Citroen C5 Aircross: A new Milestone in Comfort

Citroen C5 Aircross has been around for a while and according to lots of experts, this car is one of the best in terms of comfortability. We will today review the car and find out if this is the car to buy this year or not.

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When you look at it, this would not be the first time Peugeot is coming to India. They previously had partnered with premier Automobiles in 1994. That partnership was fruitful to an extent but ended in 1997. Their re-entry was planned for the year 2012 but was not able to work on that properly. And now the PSA group (Peugeot-Citroen alliance) is betting on the Citroen brand to make its mark in the Indian automobile industry. The question that remains is, will the French carmaker succeed the third time around?

The Citroen C5 Aircross SUV is tasked to build the brand name and sustain the interest of Indian automobile enthusiasts and audiences, long enough until they come up with more affordable, India-specific cars. Citroen C3 is already in the pipeline and the plan is to launch it next year. This car belongs to a mid-range SUV segment and it would be budget-friendly as well.

But, but, but, there is also the factor of Indian acceptance. I mean consumers in India are different than that of their European counterparts and truth be told the Citroen C5 Aircross is not cut out for Indian audiences specifically. Therefore, a lot of things will depend on how Indians will react to the peculiar, unconventional but charming style. Well, the C5 Aircross is more than just a fashion statement and we will start with the peculiar and quirky style of the car and build up a case where you’d get to know whether or not to buy this beauty.

Indian market and the automobile segment are very different from the western markets. We Indians are used to describing cars as sporty, sleek, sophisticated, beautiful, butch, and so on. But with Citroen, we can’t really use the terminology that is familiar to us. This car has very odd, yet attractive looks. C5 sports a multi-layered front that has the double-chevron logo that extends to the two-chrome strips covering the DRLs. This car has a very unconventional grille design with LED projector headlights below and an additional air intake slow as well. Also, there are a couple of faux inlets on the bumper and fog lights seated at the extreme ends. Honestly, the front side is loaded with design components and from what I know about Indians, many people will find it excessive but excessive is what we love.

Taking the sides into consideration, the doors have a smooth silhouette, but the edges though have mouldings with some blockish styling elements. There is the presence of silver accents on the side moulding, under the roof rails and also on the front bumper. The white coloured C5, however, sports an orange accent which looks quite funky. All these cars have a standard 18-inch alloy wheel with a swirl pattern. There is the presence of fake air and exhaust outlets. The standout feature is the tail-light with each having four rectangular, 3D LED modules and trust me these look very exquisite and eye-catching even when you are driving in daylight.

If the exteriors were not good enough for you to go crazy, the interiors certainly will make you fall for this car. The C5 has a block-like pattern externally and that applies even inside with the abundance of it internally. The seats of C5 Aircross have a block-stiched surface oozing out retro looks with the help of grey tones offset by the white stripe. The handles and the door panels are similarly styled with embossed blocks. The wheels are squarish with rounded corners with bottom and top edges flattened. The aircon vents are also split into two separate cubes, but they operate as a single unit.

Although it might seem that the detailing is overdone, it is beautifully executed and the design, at least for us Indians, looks refreshing. The instrumentation panel is unconventional though and the Dial Display mode has anything but dials. The tachometer sports a bar graph, a numeric read-out for the speed and an additional slide-rule display. As I said, it is very unconventional but easy to read. The touchscreen is an 8.0-inch with no home page but you can directly access individual functions and settings by poking the icons on the touch panel below.

There are two versions of C5 Aircross – Feel and Shine – both of them being well-equipped with the base ‘Feel” variant only losing out on panoramic sunroof, LED headlamps and a hands-free tailgate, which are a standard in the Shine variant. Now, from this, we can easily deduce that even the base Feel variant has extensive features like an electric adjust driver’s seats, dual-zone auto climate control, an air-quality system, outside puddle lamps, and a touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Missing though are bits like wireless charging, an electric adjust passenger seat and connected-car tech.

Safety has been kept at topmost priority with both the variants getting six airbags, ABS, ESP, terrain control modes with hill descent, blind-spot warning, coffee break alert, auto park assist, and a rear camera that also stitches a 360-degree view with past footage.

Citroen has always touted this C5 Aircross as the most comfortable SUV in the market and it’s pretty much the USP for the company globally as well. Once you’ll be over looking and praising the interiors, you will find that there is so much space inside. The rather unconventional interior has pretty massive space for you.

