- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.6T, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
133kW, 250Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 5.7L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
5 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
4/5 star (2019)
2023 Citroen C5 Aircross Sport review
France’s alternative to a Mazda CX-5 or Volkswagen Tiguan has received a comprehensive update – with a higher price to match. Is it worth a look?
- Plush front seats and big boot
- More powerful engine than previous model
- Advanced safety systems are well calibrated
- Not cheap to buy or service, and thirsty on fuel
- Laggy transmission, frustrating auto engine stop-start system
- Cramped rear-seat space compared to rivals
2023 Citroen C5 Aircross
This year marks a century of Citroen cars in Australia, though judging by the number you see on the road, you probably wouldn’t guess it.
The French car maker has been selling cars here – and overseas – for longer than Toyota, Mazda, Volkswagen and dozens of other brands, yet it has long been a small player in the market, delivering a few hundred cars annually in recent years.
It appeals to a niche but loyal subset of buyers that like the ‘quirks’ of Citroens: funky exterior styling, clever interior design and often innovative engineering under the skin.
Since 2019 it has competed in Australia’s top-selling passenger-vehicle category – mid-size SUVs – with the C5 Aircross.
Earlier this year it received a midlife facelift with a revised exterior design, more cabin technology, a longer list of safety equipment, and a more powerful and more efficient engine and transmission.
Fewer Citroen C5 Aircross SUVs have been delivered so far this year than Toyota RAV4s handed over to customers nationwide in a single morning. But if you’re shopping for something a bit different, is the C5 Aircross worth a look?
How much does the Citroen C5 Aircross cost in Australia?
The updated Citroen C5 Aircross is available in a single model grade, known as Sport, priced from $54,990 plus on-road costs.
Our test vehicle is optioned with $690 Eclipse Blue metallic paint, which brings its price to $55,680 plus on-road costs – or $60,534 drive-away for vehicles delivered in New South Wales, according to Citroen’s online price calculator.
Until 31 December 2023, Citroen is offering new and ex-demonstrator C5 Aircross SUVs in stock at dealers for $54,990 drive-away (excluding metallic paint).
The facelifted, front-wheel-drive (FWD) C5 Aircross is $2690 more expensive than the model it replaces, which coincides with new features – such as leather seats, a larger 10-inch touchscreen, heated front seats, adaptive cruise control, lane-centring assist, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert – plus a more powerful engine and new transmission.
It is priced in line with mid-grade or top-of-the-range petrol versions of rival mid-size SUVs: the Mazda CX-5 G35 Akera AWD ($54,970), Toyota RAV4 Cruiser hybrid AWD ($54,410), Volkswagen Tiguan 162TSI Elegance AWD ($54,890), Nissan X-Trail Ti e-Power hybrid AWD ($54,690), and its twin under the skin, the Peugeot 3008 GT front-wheel drive ($57,400) – all before on-road costs.
However, almost all of these vehicles are slightly larger than the Citroen, and are equipped with all-wheel drive, not front-wheel drive.
The Citroen’s higher price is now in the territory of entry-level small luxury SUVs, which are not as well equipped but only fractionally smaller, and carry badges with more cachet: the Audi Q3 35 TFSI ($53,400), Alfa Romeo Tonale Veloce ($57,400) and Volvo XC40 Plus B4 ($54,990), all before on-road costs.
Standard features in the C5 Aircross Sport include 19-inch black alloy wheels, black exterior trim, dusk-sensing LED headlights, a 10-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, embedded navigation and FM/digital radio (but no AM radio), a 12.3-inch instrument display, heated leather front seats, a power-adjustable driver’s seat with massaging, power-operated tailgate, keyless entry and start, panoramic sunroof, front and rear parking sensors, and a suite of advanced safety features.
Key details | 2023 Citroen C5 Aircross Sport |
Price | $54,990 plus on-road costs |
Colour of test car | Eclipse Blue |
Options | Premium paint – $690 |
Price as tested | $55,680 plus on-road costs |
Drive-away price | $60,534 (regular price, NSW) $54,990 (until 31/12/23) |
Rivals | Peugeot 3008 | Volkswagen Tiguan | Mazda CX-5 |
How much space does the Citroen C5 Aircross have inside?
