[ajmat]

Took a quick look at it today. Nice looking but too many hard plastics inside, considering it competes with a Tiguan abroad, I would expect it to be priced on par

[landmaster18]

Originally Posted by ajmat

I would expect it to be priced on par

I spoke to my dealer and the pricing seem to be way too exorbitant - huge huge disappointment!! Seems to be significantly higher than the Tiguan and for very little incremental benefits in return.

I'm having serious second thoughts on it given that for comparison's sake, a conventional ICE City automatic would come for a third of its price.

Plus, throw in the bullet proof reliability of the Japanese power trains and the reduced running costs I might have a logical alternative. Even a Hyryder despite the very conventional looks, has some fantastic points in favor.

[Frusciante]

Originally Posted by landmaster18

I'm having serious second thoughts on it given that for comparison's sake, a conventional ICE City automatic would come for a third of its price.

I'm sure you have done your due diligence, and no doubt that the C5 comes with a rather heavy price tag but as an ex CITY owner who upgraded to the C5, the driving experience is incomparable. The City is a great car but the C5 is just light years ahead. The value derived for the money paid quotient is of course a very personal and subjective opinion.

[Bicycle7385]

For me only thing holding on to making a final decision on C5 Aircross is it’s low number of units being sold.I understand it has no relevance to my ownership cost however it is still impacting my final decision. Any suggestions, I understand this is totally non technical question. Thank you in Advance for any suggestions or guidance.

[Frusciante]

Originally Posted by Bicycle7385

For me only thing holding on to making a final decision on C5 Aircross is it’s low number of units being sold.I understand it has no relevance to my ownership cost however it is still impacting my final decision. Any suggestions, I understand this is totally non technical question. Thank you in Advance for any suggestions or guidance.

I have just about completed 1 blissful year of ownership of the C5 and can safely say that apart from having an outstanding ride, Citroen have lived up to their promise of providing a hassle-free ownership experience (in Mumbai atleast). If anything, possibly the lower units sold translates to more room for personalized after sales experience which may not be the case with other brands. If the pricing is not an issue, go for it by all means.

[Frusciante]

I recently completed 1 year of owning a Citroen C5 Aircross. Given all the chatter about Citroen’s sales strategy (or lack of it), I thought I’d look back and document how my year with my machine has been for the benefit of anyone who might have the C5 on their shortlist.

Background: After 10 years of owning a 3rd gen Honda City, which is, as we all know- a very reliable and competent car I felt the need to upgrade. Primary lookouts were overall ride comfort (especially from a drivers perspective as the car would be 100% self-driven), a refreshing and standout design and rock solid reliability. My budget was upto 50L so I was very open to exploring across segments which I did – from Alcazar and Hector on one end to the X1, Gloster and Fortuner at the other end though frankly I didn’t need a 7 seater but I still wanted to evaluate all cars in 20L+ bracket. Topping my wishlist in early 2021 was the mighty Endeavour, which I had to drop for obvious reasons. I had even booked a Gloster, but as luck would have it the delivery was delayed and the more I researched about its ownership reviews, I was not convinced at the prospect of spending 45L on such a car with a hit or miss reliability record. For some reason the C5 was never on my initial list of considerations but when I got down to a test drive, the car checked off all the boxes on my requirement list. The ready availability of the vehicle in the color of my choice was icing on the cake and I took possession of the vehicle in early Dec ’21.

Ownership Experience: Without extolling on all the features of the C5 (already done in its forum thread), I’ll leave it at re-emphasizing that the car has completely delivered on its promise of comfort and delight in every sphere – from the ride quality to overall ownership and maintenance experience. It is a fabulous long distance cruiser and I have done about 10k kms of highways, bad roads, no roads, sand, hills, jungles etc and the C5 has munched all of those miles with ease and keeping us very comfortable and secure. 14+ hours drives have been stress free, as have been night highway drives which I used to hate with my earlier cars. The power and torque on tap, mated with the excellent gearbox and light steering make it an ideal companion for city and highway driving alike. Tech wise, I believe the car is equipped with everything needed for a safe and comfortable driving experience. The only addition I would have wished for is a 360 degree camera, but the proximity sensors and blind spot detectors do a fab job in aiding your drive. The in cabin feel is unbelievably quiet, plush and comfortable, thanks to the acoustically shielded window panes and the Michelin tyres which seem to emit no road noise.

