Citroen C5 Aircross First Drive | Even Costlier, Still Comfortable

The Citroen C5 Aircross has been updated for 2022 with a mild facelift, a few tweaks to the interiors and no changes to it's already impressive drive train. We take a look at how this changes the C5 Aircross's already shakey value proposition. 

Sharper

More chiseled chin and face are the biggest changes to the Citroen C5 Aircross. 

The side profile hasn't changed much, except for the new dual tone 18-inch alloy design.

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New wheel design is different from the old design but is neither an improvement nor a disappointment. I personally find myself leaning towards the outgoing look more.

The split headlamp design gives way to a more traditional setup with LED headlamps. 

At the rear, again, not much to talk about except for a rejig to the interior elements of the LED tail lamps. Again, here the old ones I feel were a little more eye-catching. 

Overall, the front face is a little leaner and meaner than before but the C5 Aircross still does stand out from the crowd. Especially in the white colour with its higher contrasting blue accents. 

Plusher

The interiors of the C5 Aircross always felt well built and very practical. And the new car hasn’t lost any of those aspects. 

In fact the seats have gotten even comfier, with softer seat cushions. This is immediately noticeable compared to the rather firm seats of the outgoing car. 

The interiors are practical, simple and well laid out. 

The panoramic sunroof is brilliant and really opens up the already spacious cabin.

Still possess the unique ability to seat three adults in equal comfort in the rear, even for longer trips.

Still a very quiet cabin with the double laminated windows.

Lack of a rear armrest remains a big miss for a car that will have several back seat owners. 

Techy-ier, Just

One aspect where the C5 Aircross was a bit lacking, especially when it came to its rivals, the Tuscon and the Compass, was its feature package. 

The good news is that there have been updates. A wireless charging pad is one of the additions. 

The infotainment screen has grown from 8 inches to 10. This unit is much quicker to navigate through and still has shortcut buttons, but again no home screen so there’s still a bit of a learning curve to it. But there is Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility though it isn’t wireless. 

The driver's dash is still the same. Clear and crisp 12.5-inch display but with still very little information on display. Just a little bit of personalisation is possible by moving widgets from left to right but that’s about it.

The C5 Aircross still does have a driver’s side power seat, powered tailgate, dual zone climate control, panoramic sunroof, auto headlamps and wipers, cruise control and a six-speaker sound setup. But still nowhere near the kind of kit the competition sports, like air-cooled seats, connected car tech, 360 degree cameras, wireless Android or Apple phone connectivity or assisted driving features.  

Drive: Same, Same

The C5 Aircross has received no drive train updates. It’s still powered by a 2-litre diesel motor that makes 177PS and 400Nm paired to an 8-speed automatic transmission.

The drive is powerful, smooth and at home both in the city or on the highway especially if you like calm collected cruising. 

Drive modes like Sport, Normal and Eco are also paired with terrain modes for Sand, Snow and Mud in case you do take it a little off the beaten path, but there’s no 4x4 option. 

Ride: Same Same

The highlight still remains the Progressive Hydraulic Cushion Citroen suspension setup. This gives the Citroen remarkable poise over practically all road conditions.

On the highway it stays nice and flat keeping the cabin comfortable and quiet.

And over bad roads it really is exceptional how well it’s able to cope with near wheel breaking potholes as if they weren't even there. Yes you do feel some movement in the cabin but absolutely no complaints from the suspension. 

Verdict

The 2022 changes to the C5 Aircross haven’t changed its core essence at all. And that can be either a good thing or a bad thing. The price has gone up, but there have been a few features added into the mix as well. Being a direct import this was never going to change either.

So the bad news is that if price drives your decisions then it’s still a poor choice considering that at this price you could actually jump up a segment to the Toyota Fortuner or the MG Gloster, or pick one of its rivals for a lot less and enjoy a fair more creature comforts. The good news is that it still stands out for being an all-road SUV that is well made, uber comfortable and practical and more importantly, owning one will still see you standing out from the crowd.