By the standards of Citroen – maker of the iconic 1940s 2CV and sleek 1950s DS – the interior design of the C5 Aircross is conservative.
The brochure makes a big deal of the special foam inside the Advanced Comfort front seats. We’ll admit to finding them a touch flat at first, but we grew to love their softness and support on longer drives after some time behind the wheel – and a passenger we carried in our week with this test car likened them to a lounge-room armchair.
The front seats are trimmed in soft ‘Paloma’ leather upholstery and are heated. Power adjustment (and a massaging feature) in the driver’s seat, combined with a well-sized steering wheel with tilt and reach adjustment, makes it easy to find a comfortable driving position.
Perceived build quality in our test vehicle was good, and the materials on the dashboard and front-centre armrest are soft – though the door armrests could feel more plush for the price.
There are physical piano key-style switches for some air-conditioning functions, the auto engine stop/start system, and door locks.
However, most other controls, including shortcuts for the navigation, media, phone connectivity, and other air-conditioning operations are either included in fiddly touch-sensitive buttons below the touchscreen – which attract fingerprints – or buried multiple taps away within the screen itself.
While the gear shifter – now a rocker-switch design common to other Peugeot group cars, which is fiddly at first but becomes second nature quickly – sits next to the driver, Citroen hasn’t moved the engine start button and volume dial from the other side of the centre console for right-hand-drive markets.
The centre console is huge, and there is ample storage for phones, wallets and keys in slots next to and ahead of the gear shifter. However, the door pockets, while long, are not very deep – and as with many right-hand-drive versions of French cars, the glovebox is small as most of the space is swallowed by the fuse box.
Amenities up front include two USB-A ports – there are none of the more modern USB-C ports – plus a 12-volt socket, wireless smartphone charger, keyless entry and start, a sunglasses holder in the roof lining, and dual-zone automatic climate control.
Despite being one of the smallest mid-size SUVs on the outside, the C5 Aircross has one of the largest boots in the class, at 580 litres with the rear seats up.
There is a space-saver spare wheel under the floor, and a 12-volt socket, LED lights, shopping bag hooks, and smaller storage compartments on the sides of the main cargo hold.
However, the big boot comes at the cost of rear passenger space.
The rear seats in the C5 Aircross slide and fold individually, but even with all three set in their rearmost position, space is limited for taller passengers.
At 183cm (6ft), I can fit behind my driving position with modest toe room, but there is less than a centimetre of knee room, and my head is squished into the roof lining as the seats are elevated to give kids a good view of the road ahead.
If you need to carry a taller passenger, they’re best served in the middle seating position as there is more head room under the sunroof, and the hump in the floor is modest. However, slide the seat forward and they won’t be able to fit at all.
There is no fold-down centre armrest, and the door pockets are small, but there is one USB-A charging port, rear air vents, two roof-mounted grab handles, map pockets on both front seatbacks, and for child seats there are three top-tether points and two ISOFIX anchors.
2023 Citroen C5 Aircross Sport | |
Seats | Five |
Boot volume | 580L seats up and slid back 720L seats up and slid forward 1630L seats folded (to roof) |
Length | 4500mm |
Width | 1859mm |
Height | 1695mm |
Wheelbase | 2730mm |
Does the Citroen C5 Aircross have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
New for the updated C5 Aircross is the 10-inch infotainment touchscreen, with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, embedded satellite navigation, FM and DAB digital radio, Bluetooth, and voice recognition.
While it is billed as a 10-inch screen – and on paper is an upgrade over the previous 8.0-inch display – the air-conditioning temperature shortcuts fixed on either side in almost all menus mean the usable space for maps, media or phone calls is closer to seven inches.
In 2023 – when 12, 13 and 14-inch touchscreens are becoming increasingly common – a screen of this size feels small, particularly when using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
The infotainment software is still a generation behind what is in the Citroen C5 X wagon launched overseas shortly after this car, and could be brighter and quicker to respond.
