[Omkar]

2022 Citroen C5 Aircross Facelift Review

The Citroen C5 Aircross facelift is on sale in India at a price of Rs. 36.67 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Citroen C5 Aircross Pros

• A superbly engineered & properly premium crossover
• Very stylish exteriors & interiors! We love the design. It's matched to solid build quality
• Good quality cabin with comfortable seats, lots of storage & fantastic insulation
• 2.0L diesel engine is quick, efficient & extremely refined
• Smooth 8-speed AT gearbox impresses
• Excellent ride comfort and mature road manners. High speed behaviour is sorted too
• Large, well-shaped 580 liter boot gobbles up holiday / airport luggage
• Loaded to the gills with features such as a panoramic sunroof, handsfree tailgate opening, customisable instrument cluster, double laminated front windows, terrain modes...
• 4-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash test. 3-point seatbelts for all five occupants, 6 airbags, blind spot monitoring system, ESP, hill hold, hill descent control and more

Citroen C5 Aircross Cons

• Very expensive! We wish Citroen had priced-it-to-sell-it (aka penetration pricing)
• Rear legroom is strictly adequate. Two 5’10" adults can sit behind each other, but not two 6-footers
• No turbo-petrol engine (big miss), no AWD for tourers & no manual gearbox for MT fans
• Not really sporty to drive. Cars like the Compass & Tiguan are more fun
• Missing some features we expect today (connected car tech, ventilated seats, electrically adjustable passenger seat, ADAS, 360-degree camera, subwoofer…)
• The bolstering of the 3 individual rear seats is suitable for slim passengers, not heavier ones
• Audio sound quality is alright, but nothing special as you’d expect in a 40-lakh car
• Many competing crossovers & SUVs offer a 3rd-row of seats, which the C5 Aircross doesn't have
• Long-term reliability & after-sales service quality are still big unknowns

[Omkar]

Since the Citroen C5 Aircross has already been reviewed by Team-BHP, this report will only focus on changes made to the facelift. To read the full test-drive, click here.

[Omkar]

Introduction

Citroen entered the Indian market last year with the C5 Aircross. Now, they've given it some updates. Too soon? Well, the model launched last year has been on sale internationally since 2018, so we were running behind. But with the launch of this facelift, we've been brought up to speed.

So, what's new on the 2022 Citroen C5 Aircross facelift? You have a heavily redesigned front end, some changes at the rear and a few modifications on the inside. Mechanically, everything remains the same with the 2.0-litre diesel engine that makes 174 BHP & 400 Nm. It is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission that drives the front wheels only. There's no AWD option like its competitors, the Hyundai Tucson and the Jeep Compass.

Citroen C5 Aircross Price & Brochure

When Citroen launched the C5 Aircross facelift, it raised quite a few eyebrows. At Rs 36.67 lakh (ex-showroom), the C5 Aircross is the most expensive car in the segment. Compared to the outgoing car, Citroen has bumped up the prices by quite a margin. The French manufacturer launched the top-end Shine variant in April 2021 at Rs. 31.90 lakh and in November 2021, hiked its price to Rs. 32. 80 lakh. Now, the facelift has been launched at a price that is Rs. 4.77 lakh more than the original launch price of the car! This kind of hike would've been justified if the facelift car was equipped with tech worth ~ Rs. 4 lakh. But apart from design changes and minor feature additions, the facelift car is almost the same as the outgoing car! Just compare the old brochure and the new one and you will know exactly what I mean.

In comparison, the Hyundai Tucson top-end diesel AWD is Rs. 2.28 lakh cheaper, the Volkswagen Tiguan Petrol costs Rs. 3.88 lakh less and the Jeep Compass Trailhawk is Rs. 4.45 lakh less. No doubt the C5 Aircross is a well-packaged premium offering, but ~Rs. 45 lakh (on-road) is a lot of money for a front-wheel drive SUV from a relatively new brand.

