Citroen’s C5 Aircross is now quirky and spectacular

Citroen’s flagship in India, the C5 Aircross, is a unique take on the 5-seater premium crossover segment, and competes with the Jeep Compass, Hyundai Tucson and Volkswagen Tiguan. For 2022, the C5 facelift gets a refreshed styling and an all-new touchscreen along with other features. Priced at ₹36.67 lakh, it is ₹4.77 lakh more expensive than its starting price in April 2021, and is said to be the most expensive car in its class.

This updated version comes in a fully loaded Shine variant that is powered by a diesel automatic, which transmits the power to the front wheels.

Like the pre-facelift version, the refreshed model wears an unmistakable style with cleverly executed, distinctive and distinctive design elements. This facelifted C5 proudly displays its oversized brand identity on its nose; The double-chevron logo is larger than before and now sports a facelift, each finished in black with a chevron chrome outlining. The grille gets two chrome-studded parallel lines mated to twin LED DRLs, which are now housed within the headlamp cluster. The split-headlamp set-up is gone, making way for a single unit.

But this new design is far from traditional, as on closer inspection you see a unique, layered cover that is both quirky and cool. The air-dam at the bottom has also been redesigned, and is underlined by a shiny chin finished in silver. Replacing red highlights around the repositioned faux air-vents and around the trapezoidal element on the side body cladding are gray highlights with all but the white body paint option; With the latter, these highlights are blue.

The concave, flat bonnet has been retained which, along with the distinctive body cladding, roof rails and its straight stance, gives it some much-needed SUV credit. The new 18-inch alloys crafted in a two-tone shade complement its styling, while the distinctive C-shaped window outline in silver adds just the right amount of bling to its side profile. The rear changes are limited to the tail-lamps, which retain their original silhouette but feature a layered casing and get attractive new LED elements inside.

Citroen’s unconventional design theme continues from the inside, and it is the central area of ​​the dashboard that gets the biggest change. The new 10-inch horizontally oriented free-standing touchscreen looks upmarket with a crisp and clear display, and much better than the outgoing dated screen. Responses are a bit slow, though, and Citroen hasn’t used this opportunity to include wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, nor does it get a good-sounding, branded audio system. Thankfully, Citroen has retained shortcut keys to access the various infotainment menus, a physical volume button, as well as physical toggle switches to control some important functions.

Citroen has also corrected the switch and button orientation on the center console to make it more friendly for right-handed drivers and it looks clutter free, thanks to the gear lever which has now been replaced by a toggle-like drive selector . Curiously, you can’t switch the drive selector directly from ‘P’ to ‘R’, and it switches to ‘N’ by default. The large rotary traction mode selector and drive mode button have now been combined into a single switch placed below the gear selector, allowing you to toggle between Sport, Eco and Normal drive modes as well as Snow, Mud and Sand traction modes Huh. same controller.

The C5 retains its large 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and it’s easy on the eyes but not half as exciting in its operation or functionality. The front seats have been reclined and are comfortable, with the driver’s seat offering electric adjustment. Some may find the lumbar support too tactile. Comfortable features like front seat ventilation, seat memory and 360-degree camera are expected in a car of this price range, but equipment is still missing from the list.

There is plenty of space at the rear and the panoramic sunroof fills the cabin with light. The C5 continues with the three-seat layout, which can be slid forward or backward, or tilted separately. And while this set-up is fine for seating three adults with reasonable comfort, when only two adults are seated, they’ll miss a central armrest, the contoured seats won’t let them out and the seat belt buckles can feel a bit off. interference. Therefore, this back seat feel is not as good as a traditional bench seat, which may make it a deal-breaker for some. What’s cool is the massive 580-liter boot – it packs in a full-size spare tire with an alloy wheel, which is a rarity these days, and the tailgate is electronically operated as well.

Without a petrol engine option or all-wheel drive, the Citroen has reduced the appeal of the C5. On the other hand, this 177hp, 2.0-litre diesel engine and 8-speed automatic are among the best and smoothest. The engine is responsive and builds up to speed, with the torque-converter automatically transmitting power to the front wheels. The 8-speeder is so intuitive that you rarely need to tug on the column-mounted paddle shifters like a Ferrari to take manual control. Flat-out performance is impressive too, and it will accelerate from 0-100kph in just 9.61 seconds; It also sees an equally impressive rolling acceleration time.

The automatic engine-stop-start feature surprises you by disconnecting the engine (and consequently tightening the power steering) before the car comes to a complete halt. Plus, when you depress the brake pedal, it starts the engine right away, and the process is buttery smooth, so you won’t mind leaving it on to save fuel when idling.

On that subject, in our tests, it managed a fuel efficiency of 10.3kpl in the city and 12.6kpl on the highway.

Citroen offers three driving modes – Sport, Normal and Eco – but the difference between them is barely discernible. It also gets the same traction modes as before – Snow, Mud and Sand, which change its ESP and traction control settings.

The C5 Aircross has excellent refinement and has taken cabin insulation up a notch with its double-glazed windscreen and front windows, which captivate occupants with the ambience and engine sounds.

But the highlight of the C5 Aircross is its ‘progressive hydraulic cushions’, which are essentially hydraulic chambers that replace traditional bump stops. At the front, there are two hydraulic chambers on either side of the shock absorbers, one for compression and the other for rebound, while the rear has just one for compression. The result of this incredibly clever set-up is a ride that is free from road jitters on even the steepest potholes. Its ride comfort and collision absorption capability are clearly the best. The steering is effort-free and the suspension is soft, yet, you can steer it fast around corners with some degree of confidence. However, it’s best enjoyed when running on a six- or seven-tenth, and doesn’t offer a sporty drive like the Jeep Compass or Volkswagen Tiguan.

The deal breakers are the individual rear seat layouts as they are not as comfortable as a traditional bench for seating two adults. Further limiting its appeal is the fact that its rivals not only offer multiple engine-transmission options and all-wheel-drive capabilities, but are also better equipped and significantly cheaper. For these reasons, the Citroen C5 Aircross is likely to remain a rare sight on our roads, which is unfortunate, as it is a really good crossover, which needs to be experienced to appreciate.