There is no wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto – only wired versions, though said wired CarPlay connection was reliable in our testing – nor AM radio, which is still critical for distributing emergency alerts in regional areas where phone signal and FM radio don’t reach.
The 12.3-inch instrument cluster offers a good spread of customisation – including the ability to show a navigation map – but it could do with more processing power for quicker responses, and the graphics could be brighter and more vibrant.
One gripe: the speedometer is not very accurate. It can’t seem to show speeds between 0km/h and 5km/h, and when accelerating slowly, only changes when the speed has crept up by 2km/h or 3km/h, rather than always showing the exact speed.
Unlike the Citroen C5 X, there is no smartphone companion app or connected services technology in the C5 Aircross.
The eight-speaker unbranded sound system is average, especially for the $60,000 price, and is no match for the 10-speaker Focal stereo in Peugeots at this price.
Is the Citroen C5 Aircross a safe car?
The Citroen C5 Aircross is covered by a four-star ANCAP safety rating based on testing conducted by sister organisation Euro NCAP under now-outdated, more lenient test protocols.
At the time it was marked down – and missed out on a five-star score that is expected in this category – due to a less advanced autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system that could not detect cyclists. European models with cyclist AEB received a five-star rating.
The updated C5 Aircross has moved to this more advanced system, but the ANCAP rating remains four stars.
If the Citroen C5 Aircross were retested under 2023 ANCAP test protocols, there is no guarantee it would earn five stars as it lacks features that now form part of the criteria for top marks: AEB with intersection support and motorcycle detection, a front-centre airbag, and an advanced driver monitoring system.
2023 Citroen C5 Aircross Sport | |
ANCAP rating | Four stars (tested 2019) |
Safety report | Link to ANCAP report |
What safety technology does the Citroen C5 Aircross have?
Standard advanced safety technology includes autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, lane-centring assist, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, driver attention warning, automatic high beams, and traffic sign recognition.
There are six airbags (dual frontal, front-side and side curtain) as well as a low tyre pressure warning – but not a full tyre pressure monitoring system that can measure the pressure in each tyre in real time.
The advanced safety systems worked well in our testing. There were no false activations of the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system, and the lane-centring assist function felt natural, gently steering the car between the lines rather than trying to aggressively keep it in the middle of the lane at all costs like some other cars we’ve tested.
The lane-keep assist feature was well-calibrated and never intrusive. However, compared to newer rivals, the Citroen lacks features such as a centre airbag and intersection support for the AEB system.
Standard is a 180-degree reverse camera with what Citroen calls a “top-down view”. While it might seem like a proper 360-degree camera, it is just a top-down image that fills in as you reverse – so it only shows obstacles you’ve already driven past, and is not a live feed. A pedestrian walking towards the front of the car won’t appear on the camera, for example.
The quality of the rear-view camera was average, and there are no fixed guidelines to complement the moving versions – which makes it more difficult to figure out when you’re parallel to the white lines or the kerb in a parking space.
How much does the Citroen C5 Aircross cost to maintain?
As with all new Citroen vehicles in Australia, the C5 Aircross is covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty.
The servicing schedule calls for visits to the dealer every 12 months or 20,000km, whichever comes first. Citroen quotes five years or 100,000km of servicing at $2762, if you pay as you go – or $2000 if you purchase a prepaid service plan when buying the car.
If you expect to hit the time intervals first, it is relatively expensive for the class. Five years of routine maintenance costs $1300 for a Toyota RAV4 Cruiser hybrid all-wheel drive, $2505 for a Mazda CX-5 G35 turbo petrol all-wheel drive, and $2353 for a Nissan X-Trail e-Power hybrid all-wheel drive.
The Citroen is effectively a match for its Peugeot 3008 twin under the skin – which quotes $2761 for five years of servicing paid as you go, or $2000 if prepaid – but cheaper than a VW Tiguan 162TSI ($3986 paid as you go, $3200 prepaid).
However, if you plan to cover long distances – more than 20,000km a year – the Citroen’s service prices become more attractive, as its rivals have shorter 10,000km or industry-standard 15,000km service intervals.