After sales experience and costs – One point that seems to crop up time and again in these forums with respect to Citroen is the possibility of a poor after sales support, given their sparse footprint. Well, I can only speak from my experience which has been phenomenal. The service and support teams have been very proactive, professional, thorough and eager to help. And I’m not talking just about the service center but even allied support departments like insurance renewal etc where the team worked with me to get me a great renewal deal. I know a couple of C3 owners and they have the same thing to say about Citroen’s ASS support. I have also heard positive stories of their anytime anywhere service on wheels facility even in Tier 2,3 cities. All in all, keeping ones fear aside, there is every reason to believe that Citroen will continue to deliver on its promise of a hassle free ownership experience.

Costs have been nominal too. The car has been surprisingly frugal in its fuel consumption for the performance it delivers and I usually get an avg of 12 kms/L despite driving in heavy Mumbai traffic with air conditioning on 100% of the time. In terms of maintenance costs, I have spent a little over 7k INR in consumables at the time of its 2nd service which again I think is very reasonable. Given the longer service intervals of the vehicle, I do not anticipate future costs to be way out of line of my expectations.

In Summary : At the time I was buying the C5, several of my well intentioned acquaintances advised me to go for a Harrier, Compass, Seltos pointing out that I’m wasting a good 12+ Lakh rupees for 5 seater by a new brand, which does not even carry the luxury brand value of the German big 3. And I would be lying if I said the thought did not haunt me for a while. But with every review of the Harrier, Compass, XUV 700 and MGs that I read where the car has inherent mechanical or electronic faults with the cars spending more time in the service stations than with their owners, I thank myself for opting for a lot more solid product. There is no price I would put on ensuring a 100% safe and reliable journey especially when I’m travelling with my family. As mentioned above, I have put my car through some arduous conditions and it has delivered without a fault, or even as much as a squeak or rattle out of place. And I believe THAT level of solid engineering and reliability alone is worth a premium. Good over cheap – every single time.

So would I opt for a C5 if I was in the market for a premium crossover today? Tough question. As much as I love my car, a few newer cars on the block do pose a stiff competition in my opinion – especially the new Tuscon. I have not driven the Tuscon but going by the reviews on the Team BHP forum, it seems like a very worthy competitor to the C5 packed with some compelling features. It also doesn’t help that the C5 now costs 8 whopping lakhs more than when I bought it (for 38L OTR Mumbai). On the plus side, I prefer the classic and timeless design of the C5 over the cuts and creases “origami unfolded” look of the Tuscon. As you can see, it would have been a tough call for me, so I’m kinda glad I bought the C5 when I did. No one knows how things would pan out for Citroen as a company, a decade down the line – will they thrive or go the Ford/Chevy way? Hard to tell but they seem to be doing the right things in having a good and varied product mix in the pipeline for India. Also helps that at least by word of mouth, no Citroen owner should have anything poor to share about their experience with the company. If the C5 is on your list of considerations – hope this ownership review helps you in your decision making.

[DivyanshuDiv]

Congratulations on purchasing, owning and experiencing the plush Citroen C5 Aircross. And your car, in black, looks fabulous just like every french luxury product. I hope it gives your safe, memorable and delightful rides. And to add, Tucson is undoubtedly amazing and my favorite, but C5 in my option is a notch above. It is an uncompromised offering until they become a player and jump on the bandwagon(Renault-Nissan/VW Skoda group with India 2.0)

The only issue for me with C5 has to do with it price, and thus positioning. Not sure, where Citroen is trying to complete.

