Citroen C5 X evaluate: massive, lovely and budget-conscious

The Citroen C5 X is an intriguing type of automobile, as massive Citroens are usually. It’s fairly onerous to know what to make of it once you first clap eyes on it. For Citroenists, it has a number of styling nods to previous glories, however in modern phrases it appears to be like very very similar to an enlarged C4, in case you’re conversant in that one, with its excessive waistline and sloping roof, however the C5 X is reasonably longer and in reality has a noticeably massive overhanging boot on the again. It’s, very a lot as Citroen supposed, a mix of an govt saloon, an SUV, an SUV-coupe crossover and an property automobile.

It’s acquired a little bit of every little thing about it, and all of it comes collectively reasonably nicely. It’s speculated to be a “celebration” of the likes of the fantastic CX, XM and C6, for instance (although not the traditional DS, which, presumably, is what their new DS model is all about). Like one of the best of the large Citroens, it has presence on the street and a beautiful type of stance. It’s sleekly aerodynamic, with a drag coefficient of 0.29, and the SUV-like top provides you a pleasant commanding view of the world. It’s no Vary Rover, so that you don’t fairly really feel majestic up there, however it feels good all the identical.

Regardless of the sweeping roof, there’s good headroom too, and it’s acquired 5 separate seats in addition to loads of baggage area within the again – a super posh taxi in actual fact (545 litres of room with the again seats in place, 1,640 litres with the seats down, and with helpful flooring rails to guard the carpeted boot).

It’s undoubtedly one of many finest-looking vehicles Citroen have knocked out in latest a long time – much less of a self-conscious pastiche than the C6, and far more distinctive than the C5 Aircross (which continues as a extra standard SUV). There are many sinuous curves and swathes extending proper into the scooped-out flanks and clam-shaped bonnet. It appears to be like just like the designers spent numerous time within the clay modelling studio (or on the computer-assisted equivalents). It’s a really good-looking factor.

Even when I didn’t realize it was Chinese language-built and really a lot impressed by Chinese language tastes – the Citroen model is critical over there and rising – I may inform from its sheer size and the best way the design bestows class-leasing rear area for chauffeur-driven occupants. In China, driving vehicles will not be what individuals aspire to; being within the again with area to stare out and dilate on the world and with a tremendous view of the street forward is the goal of enterprise and political leaders. The C5 X is made for them, and, in its personal method, is a logo of how the stability of automotive energy on the planet is shifting eastwards (commerce wars and actual wars allowing).

So, it’s massive, alright, large enough to suit a washer within the again; however is it as “serene” as Citroen declare it to be? Which is reasonably the purpose of a full-sized Citroen automobile? Sure and no. That does, greater than normal, depend upon which variant you decide. The entry-level mannequin, for instance, is sort of wonderful worth at £27,790, just because it’s so many automobile for the money, even up in opposition to such robust competitors because the Skoda Excellent property or Volkswagen Arteon.

For that, nonetheless, you need to put up with the 1.2l engine, which is excellently engineered to maximise gasoline consumption and efficiency (small capability, however injected and turbocharged), however which does must work fairly onerous to maneuver alongside, even with a properly clean eight-speed gearbox. The plug-in hybrid variations appear to journey higher, and are a sensible choice for people who could make use of the tax break and who make plenty of comparatively brief journeys – you get about 20 miles’ vary on electric-only. The decide of the bunch is the middling 1.6 petrol-only variations, which take advantage of the automobile’s potential for refined cruising. Evidently today, however nonetheless outstanding, there’s no diesel choice, but in addition no all-electric model both, which actually could be a serene machine.

As for the journey, the C5 X in all variations has the same old driver help aids, connectivity, comfortable however supportive seats, a beautiful giant touchscreen and simply accessed main controls. The one let-downs are a bit an excessive amount of street noise transmitted by means of the fashionable 19in alloy wheels, and the standard of the supplies within the cabin, which aren’t particularly spectacular even in the most costly variations, ranging past £40,000.

It’s not that they don’t look good, with their little Citroen chevron motifs, however they don’t measure as much as a number of the mainstream competitors, such because the Skoda Excellent, Genesis G70 Taking pictures Brake or certainly the in-house Stellantis group rival Peugeot 5008 (not to mention the ever-present menace from the premium manufacturers). Some comparatively modest enhancements may rework the showroom enchantment of the mannequin.

In fact, in addition to being fashionable, “completely different” and comfy, massive Citroens have additionally traditionally suffered from gut-wrenching deprecation – everybody’s nearly-new automobile of alternative. Each time they launch a brand new full-size Citroen the model execs clarify the way it gained’t drop like a stone on the used market. Each time it doesn’t fairly work out that method.

This time, we’re instructed, it truly is completely different, they usually’ve produced unbiased CAP stats to show the purpose. Perhaps, and the present scarcity of recent vehicles due to shortages of pc chips does definitely assist, however maybe the actual change is in how we purchase vehicles these days, by means of PCP, private leasing and different plans, which blurs and spreads the prices of deprecation, and makes that conventional Citroen bugbear reasonably much less related, or not less than much less seen. This time, the Citroen expertise actually is perhaps completely different…