The C5 Aircross is huge in length and taller. It puts even the Jeep Compass and Hyundai Tucson in shame, and that too by a good margin. Well, the legroom could have been better, given that the car is lengthy and has a deep boot, but it’s still sufficient. Citroen has a broad cabin and taking that advantage, Citroen has plunked three independent and identical rear seats, each having the ability to slide and recline(also fold); there will be no need to fight over who has to sit in the centre. With slight slide adjustments, it will allow you to stagger three large passengers to make some more shoulders too; also the centre seat gets a height-adjustable head restraint and a three-point belt.

The entire setup is very innovative and unique, and as a 5-seater car, the C5 really hits out of the park. The only problem though is, that outer passengers can’t really spread out and make use of the empty space in the middle, and an armrest is also missing. Now, the comfortability entirely depends on the individual’s usage pattern. The foam density is pitch-perfect, and lumbar support is a bit excessive at the rear but all in the seats are pretty comfy. Talking about the front seats, well, they are perfectly comfy, broad and nice as well.

The moment you put your hands on the wheel, you’ll realise that the focus of the carmaker is entirely on the comfort as the Citroen calls it “Citroen Advanced Comfort” programme extends to the entire drive experience. The Citroen has a light and easy to manoeuvre steering wheel which is easy to drive through the city traffic. Sports mode has a very slight effect on the steering feel as well as on the powertrain responsiveness. This car is built exclusively for people looking for a relaxed and enjoyable ride.

Also never think that the engine is meek. Because you’ll be proven wrong. The 2.0-litre diesel churns out a power of 177bhp and 400Nm of torque keeping the power delivery strong. The car’s characters are kept in consideration as there is no spikes and surges even in the Sports mode. The response to part-throttle is very good and when you push the accelerator at almost any speed, you’ll be surprised with a nice and strong surge ahead.

Giving power to the engine is an 8-speed gearbox that makes no mistake in rushing through its cogs and it holds on to lower gears for longer. This translates to a meaty power band which starts at around 1,800rpm and builds nicely till somewhere around the 4,000rpm mark.

The cabin insulation uses double laminated front windows and adds to it, a windshield glass that lowers sound levels. You might hear some noise though over sharp ruts and edges for the most part it’s quiet in there.

The C5 does what it says as the suspension system works amazingly. Just some sharp edges that catch the suspension out, other than that, you are good to go. You will be able to get a nice and plaint ride out of your C5 Aircross. This car also maintains high speed even over te bad stretches with broken surfaces and stripped away tarmac. Citroen calls this “Citroen Hydraulic Cushions”.

They have used an additional spring inside and hydraulic chambers are used as bump stops. This in turn slows down the damper stroke, making the car give a wafting-on-air kind of feel.

Honestly, ride quality is the USP for Citroen C5 Aircross and as discussed, for the majority of your ride time, this car will provide a relaxed and composed travel time to you. But, this also means that this car is not cut out for sharper responses like say a Jeep Compass. It also misses out on a four-wheel drive.

You can definitely take the car for an off-beat trail but don’t take this one too deep into that category as this car is not made out for that genre. And moreover, the company is not apologetic about the same because this car has been aimed at those who are seeking a relaxed, enjoyable and pliant ride and it delivers that in spades. This SUV is different in many ways and trust me the company has worked really hard to make it different from any other SUV car out there.

Citroen is a newcomer, well it has been in India but previously it has been in partnership with India-originated brands and hence this will be its first time foraying into the Indian market alone. The brand is largely unknown and this will be a bit of worry for them in coming times. But they have made it clear that the pricing would not be aggressively low. The company has priced the entry variant car at INR 32.24 lakh and it goes up to INR 34 lakhs which according to the company is worth what this car offers. And as far as I can see, volume is not their target for now. The company has a different strategy and so keeping that in mind they have made it clear that they are here for a long time and meanwhile their products will speak for themselves. The French are well-known for luxury and haute couture fashion and they believe in paying for what you get, synonym to high fashion, “it’s not for everyone”.

This SUV is not for someone looking for off-roading and also not for a single, chauffeur-driven owner. But this is what I admire the Citroen for. It isn’t trying to please all and has already chosen a set of parameters and decided to work on those parameters for their cars. Not every brand does that. The car looks astonishing and as far as Indians are concerned, for us all, this is a breath of fresh air. It delivers what it promises and these are the thing you will pay for – fantastic ride quality, impressive refinement, and an easy-to-drive nature which is supported by a light steering and a smooth, responsive engine.

Furthermore, the space inside is ample and a comprehensive equipment list makes for what you are about to pay. Yes, the carmaker is French but the focus points that this car is built around seem to be quite Indian and this is what Citroen will certainly be counting on while opening strong Indian innings.