Div

[Shreyas Aterkar]

Originally Posted by Frusciante

I recently completed 1 year of owning a Citroen C5 Aircross. Given all the chatter about Citroen’s sales strategy (or lack of it), I thought I’d look back and document how my year with my machine has been for the benefit of anyone who might have the C5 on their shortlist.

Congratulations for completing 1 yr with the C5. Looks really very beautiful and good to hear all praises of the car from you. Nice review of the car, would be great to see the interior pics and your view of the second row comfort - the split 3 seats.

Whenever I see one on the road, I do turn back and have a second look, I just cant resist. Will certainly test drive one when I look to change my 4th Gen City. Though, the prices have significantly increased with the facelift and are bound to trigger second thoughts.

[amitjha086]

Just to let other BHPians know that the same C5 made in India is being exported to Nepal as well.

https://youtu.be/HBFFpkSRWmM

[howiecalvin]

Very well written article and an enjoyable read! The definition of a good vehicle is subjective but it cannot be denied that these European car makers are a class apart. Citroën is a well known brand that has been around for years now and your experience only goes to show the thoughtfulness behind the making of these machines.

I feel such vehicles are for a very specific market who can appreciate the finer aspects of automobiles and connoisseurs of the industry and not for the general mass. And I believe that's the case with all amazing vehicles that once made India their home. Of course, for the very reason I mentioned above, they are no longer around!

Great choice and I appreciate your bold risk which has proven to be an amazing decision. I'm super motivated to go test drive one today!

[Frusciante]

Originally Posted by howiecalvin

I feel such vehicles are for a very specific market who can appreciate the finer aspects of automobiles and connoisseurs of the industry and not for the general mass. And I believe that's the case with all amazing vehicles that once made India their home. Of course, for the very reason I mentioned above, they are no longer around!

Very well said sir. It's a tragicomic situation, which adds to the exclusivity of such cars but also makes it unviable for them to operate in our country.

[neel911]

Congratulations on the fuss free 1 year ownership. It is solid car and one of my friend has it and has been having fuss free ownership till now as well. He just has good things to say about car.

That said, he brought during the launch phase so got a good price and the warranty/service package inclusions as part of launch offer. The facelift also looks nice but with current price, it has become really difficult to justify the price for many people. It is about 46L OTR Bangalore. I hope they give good year end discounts and good inclusions to bump up the sales.

[Frusciante]

Originally Posted by neel911

Congratulations on the fuss free 1 year ownership. It is solid car and one of my friend has it and has been having fuss free ownership till now as well. He just has good things to say about car.

That said, he brought during the launch phase so got a good price and the warranty/service package inclusions as part of launch offer. The facelift also looks nice but with current price, it has become really difficult to justify the price for many people. It is about 46L OTR Bangalore. I hope they give good year end discounts and good inclusions to bump up the sales.

Thanks . And I do agree with you on the 46L price tag seeming a bit absurd for what's on offer. But in the context of how almost all good cars are being priced currently, I'm not sure what is a rational price point to expect anymore

[streetfighter]

Originally Posted by Frusciante

I recently completed 1 year of owning a Citroen C5 Aircross. Given all the chatter about Citroen’s sales strategy (or lack of it), I thought I’d look back and document how my year with my machine has been for the benefit of anyone who might have the C5 on their shortlist.

Even I completed my first year of ownership in November this year and I completely share the feelings shared by Frusciante.

Service Experience: Since I had purchased the vehicle from B4S Motors Pune, I called up the service head and asked for an appointment. He offered to pick up the car from Mumbai and get it delivered post service. I was a bit sceptical about this but he himself offered to pick up and deliver the car personally. The car was serviced and serviced to my full satisfaction. Since I have purchased the 5 year service package during buying the car, I had to pay only for the 13L AdBlue (Rs 1053) and nothing extra. There were a few preventive service campaigns applicable on the car, which were conducted too. Overall a delightful experience by B4s motors and their service head.

