Review: Citroën C5 Aircross

In recent years however, Citroën has produced more interesting cars, even if they share PSA floorpans. The DS 3 which started life as a Citroën and the C4 Cactus show that Citroën's spark is just still visible and next February we will get the C5 Aircross, a family-sized, five-door, five-seat SUV, which is already on sale in far-eastern markets.

Going back to its roots and the early '20s Saharan raids, Citroën launched the C5 in Morocco. It was in neighbouring Algeria in 1922 when Georges Marie Haardt and Louis Audouin-Dubreuil's started Citroën's first desert croisière. They lead a party of 15 B-Type Citroëns fitted with Adolphe Kegresse's half-track system across 1,865 miles of Saharan desert to Timbuktu and back creating an adventure legend and opening a route from the Mediterranean into North Africa. 

C5 enters a very competitive and boring sector of the market, which is rapidly becoming the 'new normal' in design terms. Think raised ride height, tall body design, front-wheel-drive with a transverse engine, and MacPherson-strut front and torsion-beam rear suspension - these are family hatchbacks with a better view. What Citroën brings to this overcrowded market might best be summed up as 'comfort', which is interesting as it's exactly what most buyers want, but don't want to admit it. Being taller and heavier than a saloon or estate, SUVs start with one arm in a sling as far as going round corners is concerned, yet car makers continue to purvey the myth that they are sports cars in wellies.

To make the ride more comfortable, the C5 uses hydraulic bump stops for the dampers, which progressively slow the suspension movement at the extremes of its travel more gently than traditional ones. This means that in the middle part of its travel, the suspension can be softer and more accommodating.

The bodyshell is sufficiently different to stand out, with Citroën's design cues of the beaky bonnet, thin, stacked headlamps, huge organically shaped lower air intakes and those weird deep sills with red finishers. It's different, but I wouldn't call it good looking. There are three trim variants, Feel, Flair and Flair Plus, though the basic spec isn't bad with blind-spot monitoring, radar and camera-based emergency braking, lane-departure warning, climate control, auto headlamps and wipers, and powered and heated door mirrors. By the time you get to Flair Plus the C5 is running on 19-inch rims, with a huge sun roof, parking sensors all round, a rear camera and active cruise control.

Citroën claims there are no less than 20 separate driver aid and safety systems although what that actually means is that the C5 is equipped almost exactly the same as its rivals. So it can drive itself in a very limited fashion with your hands on the steering wheel, it monitors the sides of the coachwork for traffic and will display enhanced 360° views round the car on the centre screen. It will also gently nudge you back into lane if you veer out, autonomously brake for obstacles, warn you if it thinks you are losing attention and park itself as long as you work the pedals. 

There are two petrol and three turbo diesel options, with predictions for the UK market split half diesel and half petrol. Prices start at £22,225 for the 131PS/230Nm (129bhp/170lb ft) three-cylinder turbo petrol manual in Feel trim. The two most popular models will be in mid-range Flair trim with the same three-pot petrol at £25,325, or the 131PS/300Nm (221lb ft) 1.5-litre four-pot turbodiesel for £26,605.

We were given the two top models to drive, neither of which will account for a hill of beans in the UK. The 174bhp/295lb ft two-litre turbodiesel automatic costs £32,725 and will take just one per cent of UK orders, and the £30,825 176PS/250Nm (178bhp/184lb ft) 1.6-litre turbo petrol (also an automatic), which we've driven here will take 19 per cent of sales in all trim options. It delivers a top speed of 134mph, 0-62mph in 8.2sec, 49.6mpg (we got 30mpg) and CO₂ emissions of 129g/km. And in 2020, C5 will get a plug-in hybrid driveline.

Step inside and you discover the other thing about Citroën's 'comfort' aspirations. Cactus was as much a state of mind as it was a model signifier, but it meant that in the cabin, the things you see and touch are pretty high quality with high design aspirations, but they're linked with some pretty crummy plastics. So the instrument binnacle is clear and well made, likewise the centre console, but the rest of the facia is a bit naff including some of the switches. The seats are comfy and lovely, particularly if you opt for the £1,770 Nappa leather upholstery, which is soft and Seventies brown. There's huge amount of space inside, good-sized door pockets and a massive centre console box. The rear seats adjust fore and aft to increase the already creditably large 580-litre boot to 720 litres, but it leaves rear seat passengers with precious little leg room. The rear seats are individually upholstered so this should be a comfortable and commodious five seater and if you fold them, you end up with 1,630 litres of load room.

The petrol engine is the former BMW/Peugeot twin-cam unit, which is pleasingly powerful if a bit raucous at high revs and a bit thirsty if you push on. An Aisin eight-speed auto changes positively but is reluctant to kick down and needs encouragement from the steering wheel paddles. There's a feature called Grip Control which optimises the traction control and gearchange settings for various surfaces and is controlled via capstan next to the gear lever.

The ride on 19-inch Michelins is pretty good although I've a feeling smaller wheels and tyres will be even better. Those dampers really do their stuff, muting the initial bump reaction and calming the impact of pot holes. There's none of the irritating fizz of some rivals although the pay off is a bit more body roll. That said, it's well controlled and the C5 feels precisely damped rather than marshmallowy. In fact it drives a bit like Citroëns used to, splendidly isolated, with long-geared steering, but at the same time, controllable and predictable. 

Push it harder and the weight transfer is evident but not dangerous. There's lot of grip and the handling is neutral and soft, but again progressive.

Not that you want to over drive the C5 Aircross, that's not its forte. There's a Sport button, but it only seems to make the engine louder and the steering feel weird. What the C5 does well is what all these SUV crossovers aspire to, but quite often fail. Practical amounts of space, comfy commodious seats and reasonably economical engines.

You could cover a lot of ground in this car, without feeling the strain or stress. Perhaps not quite across the Sahara perhaps, but certainly across France, or even the school run. In a crowded market where everything looks and drives the same, Citroën has succeeded in making something quite different and that alone makes it quite desirable.