Over 60,000km of driving, Citroen quotes $1574 for maintenance, paid as you go over three years. After covering the same distance, the CX-5 is estimated to cost $2151 (as it needs four services), $1040 for the RAV4 (four services), $3051 for the X-Trail (six services), and $3496 for the Tiguan (four services paid as you go).
A year of comprehensive insurance coverage from a leading insurer costs $2041, according to its website, based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
This is similar to a Toyota RAV4 Cruiser front-wheel-drive hybrid ($2113), but considerably more than a VW Tiguan 162TSI Elegance ($1281).
At a glance | 2023 Citroen C5 Aircross Sport |
Warranty | Five years, unlimited km |
Service intervals | 12 months or 20,000km |
Servicing costs | $1100 (3 years, prepaid) $2000 (5 years, prepaid $1574 (3 years, pay as you go) $2761 (5 years, pay as you go) |
Is the Citroen C5 Aircross fuel-efficient?
Citroen claims fuel consumption of 5.7 litres per 100 kilometres in mixed driving – or 6.3L/100km in the city (urban), and 5.4L/100km on the highway (extra-urban).
It is a key area of improvement with the facelifted model, which introduced a more efficient version of the 1.6-litre turbo engine – now certified to more stringent Euro 6 emissions standards (previously Euro 5) – and a new eight-speed automatic transmission in place of the old six-speed auto.
The previous model quoted fuel use of 7.9L/100km combined, 10.5L/100km in urban areas, or 6.3L/100km in highway and extra-urban conditions.
Yet after a week and 310km of testing in the latest model – skewed heavily towards urban driving and city commutes – the trip computer displayed fuel consumption of 9.9L/100km, which is nearly 60 per cent higher than the urban-only fuel use claim.
When adjusted for the slightly optimistic trip computer – which we found to read fuel use about 3–4 per cent better than reality – the fuel consumption on test comes to 10.2L/100km.
On a 110km/h highway stretch we recorded 5.5L/100km, based on our observations at the bowser, which is on par with Citroen’s extra-urban claim.
But we could only get close to the urban fuel-consumption claim in flowing suburban driving – 60km/h to 80km/h main roads with modest traffic and not many traffic lights – with stop-start commuting pushing the trip computer north of 10L/100km.
Adding to any potential pain at the pump, the C5 Aircross requires 95- or 98-octane premium fuel, as with most European cars in Australia.
Fuel Consumption - brought to you by bp
Fuel Useage | Fuel Stats |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 5.7L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 10.2L/100km |
Fuel type | 95-octane premium unleaded |
Fuel tank size | 53L |
What is the Citroen C5 Aircross like to drive?
The facelifted Citroen C5 Aircross is powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine developing 133kW and 250Nm – up 12kW/10Nm on the outgoing model – matched with an eight-speed automatic transmission (up from six speeds) and front-wheel drive.
The engine is willing at speed, with ample performance for overtaking. There is some lag at low RPM, but with a claimed 0–100km/h acceleration time of 8.2 seconds – modest performance for the family SUV class – the engine is well suited to the car’s size and weight.
On the move the eight-speed transmission is generally a slick operator, with smooth shifts that don’t get in the driver’s way.
However – rather uncharacteristically for a torque-converter automatic gearbox such as this – the car will sometimes roll back when setting off on steep hills. In Normal mode it can also be slow to respond when the driver asks for a sudden burst of acceleration.
You can take manual control with the shift paddles behind the steering wheel, which are mounted to the steering column, rather than the back of the wheel.
However, they are short and do not extend below the nine and three positions on the wheel, so they can be awkward to locate if the driver wants to change gear while the steering wheel is turned.
The auto stop-start system that switches the engine off at the traffic lights to save fuel is frustrating.
Similar systems in other cars will wait until the vehicle comes to a full stop for a second before switching the engine off – and will turn it back on as soon as the car’s computer detects the slightest reduction in the pressure being applied to the brake pedal.