You can download the 2022 C5 Aircross brochure here - 2022 Citroen C5 Aircross Brochure.pdf

Citroen C5 Aircross Facelift Exterior Review

Front is where there's been a major revamp. New double Chevron logo finished in black with a chrome border sits boldly in the middle. The radiator grille gets chrome studs running from the logo to the headlamps. The bumper has also been redesigned and overall, the face looks more pleasing than before:


Rear is almost identical barring the new tail-lamps:


Side profile is also pretty much untouched apart from the new alloy wheels. You still get the traditional Airbumps on the running board with the fake vent-like applique:


This is a good-looking car from any angle. It's well-proportioned and has a good stance. This 'Eclipse Blue' paint shade is a new addition to the palette and replaces the 'Tijuca Blue' shade. Other colour options are Pearl White, Pearl Nera Black and Cumulus Grey. The Pearl White shade now gets 'Energic Blue' accents instead of the red ones seen on the outgoing car (reference image), while all the other colours get 'Dark Chrome' accents:


The dimensions are identical to the outgoing car. C5 Aircross measures 4,500 mm x 2,099 mm (mirrors open) x 1,710 mm (L x W x H) respectively, with a wheelbase of 2,730 mm:


New LED Vision headlamps with integrated LED DRLs. Notice how the chrome studs from the grille extend into the DRL line; nicely done!


The big double Chevron logo looks good. Check out the chrome studs on the grille:


New bumper lets in more air and has a simpler design. The square box that you see at the bottom is where the radar sensor is placed on the international variant which gets adaptive cruise control. The Indian car doesn't get this feature:


LED fog lamps are placed low (the outgoing car had halogen fog lamps). Also, check out the air curtain above, which gets a dark chrome accent:


The new alloy wheel design may look too radical at first glance, but it does start growing on you. These 18-inch alloys are shod with 235/55 section Michelin Primacy 3 tyres. While ride quality is very good, we wish Citroen had chosen a more sensible R17 size (or R16) as it would offer an even cushier ride + cheaper tyre replacement costs + lower chance of alloy wheel damage (thanks to taller tyre sidewalls) on broken Indian roads:


As is expected in a car of this segment, disc brakes are provided at the rear as well:


Panoramic sunroof is becoming increasingly common in 20+ lakh rupee cars:


New three-dimensional LED tail lights at the rear. The shape remains the same, but the detailing has changed:


Rear bumper has fake vents on either side and fake dual exhausts with silver borders:

[Omkar]

Citroen C5 Aircross Facelift Interior Review

Grey and black colour scheme of the dashboard has been replaced by an all-black theme. The cabin looks clean in terms of design and there are some nicely done bits. Soft-touch material has been used on the dashboard, and the part quality feels good for the most part. Some of the plastic parts though such as the glovebox & parts of the doorpad feel rudimentary:


Small, sporty steering is flat on the top and bottom. Lovely to hold. Buttons to control the volume and voice commands are on the left spoke, while those to control the telephony features & track change are on the right. Large sports car-like paddle shifters behind are mounted on the steering column and not the steering wheel:


The 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster is of the same size, but gets subtle changes to the design and layout:


The display is customisable. You can have a normal display with 3 pods and can customise these pods to display the info you want. You can also have a minimalist display with just the speedometer and the rev counter at the top (a personal favourite):


Drive modes (Sport, Normal & Eco) and traction modes (Sand, Mud & Snow) are placed in the same menu. You have to scroll down from drive modes to select traction modes. Pretty unconventional:


The all-black theme continues to the doorpads as well. The driver gets a leather-wrapped armrest:


Seats are draped in black 'Claudia' leather + fabric material. These look better than the ones on the outgoing car which had a lighter grey shade (reference image). Front seats offer terrific support, with just the perfect amount of cushioning and padding to make them comfortable over long drives. The driver seat is 8-way electrically adjustable with manual lumbar adjustment (not expected in this price bracket):


A closer look at the subtle use of fabric in the seat upholstery. Check out the blue contrast stitching:


Front passenger seat gets manual adjustments, including a 118NE-style rotary knob for recline adjustment. Yuck! The Hyundai Tucson gets an 8-way electrically adjustable passenger seat:


One of the issues we pointed out in the pre-facelift car was that the orientation of the center fascia was LHD. Thankfully Citroen has corrected that in the facelift and now, the center fascia is RHD-oriented:


The 8-inch touchscreen has been replaced with this 10-inch unit. While the size has increased, the user interface is pretty much the same and IMO it's one of the worst. It's not intuitive and you don't even have a proper home screen. You have to navigate through multiple menus and sub-menus to find something, which is cumbersome. Yes, the display is nice and crisp and the touch response is very good, but in terms of ease of use, it's poor:


