Citroen C5 Aircross and e-C5 Aircross review

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Citroën pushes the boat out to make its new SUV a flagship, not just a big C3 Aircross. Has it succeeded?

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For a long time now, Citroën has wrestled with finding an identity for its larger models. Indeed, this second-generation C5 Aircross SUV, the French brand’s new flagship, is a very different proposition to the 2017 original.

Bigger, more spacious and plusher inside, it has been frequently and extensively run through customer clinics along every step of its development to make sure this is what the market wants in 2025 of a big Citroën, rather than a scaled-up Citroën C3 Aircross – the reputation that its predecessor failed to shake even after a mid-life facelift attempted to reverse that.

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DESIGN & STYLING

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The new C5 Aircross is a STLA Medium platform sibling of the Peugeot 3008 and Vauxhall Grandland and comes with hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric drivetrains. 

Whatever version of C5 Aircross you go for, the look is identical save for the badges and presence of an exhaust. The only choices you have to make concern the power source and trim level.

The C5 Aircross was previewed by a concept car of the same name last year. It wasn't the most ambitious of concepts, more a thinly veiled preview of the production model to come. So it has been proven.
Mark Tisshaw
Editor

The design has been optimised around aerodynamic efficiency to improve the economy of the hybrid models and the range of the EV.

Citroën claims that the focus on aerodynamic efficiency in the body has allowed for an 18-mile improvement in range over a theoretical electric equivalent of the previous C5 Aircross.

Unlike the previous C5 Aircross, which pre-facelift looked like a scaled-up C3 Aircross, the new model gets an identity all of its own within the Citroën model range. 

Yet it's not the most characterful car. Smart enough but a bit forgettable. Based around a two-box silhouette, there's none of the cheek and charm that you can usually expect from a Citroën.

The 'ice cube' headlights are one of the more interesting design features, instead of the usual LED light bars dominating many of the current SUV crop, but that's about it on the outside. 

'Bigger' in practice means the C5 Aircross is 150mm longer than before at 4652mm, with rear passengers benefitting with more leg room thanks to a wheelbase that's 60mm longer than before and luggage space increasing to 651 litres across all powertrains.

The boot shape itself is oddly narrow thanks to some heavy intrusion from the sides, but with the rear seats fully folded there’s almost 2000 litres of storage in the back.

The size makes it towards the larger end of C-segment family crossovers, and competition here is extensive, including the Ford Kuga, Hyundai Tucson and Volkswagen Tiguan.

INTERIOR

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Where Citroën really wants the C5 Aircross to stand out is in its interior design, space and usability. 

Increasing passenger space was one of the main takeaways from the customer clinics that Citroën ran throughout the C5 Aircross's development; customers said they wanted more rear leg room.

The 'waterfall' touchscreen allows for a large storage area to be sited under it, between the knees of those in the front. Quite a handy tray and space where two cupholders are also sited.
Mark Tisshaw
Editor

Sit in the back and there is good knee room and head room, plus the added benefit of a reclining function on mid-spec versions and above. It’s a comfortable place to be.

Seat comfort is another area of focus for Citroën for the interior of the C5 Aircross. There’s an extra layer of foam in the seats over what's typical and they are very comfy, with good adjustability and in top trim both heated and ventilated functions and adjustable side bolsters that can further squeeze you into place.

I jumped into a Nissan Leaf straight after the C5 Aircross after one test run, and it was notable how rock-hard the Leaf’s pew was in comparison.

Entry-level You trim is said to have seats with slightly thinner trim than higher-spec models, but there's still more foam in it than is typical among rivals.

The interior itself has a nice ambience and the light colour of our range-topping test car made the car seem cheerier on the inside than the outside.

There are some interesting trims and fabrics, including one material that includes old vines from a French vineyard. 

The C5 Aircross's relationship to the 3008 and Grandland isn't immediately evident, as all these cars have a different look and feel inside, much more so than on smaller Stellantis group models, where the interiors all feel quite similar.

The interior design is based around a large central touchscreen, anchored at the top of the dashboard on one end and fixed onto the centre console at the other for a waterfall effect. It's big and backed up by a small row of physical switches below.

The screen does plenty of heavy lifting, among its tasks the temperature controls. Far from being fiddly and hard to find, these are giant buttons given permanent residency on the bottom of the screen whatever the menu.

