry-filled elephant at a champagne reception under the sea. It's designed to be comfortable and, as such, has genuinely soft suspension that we've not felt in a car since… the previous C5 Aircross.

The positives are that bumps are ironed out remarkably well, with hydraulic cushions in the suspension taking out any sharp impacts that the dampers and springs can't handle. It works well. The downside is that cornering will have you and your passengers leaning out of your seats, and pitching forward noticeably under braking. It encourages a gentle approach to driving, and it's worth taking the family along for a test drive to see if anyone's going to feel car sick.

Otherwise, the C5 Aircross is easy to drive with few annoying blind spots. You get a reversing camera from mid-spec models up, while top-spec versions get a full 360-degree camera. Entry-level models make do with just rear parking sensors.