Citroën C5 Aircross review: a family-friendly SUV that echoes the good old days of French car design

[Wassim™]

f you’re a lover of old Citroëns, as I am, the chances are the arrival of the C5 Aircross will be bittersweet. This is, after all, the first range-topping Citroën to be launched for more than 60 years without the company’s trademark hydropneumatic suspension system even available as an option. It also completes a transformation in the company’s range that has left it without a single traditional saloon or estate model; instead, Citroëns – at least in the UK – are either SUVs, MPVs, vans or small hatchbacks.

And yet, the Aircross arrives with left-field styling, a clever suspension system of its own designed with comfort in mind, and an emphasis on practicality – all principles central to the best models the company’s ever produced. For the die-hard fans, then, there’s promise here, even if it comes in a shape few will recognise.

The thing is, for most of this new model’s buyers, all of this is of little consequence. What will matter more is how well the C5 Aircross can cope with the daily challenges a modern family SUV must face: how spacious and versatile it is, how cheaply it can be run, and how easy it is to live with. Its Citroën-ness, or lack of, will realistically make little difference.

Those buyers will be able to choose from two petrol and two diesel engines, each of 128bhp and 178bhp respectively. The two more powerful units are only available with the new Aisin-sourced eight-speed automatic, and while the 128bhp diesel gets a choice between the two gearboxes, the entry-level petrol can only be had as a manual. You can’t get four-wheel drive, but you can add Citroën’s Grip Control system, which tempers the throttle electronically and applies the brakes to make the use of the traction available.