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By Jonathan Crouch

Citroen's second generation C5 Aircross family SUV looks a stronger proposition. Jonathan Crouch reports.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 47

Citroen's C5 Aircross has always been a value-based mid-sized family SUV with a focus on comfort. Well this second generation version also has a rather more assertive personality, plus a much nicer, more sophisticated cabin - and the option of a full-EV drivetrain for the first time.

Backgroundword count: 165

Citroen urgently needs a change of direction in a market where it's now routinely being out-sold by far smaller brands. And lately, it's been getting it, with a fresh emphasis on value and a new angular design approach that's particularly evident with the model we look at here, the second generation C5 Aircross. This car's predecessor, introduced in 2018 then significantly updated in 2022, was a strong seller for Citroen, mainly because it focused on one of the company's defining brand virtues - comfort. But time moves on and in recent years, the C5 Aircross was becoming increasingly over-looked in its segment, with its value territory invaded by new models like Dacia's Bigster. Hence the need for this larger, more advanced model which shares the 'STLA Medium' platform used in its two Stellantis Group cousins, the Vauxhall Grandland and the Peugeot 3008. That in turn has allowed the C5 Aircross to also offer an EV version for the first time. Let's take a closer look.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 355

The combustion engine range looks pretty familiar, still purely based around front wheel drive and auto transmission. There's no longer a diesel option, things kicking off instead with a 48V Hybrid model now offering 143bhp from its 1.2-litre three cylinder unit, which drives via a six-speed dual clutch gearbox. The alternative is a Plug-in Hybrid, which uses a 1.6-litre four cylinder unit now mated to a 21kWh battery, with drive via a seven-speed dual clutch auto transmission. Citroen quotes a PHEV model EV range figure of 53 miles. There are three PHEV drive modes - Hybrid, Electric and Sport. What's completely new is the concept of an all-electric C5 Aircross. There are two versions, the more affordable one using a 73kWh (usable) capacity battery capable of up to 323 miles of range. The alternative is a 97kWh battery variant which uses 228bhp motor and offers a range of up to 423 miles. As before, Citroen describes the experience you still get here as 'travelling Premier Class', but what exactly, does that mean? Something significant surely, given that one of this car's main selling points is a unique 'Progressive Hydraulic Cushion' suspension system. The name of this model might suggest this to be an air-sprung set-up, while the current trend might suggest it to be driver-adaptive. Neither of these solutions though, fits with the approach Citroen must take at this price point. The company lost money building too much damping complexity into its affordable cars in the '60's and '70's and in developing this SUV, it wasn't about to make the same mistake again. So what we've got here instead is an ordinary everyday spring-and-damper set-up that's been re-imagined in a rather clever way. In ordinary cars, such a system usually works with rubber bumps stops that the suspension coil crashes against over bumps at the top and bottom of wheel travel. The 'Progressive Hydraulic Cushions' set-up replaces these stops with hydraulic dampers. These cushion those impacts over things like speed humps and tarmac tears and allow the fitment of softer springs and dampers, producing the exemplary ride quality that Citroen claims this car can deliver.

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