This works quite well, but there's no real hidden depth or extra features on that screen; it's just a massive screen. The TomTom-supplied graphics on the map aren't very good at all, and to that end I'd recommend using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto so you can use a third-party sat-nav app of your choice, such as Waze or Google Maps.

A large panoramic roof, optional in the top-spec model, makes for an even lighter cabin experience and is a welcome addition in making the cabin feel like a brighter place as rear visibility isn't anything special. Without it and in a darker trim, it might feel less spacious.  

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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There are two different hybrid powertrains offered in the C5 Aircross, one conventional and one plug-in.

The PHEV features a 1.6-litre petrol engine, a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, a 123bhp electric motor and a 18kWh battery. Combined peak power is 192bhp and a real-world electric range of around 45 miles can be achieved.

The C5 Aircross still feels quite narrow on the road and thus easy to place, all without it feeling like your front passenger is on your lap.
Mark Tisshaw
Editor

This is a new system to the Stellantis group and will be rolled out across the majority of its brands, and that ubiquity of its future operation is why it's our initial focus here, despite the fact the PHEV is expected to sell the fewest of the C5 Aircross range.

This new powertrain lacks refinement across its working range, but while you can feel plenty of other things going on in its NVH levels, the way it slips between electric and electric and petrol power isn’t one of them.

Only a sudden stamp on the accelerator can throw it in this key regard and reveal any major jerkiness, as otherwise driven normally and at normal speeds it’s a substantial enough system with good performance levels for a car of the C5 Aircross’s size and type.

Therefore it's a shame that it sounds and feels so crude; if this is the powertrain to replace diesel in the C5 Aircross line-up, it does quite a good impression of one in some ways still. 

The conventional hybrid, with 143bhp, uses a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, a 28bhp electric motor and a 0.9kWh battery.

It sounds like it’s being thrashed even harder and can make the car feel underpowered. This engine does its best work around town where it is quieter and calmer, and able to run only on electric power.

Still, the general crudeness of this expected best-selling powertrain serves as a good advert for the quietness and greater refinement of an all-electric drivetrain.

The ë-C5 Aircross is an electric car that uses a single front-mounted 211bhp motor and a 74kWh battery. Its official range is 322 miles and I got an indicated 270 miles on our test roads.

A longer-range model using a 227bhp front motor mated to a 97kWh battery pack for a 421-mile range will be available to order soon ahead of deliveries earlier next year. 

The EV feels brisker and more easy-going than either hybrid and, with fewer moving parts, smoother too. There are none of the refinement issues, so although it makes the car feel even more one-dimensional, it removes a negative. It’s the one we would go for.

A four-wheel-drive version of the ë-C5 Aircross using two electric motors is possible on the platform and is under consideration, although it hasn’t been confirmed for launch yet.

RIDE & HANDLING

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Comfort is something that Citroën always places a premium on; in fact, it’s sharpening its brand around this trait. To that end, the Advanced Comfort suspension again features on the C5 Aircross with its hydraulic bump stops. Hybrid models get a beam rear axle and the EV gets a multi-link arrangement.

Our test roads, at the tip of Denmark’s Jutland peninsula on a Car of the Year judging event and at a subsequent test on the Spanish island of Mallorca, were mostly smooth; but rather than serving to showcase the C5 Aircross’s ride quality, they simply made it feel overly soft.

The EV is heavier than the hybrids, but this only really manifests itself dynamically when you're trying to slow the EV's two-tonne-heft-plus down.
Mark Tisshaw
Editor

Soft doesn’t necessarily mean comfortable when you’re bouncing along, so perhaps UK roads can be trusted to let the suspension demonstrate its comfort mettle more.

On this evidence though, it feels as if Citroën has gone too far in pushing something comfortable to the point where it's not. You bounce along even the most gentle of crests in the road, and if you're met with some more surface abrasions, the secondary ride is quite poor. 

This is grouped with steering that is always desperate to self-centre and handling that will gently roll the body with the corner before snatching it back to upright. This makes for a car that's actually quite tiresome to drive when confronted with anything other than a town centre or main road.

On the tighter roads of Mallorca, I found myself gripping the steering wheel quite hard to feel like I was staying in control and was left with a worse dynamic impression of the car than in the more open roads of Jutland. 

The only dynamic difference of note to the electric version is the brakes, which work better in the hybrids and require far less of a firm shove than the EV. So that's something.