Insurance Renewal: Again B4S motors team did a great job here. I was contacted by them and a reasonable renewal quote was sent to me. I was trying to get the NCB (no-claim bonus) transferred from my old car to this but Bajaj Allianz was unhelpful when I contacted them directly. The B4S representative got this done and applied the 50% discount on the quote. Further, I had a referral benefit (my friend also purchased a C5 Aircross after my recommendation) pending on me, so that amount was also adjusted in the final insurance payment payout. It was again a delightful experience dealing with the Citroen dealership.

Car and comfort: I have done drives from Mumbai to Jaisalmer & Jodhpur, Mumbai to Goa & Coorg and recently did a roundtrip from Mumbai to Odisha. The driveability, the comfort, the road presence, the safety assurance, the ride and handling has exceeded my expectations. In all the above trips, I travelled with my family (wife and 2 kids aged 12 and 6 years, the Goa-Coorg trip was with my pet dog too). Never did we feel tired even after 12-14 hours of drive. In fact I drove back from Coorg to Mumbai (exactly 1000kms) without a stay and we still had the energy and felt fresh. (I had planned to break journey at Kolhapur but me and my family felt we could carry on till Mumbai).
Just couple of days back, I completed a 4000km roundtrip journey to Odisha which involved back to back 2 days of average 750kms+ drive each day during the onward and return journey. Needless to say, the C5 assured me that the long drive would be safe and comfortable which inspired me to do this adventure (yes, my family was with me). In spite of the long drives, we arrived at our destination in comfort without any fatigue for all occupants. The car has enough power and the automatic responds well to quick overtakes. 99% of my drive was in normal mode, I engaged sport mode only while in crowded towns/cities where I needed instant burst of power. I got a consistent mileage upwards of 16kmpl (see photo below) which includes drive through the newly inaugurated Samruddhi Mahamarg where speeds were consistently between 100-120kmph. This car is a mile muncher and I plan to do more such long trips in the future.
In a couple of occasions, I had to brake hard. The car stopped in a straight line without any drama, and the hazard lights lit up automatically.
The TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) worked well too, it warned me as the pressure dropped due to a puncture.

Misses: Pricing of the car... lot has already been discussed on this. Only an insider knows what is behind Citroen India's pricing and product placement strategy.
Missing features: I'd have liked ventilated seats due to hot and humid conditions, but I added an accessory from Amazon that helps quite a bit.
There is no wireless Apple Carplay, so I had to buy an extra Carlinkit adapter which works well.
Do I miss ADAS features... certainly not. I personally found it a little unnerving when the XC40 auto braked itself while doing a test-drive. I also haven't been able to use cruise control much even on highways owing to stray animals and bad drivers cutting lanes.

I am very happy with the car and the positive dealership experience certainly enhances the ownership experience. The overall fit and finish and quality of materials is at par with competition and I don't have any complaints about it. Even after driving 16k kms, the car feels fresh and new just like day one. The full size spare wheel with alloy assures that Citroen has not tried to cut corners when it comes to the product. I did get a lot of attention wherever I went, some even asking if I imported the car. A new dealership has opened at Bhubaneswar, Odisha but they're selling only the C3 currently. But good to know that Citroen is increasing its footprint. The Pune dealership informed that they are getting a great response for C3. A Goa dealership is coming up soon too. I think Citroen is committed to the Indian market. Each time I bring up this topic to any Citroen (dealership) official(across dealership), they assure unanimously that "we are here to stay and will help you when you need us"; and that's quite assuring. Adding a few pics

Mileage during my last drive:






Love those 3D taillamps




The nearest competitor




In the wild

[Frusciante]

Originally Posted by streetfighter

Even I completed my first year of ownership in November this year and I completely share the feelings shared by Frusciante.

Glad you echo my sentiment and experiences. Great to see pics of the C5 and Tuscon together. I may be biased, but I feel the C5 looks waaaay classier than the Tuscon.