Citroen C5 Aircross Max long-term test: a great SUV for a busy family

Verdict

The Citroen C5 Aircross is a great fit for my busy family; its ride is comfortable and the handling perfect for most situations. It’s not the SUV to buy if dynamic driving is high on your list of priorities, but what it lacks in thrills it makes up for in practicality. 

• Mileage: 6,282
• Efficiency: 42.7mpg

My latest fleet car – a Citroen C5 Aircross – arrived at the Gibson house at a very useful time of year. I’m a keen cyclist and in a moment of madness I had decided to enter Ride London, a hundred-mile ride back in May that meant my bike needed be transported into the capital. 

It’s always a big advantage to be able to transport the bike securely inside the car without removing any wheels. With the second row of seats down, the C5 offers 1,630 litres of space, which swallowed the bike and all the kit I needed for the event. 

My last long-term test car was a Mazda 3 hatchback, and the added versatility is something I really appreciate in the Citroen. Even with its rear seats up, the boot capacity is still a very practical 580 litres – very handy, given that my day job involves lugging loads of camera gear all around the country.  

The space also comes in useful when I’m on family duties. My youngest daughter is a keen footballer who needs regular transport, and my eldest has just finished her first year at university. Going to collect her and her belongings meant a five-hour round trip, with the car fully loaded on the return leg. 

This was also a perfect test of the Citroen’s hybrid powertrain. But as in most scenarios, the combination of a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor coped extremely well with the challenge. 

In my experience, the only time the C5 Aircross feels underpowered is when you need to accelerate quickly from a standing start. Otherwise, there’s surprisingly strong response in the mid-range and at the top end, which makes for easy overtaking on the motorway, and the car cruises really well, even when packed with student gear. 

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As the C5 Aircross’s name would seem to suggest, it’s a comfort-focused SUV and it has a really smooth ride. True, it can’t come up with the goods when you fancy some more dynamic driving – push on a bit and you can’t help noticing that classic French body roll through corners – but as far as I’m concerned, it’s a price worth paying. 

Not only was the smooth ride a godsend on the motorway, that five-hour schlep also proved just what a lovely place the C5’s interior is to travel long distances in. Thankfully, there’s not much easily marked gloss plastic in here, and I like the mix of materials and finishes inside. Plus there are some nice storage areas by the gear selector and a large storage box under the armrest that’s big enough to take a one-litre bottle. 

The steering wheel feels pretty chunky in my hands, and gives a good view of the dials – much better than the layout in cars from Citroen’s Peugeot sister brand. And when I’m at the wheel, that focus on comfort again comes through. The bolsters on the seats are nice and squishy, rather than trying to be too supportive and ending up too firm.

If I do have a complaint, it’s that the 12.5-inch screen (like many of Citroen’s displays) is a little slow to respond and feels rather dated. Thankfully, using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto solves the problem, but it’s slightly irritating that you need to plug in a cable to sync everything up.

*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.