Citroen C5 Aircross

Citroen's newest C-segment crossover, the C5 Aircross, is now on European roads after its success in the Chinese market, and while most people complain that this is just another wannabe SUV that only works on urban roads, the C5 Aircross is an ideal multipurpose crossover fit for anyone who had their hands full on today's hectic lifestyles. Let's investigate this new model hand in hand on what's it all about the C5 Aircross.

2019 Citroen C5 Aircross

One careful look on the new C5 Aircross and you know that the French really done it by turning the Aircross Concept from the 2015 Shanghai Motor Show into a production model, which is something no other carmaker done it in their lifetime, especially the ones I know. For some, the front of the new C5 Aircross can be easily mistaken for a Nissan Elgrand while the rear view is reminiscent of you-know-what. I said this due to search query reasons but the C5 Aircross wasn't really a bad crossover for looks and when you step inside...

2019 Citroen C5 Aircross interior

2019 Citroen C5 Aircross interior

The interior of the C5 Aircross is surprisingly high-tech and surprisingly comfortable for a crossover of that size and because it only has five seats, there are plenty of reasons why its sweet spot will always belong to you, except for the middle. It has a class-leading boot space so you have a lot of space to fill in from grocery shopping items to today's thrift store hauls that can annoy your sons on the way home. For work or for play, the C5 Aircross ticks all of the boxes of what a practical crossover should be and that's just the start of it.

2019 Citroen C5 Aircross

Under the hood, the C5 Aircross offers a choice of two PureTech petrol engines and two BlueHDi clean diesel engines, which you can ignore the latter due to Europe's vile hatred on diesel engines since the Dieselgate crisis. The 1.6L PureTech 180 engine has some spark to get through today's schedule and mated to an 8-speed AT, it does 0-100kph in 8.2 seconds and onwards to 219kph.

Although not exciting to drive, the C5 Aircross is made solely to become the most comfortable and modular SUV in its class courtesy of its EMP2 modular platform and Progressive Hydraulic Cushions on its suspension, which is surprisingly an evolution to Citroen's signature hydraulic suspensions that donned from the likes of the Xantia and the old C5, among many others. This suspension setup is very clever to get through rough spots as well as potholes without waking the passengers up. Now that's the Citroen magic in the making and to make the journey home more safe and secure, the C5 Aircross comes with a wide array of driver assistance technologies courtesy of its camera on the upper part of the windscreen and a radar sensor built into the front bumper. 

There are over twenty latest generation driver assistance technologies offered on the C5 Aircross and while most of the tech are surprisingly fine for a well-behaved Regular Joe, it's not friendly for speedo boys spending the rest of their time getting their cellphones and take a picture of their speedos while driving on the highway. There's your warning shot over here, speedo boy.

The C5 Aircross starts at 24,700 Euros TTC, making it one of the most reasonably priced crossovers in its class and an ideal car to start with.

Photo: Groupe PSA