Review: The Citroën C5 Aircross (2020) will reignite your love for French cars
Citroën is back with a bang, sporting an exciting line-up in their small army of locally-available vehicles. South Africans can't get enough of SUVs, and for this very reason Citroën has returned with the C3- and C5 Aircross to help satisfy our nationwide craving.
The C5 Aircross is the company's flagship SUV. It's a full-fledged five-seater that is geared towards modern, fashionable families who like the finer things in life, but are not necessarily interested in (or capable of affording) premium German vehicles like the BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC. The C5 Aircross competes with cars such as the Mazda CX-5, Nissan X-Trail, and its closest rival, the 3008 from its sister company, Peugeot. We drove the Citroën C5 Aircross 1.6T Shine, the top-spec model, at R539 900.
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Styling
The Citroën C5 Aircross is at the forefront of chic automotive design and sports everything that is in style at the moment, such as the double-layer squinting headlamp-effect with daytime running lamp lines that form "eyebrows" above the main headlamp units. Citroën's designers seem to favour rounded, streamlined lines and edges rather than the boxy and angular design cues that seem to be a Japanese trend these days.
On the C5 Aircross's flanks, black Airbump panels prevent those nasty nicks that often appear on the doors after a trip to the supermarket. This was also a feature on the Citroën C4 Cactus, but it's a little more understated here.
The C5 Aircross's rear-end is decidedly European-looking; there's no mistaking it for anything humdrum from the School of Generic Rear-Headlamp Design. The quad LED-light signature looks sharp, while the C5's pert rear-end is further enhanced by a matte black faux scuff plate and twin exhausts. A few strategically-placed trapezoidal accents in bright red further enhance the Citroën's contemporary image.
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Interior layout, comfort, and convenience
The tasteful interior manages to be both minimalistic and characterful. Soft-touch plastics and high-quality switchgear are a reflection of the C5 Aircross's considerable price tag. A chic, 12.3-inch digital instrument panel behind the steering wheel and 8-inch touchscreen on the dashboard take care of everything infotainment. You can choose your view of the virtual instrument cluster by using the scroller buttons on the steering wheel.
Citroën has always been very adept at isolating their cabins from wind- and road noise. The C5's laminated windows are double-glazed and the engine compartment has been properly soundproofed as well, which allows for a more satisfying experience when listening to music or simply conversing with your favourite co-travellers. Apple CarPlay/Android Auto are standard features and there's a dedicated voice control button on the steering wheel to activate Siri or Alexa. One USB port resides below the airconditioning controls, bringing the total of USB ports to two. Cruise control is activated via a steering-wheel-mounted fingertip-control stalk, and maybe I'm just old or tech-unsavvy, but I found it a little finicky to use.
Space and practicality
The first thing my daughter said when she opened the door, was, "Mom, the seats have abs!". Leather seats with a grey strip of hard-wearing (yet soft) material right at the bottom edge (to help prevent the backs of your knees getting sweaty, no doubt) and at the top, are standard. The second row seats three full-sized adults without any problem since they're all the same size, and all three seats can be adjusted independently, as they have a reclining and sliding function.
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If you slide the seats backwards, the boot space becomes slightly less, and vice versa. The cargo area is a massive 520 litres and extends to 720 litres if you slide the second row of seats as far forward as they can go. Fold them completely flat and you will have 1 630 litres' worth of space for tents and camping gear. There's a USB port for the rear passengers and the large door cards allow for big water bottles and other small items. 23 centimetres' worth of ground clearance allows for easily fitting a child seat and easy entry/exits from the vehicle. The massive central armrest cubby that seems about bottomless also deserves a mention.
The drive
The nimble and fleet-footed C5 Aircross feels more suited to the city's tarmac and long, winding country roads than it does to the dilapidated dirt roads we explored in the Overberg District, but I reckon this is mostly due to the C5's large wheels. The new Progressive Hydraulic Cushions suspension system with two hydraulic stops on either side, are supposed to create the sensation of a 'magic carpet ride', avoiding sudden jolts and such, but even a Toyota Prado would probably have been unsettled on these washed-out roads after the recent storms.
Even on gravel, the Aircross stayed surefooted and stable, and any inclination it had to lose grip was quickly seen to by the stability control. Remember that the C5 AirCross is essentially a soft-roader and not four-wheel-driven either.
For the daily drive and the few nasty speed bumps en route to school, the C5 Aircross is terrifically comfy. When you venture off-road, however, be sure to tell the females in your family that they should don their sports bras beforehand.
Driving the mountain passes made me more affectionate towards the C5 where it had no qualms behaving like a French hatchback, and I happily powered through corners as if I was behind the wheel of one. The steering is a little too light for my liking, but I sincerely doubt that this will bother the market it's aimed at.
Power and fuel efficiency
The 121kW 1.6-litre turbocharged engine just loves stretching its legs on the open road. There's also a sport button for a more responsive throttle-effect, allowing you to feel as though there's a bit more oomph and a quicker reaction when you plant your right foot. As for the 6-speed automatic gearbox, it was so seamless and smooth that I probably never gave it the attention it deserved. Combined fuel consumption for this vehicle is a claimed 7.9 litres per 100 km, but that's only in La-La Land. In real life, you should expect usage of around 8.8 - 10 litres per 100 km. Not bad considering that there's a fair bit of power under the handsome hood.
Safety features
To conform to stringent first-world country safety standards, European cars are known to be very safe, and you can expect the usual ABS with EBD and brake assist, parking sensors, rear-view camera, and six airbags. There's also a blind spot monitor to alert you of oncoming traffic if you're about to change lanes. Other modern driving assistants in the Shine derivative include Attention Assist, Keyless Entry and Start, an electric parking brake, fog lights with a cornering function, Attention Assist and Hill-start assist.
The standard lane-keeping system (only on the Shine model) also works efficiently, allowing the C5 to steer on its own and navigate around turns if they're not too sharp, but only if road markings are clear, of course. Autonomous braking will bring the car to a halt if you're just a little too close to the car in front.
Price
At R 539 900, the C5 Aircross 1.6T Shine doesn't come cheap, and we don't expect it to — but there are many less expensive cars to choose from in this price range, including the Tiguan Allspace 1.4TSI Trendline (R517 200 before extras), the Subaru Forester 2.0i-L ES (R517 000), and the Nissan X-Trail 2.5 4x4 Acenta Tech (R505 900).
Other competitors more similar in price to the C5 Aircross include the Toyota RAV4 VX (R552 400) and the Hyundai Tucson 2.0 Elite at R 553 500. The Subaru Forester 2.0i-S ES will cost you R552 000. The Forester is the safest of the lot and features Subaru EyeSight which allows for self-steering abilities as well as adaptive cruise control and sensors all around.
Verdict
As much as I love how the C5 Aircross drives and looks, and how well it comes specified, it's priced a little high if you consider that local buyers now have smaller budgets and would probably rather buy into a brand they're more familiar with, despite Citroën's new "Serenity" pledge, which includes a 5-year / 100 000 km warranty and service plan, a courtesy car as and when required, an affordable genuine parts basket, and complimentary 'vehicle health checks'.
But all is not lost. If you love the C5 Aircross but feel that it's a little overpriced, the wisest thing to do is to wait for a used, low mileage model with most of the warranty and service plan still intact. We tracked down a 2019 model on our site with 5 500 km on the clock for R429 900! This makes a lot of sense, as the initial depreciation has already taken place.
Yes, that's exactly what I would do, because I, too, have fallen for this Frenchman.
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