Citroën C5 X, A Crossover With All The Laws

Citroën seems more determined than ever to exploit an idea that works. His story is based on models of success and failure, changing when everything was going well without knowing what will come, but not now. The market has proved these manufacturers right when they are creating the most controversial designs in their history and the new Citroën C5 X is proof of this.

Since the Citroën C4 Cactus was launched on the market, the French firm has completely reinvented its range with very risky designs. Surprisingly, the general public likes them, which is why for their new flagship they have thrown the house out the window. How? With a peculiar crossover with all of the law: this model is everything and is nothing.

Mix of concepts

Quoting the famous phrase of Superman: “is it an SUV? A saloon? A coupe? No: it’s a crossover ” and he has mixed all those concepts into one, resulting in a striking and shocking car. The closest thing on the market would be the Subaru Outback, a combination of an SUV and a saloon-derived station wagon, the Subaru Legacy.

At 4.80 meters long, this model is categorized within the D segment, being longer than its SUV brother, the Citroën C5 Aircross. With this, it could be similar to the large tires up to 19 inches, the high ground clearance and the plastic protections.

More traditional is the upper half of the body, with shape fastback saloon or coupé of type, such as Volkswagen Arteon. The drop in the roof is finished off by an integrated rear spoiler . In general, the inspiration in the CXperience prototype presented in 2016, with very strong and aggressive lines, is clear.

Interior and equipment

The generous dimensions of the Citroën C5 X have a positive effect on the interior. With plenty of room for 5 occupants and their suitcases, it offers 545 liters of luggage space (although this is reduced by 60 liters in the case of the PHEV).

The driving position is similar to that of the new Citroën C4, with the exception of showing a larger scale in size and quality. The combination of upholstered surfaces with wood-type inserts and piano black look very premium , coming dangerously close to what the brand itself offers within DS.

The advanced comfort seats are exclusive to Citroën and are made up of a second layer of internal cushioning of different density. Technologically, the car is equipped with a new augmented reality head-up display accompanied by digital instrumentation and a 12-inch central screen.

Despite the growth of screens, manufacturers have taken a step back and maintain physical controls for air conditioning. For its part, in terms of driving assistance, the staffing is such that it is classified as level 2 of autonomous driving.

Citroën C5 X mechanical offer

The EMP2 platform shared with Peugeot, specifically with the Peugeot 508, leaves us with a mechanical offer quite similar to yours. In principle, any diesel version has been eliminated, leaving the complete range with two gasoline options without any electrification (which is accompanied by a third plug-in hybrid version).

The simple gasoline models are the well-known 1.2 PureTech with three cylinders and the 1.6 PureTech with 4 cylinders, with 130 and 180 hp of power respectively. In the case of the plug-in hybrid, it starts from the 180 hp variant to which is added a 109 hp electric motor for a combined total power of 225 hp and 360 Nm of torque.

The battery of the hybrid system has a capacity of 12.4 kW, enough to achieve a 100% electric range of 50 kilometers according to the WLTP cycle. If the electric drive mode is chosen, the maximum speed is limited to 135 km / h. Therefore, electrical usability is reduced to cities and ring roads.

All that said, the aspirational positioning of the Citroën C5 X leaves manual transmissions in the dark. In other words, whatever the engine chosen, it will always be coupled to an automatic gearbox. More specifically, we are talking about the EAT8 change of 8 relationships.

Citroën and suspensions, a love story

Since the first Citroën DS (and in a much simpler way, the 11 and the 2CV), the Chevrón march has always been well known for the comfortable tuning of its vehicles. Although the use of hydractive suspension is far away, this model makes use of an active suspension technology with 3 modes and shock absorbers with hydraulic stops.

Without being as complex and troublesome a system as the hydractiva was, the driving experience is much more comfortable and relaxed on this model than on its contemporaries. Finally, unlike in SUVs, the C5 X equips Grip Control to adapt to all types of terrain.