I was pleasantly surprised at just how much fun the funky Citroen e-C5 Aircross turned out to be | Stuff

Introduction

The affordable EV market has grown rapidly in the last couple of years, and when it comes to buying family-focused models, folks are particularly well-catered for. The SUV side of that coin has just been added to by this, the Citroen e-C5 Aircross. There’s also a plug-in variant, and both are notable for their jolly decent range capabilities. Up to 422 miles from the big battery edition, if you please.

This is quite a busy part of the car-buying marketplace, with Stellantis (overall owner of Citroen) offering many options from its other brands. This includes the likes of the Vauxhall Grandland, the Peugeot E-3008 or Peugeot E-5008 and the Jeep Compass for starters. Naturally, Stellantis makes good use of its dedicated STLA-M EV platform to do this, which is sensible. Unsurprisingly, there are frequently common part sightings in a lot of these cars – the drive mode shifter being an obvious prime example. So how does the Citroen e-C5 Aircross stack up?

The styling

Buyers have always warmed to the Citroen brand for its slightly quirky approach to car design and I think that theme continues to run through current models. While it would be easy to write off the e-C5 Aircross as just another SUV, it does look different to others out there. The designers have made this one a little bigger than the last two, although the difference in size feels negligible on most fronts.

However, the looks are very distinctive, with the upright, blocky feel of the SUV looking really good in the right colour. I thought the darker shade of my test car in the Max trim worked best, while in white it looked less inspiring. Nevertheless, I admire Citroen’s bold choice with the way they’ve worked the rear light clusters, especially where they jut out at the corners. The plastic over the wheel arches and along the bottom of the doors is less inspiring, but taking it as a whole, the Citroen e-C5 Aircross is memorable, for sure.

Moving to the interior and the styling is slightly unorthodox but all the different elements fuse together quite nicely and help maintain that Citroen quirkiness so many of us love. I was particularly intrigued by the soft foam-in-feel coverings for places like the dashboard and door cards. It’s quite unusual and my main worry was how this will fare when attacked by small children who like to chew everything and dog claws when loading them in and out.

Aside from that though, the seats are comfy and accommodating, even in the back. My trim featured 10-way electric, heated, ventilated and massage-enabled treats as well as pneumatic adjustable bolsters, no less. Oh, and the 40/20/40 seat divisions are going to be handy for families or folks with ‘interesting’ hobbies – as is the nicely proportioned boot space.

I know everyone is trying to create a living room on wheels these days, but the Citroen e-C5 Aircross just about pulls it off. Even more so thanks to the excellent panoramic glass roof, which makes the interior feel airy in a loft apartment kinda way. The eight-colour ambient lighting wasn’t bad either.

The drive

As I hinted at earlier, one of the first things that becomes apparent when getting behind the wheel of a Stellantis product is some of the switchgear is immediately familiar. This is also obvious inside the Citroen e-C5 Aircross, which packs the same drive mode selector as seen in countless other closely related EVs. No matter, because this is a very nice car to both sit in and drive. The comfort levels are an obvious boon, and I wouldn’t have expected anything else from the French carmaker.

Moving off, the e-C5 Aircross instantly felt like a Citroen product. This is a car that works best when you’re taking your time, especially with the assistance of Citroen’s Advanced Comfort Suspension pack that featured in my car. However, I pushed it a bit and the e-C5 Aircross immediately felt a little bit uncomfortable with what it was being asked to do. It rolled a bit in the bends and those tall tyre walls, while softening the ride, gave the upright SUV a little bit of wayward-ness. That said, this isn’t a car that’s made for hooning around in even though Citroen does include a Sport mode if you want to push it more than normal.

Driving more sedately though, I thought the Citroen e-C5 Aircross felt about right. The steering is fuss-free and reversing or parking is a doddle with some great quality video views being delivered through the infotainment screen. The panoramic roof and generous levels of glass make the Citroen e-C5 Aircross feel refreshingly open too, even though there is the inevitable lack of views towards the back. Properly sized door mirrors were welcome and, despite the size of these and the chunky tyres, I thought the Citroen e-C5 Aircross was very quiet overall, with very little in the way of discernible road noise.

The technology

Kit levels are pretty good across the trim options in the Citroen e-C5 Aircross, which combined with the stylish interior finish give the car a reasonably distinguished air. The main attraction is the long portrait-orientated ‘Waterfall’ infotainment screen, which is all new and looks good on the eyes. Admittedly, it has also been used to store the core controls too, which when it comes to playing with climate controls isn’t always my preferred route, but taps and prods did what they were supposed to do without any fails along the way.

Being family-focused, there are generous amount of the usual power points and wireless phone charging, plus plenty of locations to stash phones and iPads if/when they’re not being used. Citroen now offers vehicle-to-load (V2L) now as well, which is becoming increasingly popular for people on the go who want to power their laptop or, perhaps, a coffee machine if they’re out in the sticks.

There’s another nod towards convenience with the head up display, which can be adjusted using the same toggle switch for the door mirrors. What’s more, a button at the foot of the infotainment screen can be depressed for a few seconds to disable the annoying ADAS bongs. Welcome news. Elsewhere, the satellite navigation was less impressive and seemingly quite slow on the uptake when issuing instructions on or just after I’d made the turn.

On the upside, I thought the overall layout of that infotainment screen, which does boast good quality graphics plus a 10-inch digital dashboard display that was equally as vibrant, made living with the Citroen e-C5 Aircross a pleasant experience. I also gave the audio system a run through several stations, and it was more than capable of handling a wide range of styles with lots of bottom end rumble adding to the overall impact. Surprisingly decent I thought.

Citroen e-C5 Aircross verdict

The Citroen e-C5 Aircross is a refreshing new twist on the very familiar family-focused SUV format. The looks are certainly memorable while the comfort levels and impressive range make it an appealing proposition. I’d be inclined to head for the pure electric edition as it feels a little more refined than the PHEV, which does tend to suffer a bit from the inevitable crossover between battery and petrol power.

However, either option is a solid bet while the hybrid offers even more versatility in the performance department. Combining these appealing factors with sensible pricing across the range, the Citroen e-C5 Aircross could prove exceedingly popular.

Citroen e-C5 Aircross technical specifications