Citroen C5 Aircross Hybrid long-term test | Long-distance comfort

One of the most repeated views on the C5 Aircross has been its comfort. 

The front seats are generously sized and the right mix of soft and firm to keep you comfortable for any length of driving.  

I’ve been to Birmingham and Leeds from Peterborough in it without any of the aftereffects that longer journeys can impart. And a colleague chose the Citroen to use on a golfing trip from Norfolk to Scotland for this reason. 

The front and rear seats are heated too, and there is the right amount of manual adjustment, height, slide and backrest), with a six-way electric driver adjustment.  

The three individual seats in the back have backrest adjustment and can be folded into the floor, maximising boot space from 580 litres to 1,630. 

Other factors contributing to comfort – and safety – include a generously sized centre storage box and armrest, amongst several storage options, there’s keyless entry and start, and a ‘city camera pack’ incorporating front and rear parking sensors and rear-view reversing camera. 

Safety features include video and radar-assisted braking – including pedestrian, cyclist and junction detection – with a collision risk warning, coffee break alert, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition, blind spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control. 

There have been a couple of issues that disturbed the comfort. 

I needed to revert to YouTube to alter the time when the clocks went back in October. Thanks to Penton Motor Group Poole for imparting the knowledge needed. 

Apple Car Play: I can’t make it work, whether my iPhone is plugged in or not. The icon appears on the infotainment screen, but it’s greyed out, unresponsive to touch. There’s bound to be a video on it... 

On the powertrain front there have been a couple of frowns. 

Compared to the automatic petrol versions, Citroen claims the hybrid offers fuel savings of up to 15%, rising to 30% on average in urban settings, thanks to the electric motor.  

In my experience of driving the C5 Aircross in the last month, it’s difficult to appreciate these claimed savings with an achievement of just 33.3mpg. It's a big drop from the 45mpg previously managed.

If I’m to blame for this, then it’s at times when a heavy push on the accelerator is required, such as when joining the A1 on my way to and from the office or coming off a slip road onto a motorway on the above-mentioned trips. 

As noted in a previous review below, this is not the time for the “leisurely” 10.2 second 0-62mph acceleration. The engine note produced is less than harmonious.  

The electric motor provides an additional 9kW (about 12hp of its total 28hp contribution) to help with acceleration. It’s much needed.  

Big car, small engine

The engine in our C5 Aircross is quite an important one for Stellantis as it’s being rolled out across numerous models across the group.

From compact models like the Vauxhall Corsa to the large seven-seat Peugeot 5008, the new petrol 1.2-litre Hybrid unit promises great flexibility.

It’s paired with a new six-speed dual clutch automatic gearbox, which is good news for drivers familiar with the group’s existing eight-speed unit as the latter is sluggish and unresponsive.

Power is 136PS and a modest 230Nm of torque.

As a result, performance is steady rather than electrifying.

Acceleration from 0-62mph takes 10.2 seconds, which is a little leisurely by modern standards.

Around town the hybrid powertrain comes into its own. While the car doesn’t have an official zero-emission range it’s able to crawl through traffic and perform low speed manoeuvres using just battery power. Citroen claims up to 50% of journeys in the city can be completed in 100% electric mode.

At low speeds the engine and motor work together to boost efficiency and from the driving seat it’s often hard to tell which part is providing propulsion. The petrol engine is smooth and quiet, most of the time.

It’s when you need to really get a wriggle on that the engines power feels a little lacking. While the mild hybrid system is designed to give the engine a constant power boost during acceleration, in a large five seat SUV it does mean full throttle acceleration is lacking.

It’s better to keep the throttle applications light and let the power build more progressively. Once the car reaches motorway speeds it cruises quite happily.

The upshot of the engine’s small capacity and hybrid capability is realised when you look at fuel consumption. In shorter, low speed trips the hybrid uses a lot less fuel than a regular petrol engine. Citroen claims a 15% efficiency gain for the new powertrain. We’ve been averaging 45mpg, which is respectable but not class leading. The E-Tech hybrid unit in the Renault Austral manages 50mpg.

Citroen C5 Aircross E-Series Hybrid joins our fleet

Another day, another grey Citroen C5 Aircross joins the Fleet News long-term test fleet.

That’s no bad thing, of course. We’re quite fond of Citroen’s mid-size crossover, after all. Regular readers, however, may remember that we tested the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version, in 2023.

Our latest acquisition is the new, and significantly cheaper, Hybrid version. It’s less complex, as it doesn’t need to be charged, but CO2 emissions are higher, so company car drivers will pay more tax.

At £33,815 - in E-Series trim - ‘our’ C5 Aircross Hybrid is more than £5,000 cheaper than the equivalent PHEV model.

The powertrain uses a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, paired with a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine. It develops 136PS and promises around 50mpg.

CO2 emissions of 130g/km place the car in the 31% benefit-in-kind (BiK) tax band. If you opt for the lower-ranking Max trim level (£31,225) then it slips into the 30% banding.

By opting for the range-topping E-Series trim, our car comes with larger 19-inch wheels (hence the BiK penalty) but also gets a full suite of advance driver assistance systems, Alcantara upholstery, heated front seats, an electrically adjustable driver’s seat, keyless entry and a panoramic sunroof.

The C5 Aircross also benefits from Citroen’s Advanced Comfort suspension and seat technology, giving luxury-car comfort levels. This really makes it stand out against just about anything else in the segment.

It competes with some the UK’s best-selling models, including the Nissan Qashqai and Kia Sportage. Citroen’s market share in this segment is relatively small, at less than 2%, in comparison to the industry heavyweights. True fleet sales account for around a quarter of all C5 Aircross models sold last year.

Over the coming months, we’re looking forward to putting the car through its paces and seeing if the new hybrid engine is worth consideration.