Road Tested By Hugh Maguire.
Citroen have been producing some rather nice cars of late and the new C5 Aircross is another example of this.
The car market is now dominated by the SUV, which is ironic really as in a time where everybody is getting hysterical about climate change, the heavier bigger SUV is not really the way to go. Lighter smaller cars produce less emissions, but that does not seem to stop the advance of the SUV. Ummmm…….food for thought! Ok I digress.
The C5 Aircross however falls into the compact SUV class with rivals such as the Skoda Karoq for example being its target.
I liked the first Aircross so I have high hopes for this second generation model. It certainly looks very well proving more muscular than the outgoing model and boasting Citroen’s new family “face”.
The new C5 Aircross breaks with its previous curvy profile to adopt the tauter, sharper lines of Citroën’s new design language.
The interior of the C5 Aircross has been designed using the precepts of Citroën’s C-Zen Lounge architecture, which aims to offer a lounge atmosphere in a space of well-being for both passengers and the driver. Citroën’s ‘Sofa Design’ is a long and airy horizontal dashboard, designed like a piece of living room furniture. The lower part of the dashboard is covered in a high-quality foam fabric that extends to the door panels and seats, creating a unified and comfortable atmosphere. The new Citroën Advanced Comfort® seats are a key element of well-being on board the C5 Aircross. The result of Citroën’s research and the experience gained on other Citroën models. This second generation also gets the the Progressive Hydraulic Cushions® suspension, which absorbs imperfections in the road, giving the car a very smooth ride even over rough surfaces. Interior space is up as this new model is built on the larger Stelantis platform.
The new Citroën C5 Aircross features the largest central HD touchscreen ever offered by Citroën. With its vertical design, it floats in front of the dashboard, then cascades down in a single movement to connect seamlessly with the centre console. The large customisable area displays 3D navigation, controls the infotainment system, and allows widgets to be programmed for direct access to certain functions and positioned as desired on the screen, in a choice of sizes.
What about powertrains?
The diverse range of engines on the new C5 Aircross illustrates Citroën’s multi-fuel strategy, which corresponds to the varied needs and uses of Irish customers, leaving them free to make their own choices. The new ë-C5 Aircross is available with two 100% electric powertrains, a 210 bhp motor combined with a 73 kWh battery offering a range of 520 km WLTP and a 230 bhp motor paired with a 97 kWh battery offering 680 km WLTP.
Hybrid 48V technology combines great ease of use – no need to plug-in, generous range of more than 950km combined WLTP, with the ability to significantly reduce CO2 emissions and fuel consumption and thus running costs. In town, the new C5 Aircross Hybrid 145 can be driven up to 50% of the time in electric mode. For those who wish to take advantage of Plug-In Hybrid technology, the new C5 Aircross offers 33% more range than the previous model with over 100 km available in town. Its large 55-litre fuel tank, an increase of 28% – New C5 Aircross delivers a total range of 650 km with motorway driving. Due to arrive in Ireland towards the end of this year.