Citroen C5 Aircross 2022 review

This is the new Citroën C5 Aircross. Well, sort of. You see, while the family-friendly French SUV has been treated to a mid-life refresh, the makeover is more cosmetic nip-and-tuck than ground-up, nut-and-bolt in its approach.

Yet in many respects, it’s not hard to see why Citroën played safe with its C-segment offering, which has proved to be a bit of a sales hit for the brand. Not only is this corner of the market continuing to grow, but also demand for the old model remained strong to the end, despite the pressures of the pandemic and the ongoing supply-chain crisis.

In total, 325,000 examples have found homes around the globe, with 245,000 of those in Europe. As the old saying goes, if ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

So what is new? Well, the most obvious changes are the on outside, where there’s a new grille and headlights, plus reprofiled bumpers and some rough-and-tumble skidplates. There are also some 3D-effect LED light clusters at the rear, a few extra colours and revised alloy wheel designs.

The result is a sharper-looking machine than before, with the LEDs in particular adding some extra head-turning kerb appeal. What’s even more impressive is that this neat update has been achieved without changing any of the sheet metal.

It’s a similar story inside, where there’s now a slick-looking 10in infotainment touchscreen mounted on top of the dashboard, plus a subtly tweaked centre console with a new toggle-style gear selector. A smattering of smarter materials have also been sprinkled around in an effort to up the premium appeal. Oh, and the already squidgy seats get a new memory foam insert for even greater sofa-style support.

Finally, the line-up has been given a small shake-up. The mid-ranking Shine model remains, albeit better equipped, but the entry level version is now the Sense Plus, while at the top-of-the-range is the C-Series Edition, which gets all the bells and whistles.

If you’ve driven the old C5 Aircross, there’s lots that will be familiar here, because it’s essentially the same car. While the exterior and interior have been under the knife, the mechanical bits and bobs have been left almost completely untouched. That means you get the same commitment to comfort that made the original an easy-going rather than exciting choice – and, given its workaday remit, that will be just fine for most of the people most of the time.