However, the Citroen’s system likes to cut the engine a fraction of a second before coming to a stop, sending a jolt through the cabin as the car is still moving when the engine switches off. And it is very slow to restart the engine, often giving the driver enough time to move their foot from the brake pedal to the accelerator before the engine bursts into life.
On one occasion, the car turned the engine off while creeping towards a roundabout because it thought I was coming to a stop – when in fact I was preparing to accelerate away.
Fortunately, the switch to turn off the stop-start system is to the left of the steering wheel – a benefit of Citroen not flipping the row of buttons under the touchscreen when designing the right-hand-drive version of this car. However, needing to turn the system off because it is frustrating defeats the purpose of having it in the first place.
The French car maker talks up the “exclusive to Citroen” Progressive Hydraulic Cushions in the suspension, and promises a “flying carpet effect” over bumps. The C5 Aircross does absorb dips in the road, and large speed bumps around town very well, while still feeling tied down at higher speeds over undulating country roads.
However, the 19-inch wheels and 205/55 tyres still transmit smaller, sharper-edged bumps – potholes, manhole covers and expansion joints – into the cabin, and it is no more comfortable in these environments than other similarly sized cars (such as a Toyota Corolla Cross) with regular suspension sans Citroen’s technology.
The focus on comfort – at least over speed bumps – means the C5 Aircross is not the sharpest-handling car in the mid-size SUV class, with noticeable body roll, and tyres that run out of grip quickly in fast corners. However, it is more than competent should you find yourself on some winding tarmac on a country road trip.
The turning circle is small for the class (10.7m), and the steering in its normal setting is very light, but requires more than three turns from lock to lock – which can lead to a lot of arm twirling during three-point turns.
The steering gets heavier in Sport mode, but it does not transmit much of what is happening under the car to the driver.
Other points from our notebook: the brake pedal feels confident, if not the most confident in the category; wind noise is relatively well suppressed but there can be some tyre roar; and the LED headlights offer good illumination.
Some particularly warm weather hit Sydney in our week with this test car, and we found the air conditioning wasn’t quite up to the task – even its coldest setting was not cold enough, and it took some time for the air to get truly cold when blowing at maximum speed.
Key details | 2023 Citroen C5 Aircross Sport |
Engine | 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol |
Power | 133kW @ 5500rpm |
Torque | 250Nm @ 1650rpm |
Drive type | Front-wheel drive |
Transmission | Eight-speed torque converter automatic |
Power to weight ratio | 94.9kW/t |
Weight (tare) | 1402kg |
Spare tyre type | Space-saver |
Tow rating | 1200kg braked 550kg unbraked |
Turning circle | 10.7m |
Should I buy a Citroen C5 Aircross?
The Citroen C5 Aircross is a left-field option in the mid-size SUV class for buyers – whether Citroen fanatics or not – searching for something that looks and feels different to its rivals.
It is well equipped, roomy for front-seat passengers, has a large cargo hold, and is potent enough for city and country driving.
However, it is expensive to buy and service, lacks the rear-seat space of cars even in the class below, the four-star safety rating is short of the five stars we have come to expect in this category, the transmission and auto engine stop-start system are frustrating, and it is not as fuel-efficient or comfortable as its maker claims.
If you like the look – and the Citroen badge – it is worth a test drive, but be aware there are better cars available from Japan, Germany and South Korea for similar or less money.
How do I buy a Citroen C5 Aircross – next steps?
Those cars for your consideration include the Volkswagen Tiguan, which is nearing the end of its life but remains a great package, as well as the Nissan X-Trail, Kia Sportage, Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5.
We'd recommend having a look at or test-driving all of these cars – as well as the Citroen's mechanical twin, the Peugeot 3008.
There is only one model in the Citroen C5 Aircross range, the Sport. A Citroen Australia spokesperson told Drive there is plenty of stock available across the company’s dealers nationally at the time of publishing.
To find your nearest Citroen dealer, click here. You can also search for Citroens for sale at Drive.com.au/cars-for-sale.
If you want to stay updated with everything that's happened to this car since our review, you'll find all the latest news here.