New 2019 Citroen C5 Aircross prices and specs announced
New Citroen C5 Aircross SUV added to line-up with semi-autonomous tech, plus a plug-in hybrid is on the way too
Prices for the new Citroen C5 Aircross SUV have been revealed, with the French brand’s flagship SUV starting from £23,225 when order books open on 3 December. Deliveries are expected to commence on 4 February 2019.
The C5 Aircross will be offered in three trim levels: Feel, Flair and Flair Plus. All three get an eight-inch touchscreen which includes a TomTom navigation system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a reversing camera. A 12.3-inch digital instrument panel is also included, as is a dashcam and wireless charging for smartphones.
There’s a large list of safety tech on offer, too. Active safety braking, lane departure warning and blind spot monitoring are all available, as is what Citroen calls Highway Driving Assist: a level two autonomous driving system which can accelerate, brake and steer between lanes on motorways.
Buyers will be able to choose from 30 exterior colour combinations. These are made up of seven body colours, four of which can be combined with a black contrasting roof on the two Flair trims. There’s also three colour packs to choose from: silver, white and red (all anodised finishes), which adds colour to the front bumper, air bump panels and under the roof bars. The alloy wheel designs measure from 17-inches to 19-inches in size. A large glass panoramic roof opens the cabin up to the sunlight.
Citroen offers three interior colour schemes for the C5 Aircross: the base Feel model gets gets grey cloth and grey strip to seat backs. Step up to the Flair (starting from £25,325, it’s £2,100 more than the Feel like-for-like) and Flair Plus (£2,400 more than the Flair) and there’s a choice of two colour schemes.
The ‘Metropolitan Grey’ ambience comes with Mix of grey leather and cloth and a dark grey strip on the seat backs; while ‘Hype Brown’ features a two-tone mix of brown nappa leather and back leather effect upholstery on the seats and steering wheel, with extra brown trim on the centre console, dash inserts and instrument panel hood. The Flair and Flair Plus also benefit from Citroen’s Advanced Comfort Seats with extra thick, soft padding.
Two petrol powered cars have been confirmed alongside two diesel options – all tried and tested PSA units. Petrols are covered by the 128bhp PureTech 130 three-cylinder mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, while the 178bhp PureTech 180 four-cylinder gets an eight-speed automatic gearbox as standard.
The base diesel is the 128bhp BlueHDi 130, available with either a manual or automatic gearbox (the latter a £1,900 option), while the BlueHDi 180 is equipped with the eight-speed automatic. The Feel is only available with the lesser powered petrol and diesel variants, while the Flair and Flair Plus can be specified with every engine option. In top spec Flair Plus trim, the 178bhp diesel with an automatic gearbox costs £32,725.
A flagship, four-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid with a petrol engine and two electric motors making a combined 300bhp is due in 2020, too. It means the C5 Aircross is the most powerful Citroen ever, and it can also travel a claimed 37 miles on battery power alone.
Citroen says that the 2015 concept exhibited a ‘colourful’ personality in terms of design, and the production C5 Aircross carries over a near identical shape, although some design elements have been toned down for production.
The floating roof with 360-degree windows, capped off with the new chrome C-pillar design, has made the cut, alongside flared wheel arches and Airbump-equipped body cladding for a chunky look. The two-tiered lighting at the front of the car is full LED, while the taillights are LED units too.
New Citroen C5 Aircross dimensions
It comes in at 4,500mm long, 1,840mm wide and 1,670mm tall, while the wheelbase of 2,730mm means Citroen promises ‘best in class’ space for passengers, especially those in the rear. Ground clearance comes in at 230mm. It sits on the PSA Group’s EMP2 platform, shared with sister cars the Peugeot 3008 and the DS 7 Crossback, plus Vauxhall’s Grandland X.
Like the heavily facelifted C4 Cactus, the C5 Aircross arrives in Europe with an emphasis placed on comfort. In addition to the Advanced Comfort Seats Double-glazed front windows are equipped in a bid to keep road and wind noise down as much as possible, while the firm’s new Progressive Hydraulic Cushion suspension system is fitted as standard.
In the back, the rear bench is made of three individually folding and moveable seats, with the middle seat sizing up just as large as the other two. The C5 Aircross gets a 580-litre boot, expanding to 670 litres with the rear seats placed as far forward as possible, and 1,630-litres with all three seats folded flat. The boot is accessed via a hands-free tailgate.
The C5 Aircross gets some off-road features in the form of Grip Control - with selectable modes for different surfaces - and hill descent control.
Alexandre Malval explains Citroen Aircross
Citroen's design director explains the thinking behind the Aircross concept and what it could mean for future Citroen models...
There’s clearly an evolution of the C4 Cactus’ styling on the Aircross; will that be limited to SUVs?
“This is the first answer, we believe there is no limit and could use this style for different silhouettes. So, it could be sedan, SUV or MPV. We want the customer to see that the Cactus has given birth to different types of Citroen products.”
Will this style become Citroen DNA?
“We are confident with this aesthetic and believe it will keep us separate from Peugeot and DS, as there are now three brands in the group. The idea is that each one will evoke something different for customers.”
Why did you modify the Airbump from the Cactus?
“It’s another adaptation of Airbump. It emphasises the body, helps to lift the car and make it more SUV. It has a more technological and dynamic feel now.”
Are you confident the SUV market will keep growing?
“It’s difficult to say, but all of the studies that we do show that it continues to grow wherever you are in the world. But maybe it will change – a new vehicle is capable of changing the fashion.”
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