As is the fact Citroen has also done a better job than Peugeot of masking the two-tonne-plus weight of the electric version. Despite them weighing very similar, the ë-C5 Aircross never feels as heavy as its e-3008 platform sibling.

There are different driving modes to cycle through depending on the version, a Sport mode liberating all the power and torque through the right pedal. Normal mode works just fine as the extra shove only unsettles the body more. 

The steering wheel paddles control the gears in the hybrids and the level of regenerative braking in the electric version.

The level of regen is good and is quite handy in starting to get the car slowed down, given how firm a press of the pedal is needed for the friction brakes to join in. 

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MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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The C5 Aircross costs around £2000 more than the car it replaces, but it's sufficiently bigger and higher-quality to be worthy of the premium.

Pricing starts at £30,495 for the hybrid in You trim. This model in mid-range Plus trim is £33,135 and tops out at £35,775 for the range-topping Max. The only way you can get the plug-in hybrid is in Max trim, at £38,855. 

My test route took me largely away from low-speed urban driving, and the PHEV returned only 42mpg - well down on the official 97.7mpg and no better than what I got from the regular hybrid.
Mark Tisshaw
Editor

This entry price undercuts key rivals such as the Ford Kuga and Skoda Karoq. 

The ë-C5 Aircross qualifies for the government’s Electric Car Grant at the lower £1500 rate, meaning it costs £32,565 in base You trim, £35,205 in mid-range Plus trim and £37,845 as a Max.

The electric drivetrain is the same across all trims, with pricing of the long-range model yet to be announced. 

The ë-C5 Aircross is well priced next to rivals, undercutting the Skoda Enyaq by more than £6000 and the related Vauxhall Grandland Electric by more than £4000. 

We recorded an indicated real-world range of around 270 miles, respectable for a car of its size and weight, while the maximum charging speed is 160kW. 

Trim-wise, even the base model gets the large central touchscreen that dominates so much of the interior design and around it.

We've only tested a Max model, which comes fully loaded with the lighter interior colour theme with more recycled materials, heated and ventilated seats and a larger head-up display. 

Value is one of the key selling points of the C5 Aircross overall, and it is a lot of the car for the money, backed up by an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty too.

VERDICT

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The C5 Aircross is a nice enough car, if one that lacks a bit of fun, a bit of sparkle and some personality.

The related Jeep Compass, which is being launched at the same time, has a bit more about it visually on the outside and isn't as soft dynamically. 

Being better than before might not be enough to stop the C5 Aircross from being swallowed up in the most crowded of segments. Spaciousness and good value are its main selling points.
Mark Tisshaw
Editor

The Citroën stands out for its interior comfort and space and its value. The hybrid powertrains feel a bit crude, particularly the conventional one.

The ride and handling were concerning on my first experience in Denmark and were more greatly exposed a few days later on more challenging roads of Mallorca. This is a concern when an even tougher test in the UK awaits. 

In no major ways worse, in some small ways better, the EV edges both hybrids as the pick of the C5 Aircross range.

Overall, the C5 Aircross is a car that is strong in some secondary areas but lacks something really standout to make you want to buy it. It's spacious but the ride isn't very good; the interior is comfortable but the engines are crude. A 'but' car, then, is the C5 Aircross. 

When we hear of the threat to established brands from Chinese car makers in particular, it’s the likes of the C5 Aircross that could prove easy prey. It wouldn’t be too hard to match its objective qualities and undercut it in the process.

Mark Tisshaw

mark-tisshaw-autocar
Title: Editor

Mark is a journalist with more than a decade of top-level experience in the automotive industry. He first joined Autocar in 2009, having previously worked in local newspapers. He has held several roles at Autocar, including news editor, deputy editor, digital editor and his current position of editor, one he has held since 2017.

From this position he oversees all of Autocar’s content across the print magazine, autocar.co.uk website, social media, video, and podcast channels, as well as our recent launch, Autocar Business. Mark regularly interviews the very top global executives in the automotive industry, telling their stories and holding them to account, meeting them at shows and events around the world.

Mark is a Car of the Year juror, a prestigious annual award that Autocar is one of the main sponsors of. He has made media appearances on the likes of the BBC, and contributed to titles including What Car?, Move Electric and Pistonheads, and has written a column for The Sun.