One of the major irritants I found was that you HAVE to use the touchscreen to control the A/C. This means you have to take your eyes off the road and find the A/C menu button below the central A/C vents, then look at the touchscreen and make your adjustments. Vehicle settings can be accessed through the touchscreen. Reversing camera is just sad in terms of resolution. It gets even worse during the rains. Would've expected a 360-degree camera setup here. Heck, even the Maruti Brezza that costs almost 1/3rd the price gets a decent 360-degree camera setup:


Touchscreen menu buttons are placed below the central A/C vents! This is just an ergonomic blunder as it creates a further disconnect while operating the touchscreen. The earlier touchscreen had menu buttons just below which was just a wee bit better (reference image). The conventional horizontal central A/C vents look good and are nice to operate:


Wireless charging has been introduced in the facelift. You also get an extra USB port for connectivity or charging:


Center console has been redesigned and Citroen has reduced the number of buttons here for a cleaner design. On the top left you have the engine start button and the hill-descent control switch:


This is Citroen's new e-Toggle gear selector. I'd prefer the classy-looking gear lever in the outgoing car (reference image). This one is quite tiny and takes some time to get used to. You have to press the 'P' and 'M' buttons to engage the 'Park' and 'Manual' modes respectively:


Below, you have the drive mode selector and the electric parking brake. As mentioned earlier, the drive modes and traction modes are to be engaged with this selector. You also have a nice storage space with a rubberised base here. Sorely missed the 'Auto-Hold' function. It should've been introduced in the facelift:


Cupholders get ambient lights:


Blue contrast stitching on the leather strap on the left side of the dashboard looks nice:


Panoramic sunroof features dual electric motors with an inbuilt auto-reverse safety function:


3 individual seats is a unique arrangement, we must say! Rear seats are fine width-wise for the slim and fit, but heavier people will find them to be narrow. No center armrest here. All 3 passengers get adjustable headrests and 3-point seatbelts:


Headroom and legroom are strictly adequate. Two 6-footers - one behind the other will be tight. The Hyundai Tucson is much more comfortable in this area:


Huge 580-liter boot with just the perfect shape. The opening is wide, which makes it convenient to load luggage:


Folding the seats down gives you 1,630 liters of cargo capacity:

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[PrideRed]

Nice car, let down big time by clueless manufacturer. Even after getting the budget car, Citroen hasn't been able to expand dealer network though I am hearing this is Work in progress.

While 4 star is good, shouldn't a car costing 45L be 5 star rated? I would see this as a negative.

[karan561]

Thanks for this review Omkar, Aditya & Team.

Really love the C5 Aircross for its build, cabin, engine+gearbox, suspension & overall package. Also respect the fact that premium rubber has been retained i.e. Michelin Primacy 3ST tyres which is a good attitude (Not a cost cutting mentality) shown by the manufacturer (unlike what we've see in Hyundai Tucson).

BUT the price

[one-77]

A very pretty car. It’s a pricing disaster, though, considering the features on offer.

Some of the goring omissions at this price point are:
- powered passenger seat
- front seat ventilation
- AWD
- 360 degree camera
- Rear armrest

Would have been nice to have ADAS.

Had this been priced 5 lacs cheaper, it would have been a good alternative to the Tucson and Compass diesels.

BTW, does the rear seat backrest have recline adjustment?

[achyutaghosh]

is it just me who feels the pre-facelift looked funkier, and stood out a lot more than this facelift?
The pricing remains disastrous, and the feature omissions at this price point makes this a non starter, like the pre-facelift

[Cresterk]

The biggest achievement Citroen has in India is making Hyundai give us a proper export spec AWD Tucson with all the bells and whistles and letting them price it astronomically

[neerajku]

Some of these cars and models driven by drool value, upto date features, away from the crowd looks, some really cool, enticing reviews. But sell measly two digit numbers, have eye watering maintenance costs and no resale value. fro that FIRE engine in Fiat UNO and now, when will these guys learn and produce sensibly priced cars !!

[Kuldeep31]

This is killer pricing . Now they have done Hyundai a favor by making Tucson look more VFM. An on-road price of 45 lakhs with a 4-star safety rating also mars an otherwise complete package. Good luck Citroen.
Regards

[Kosfactor]

^ C5 Aircross in Citroen's mind is a competitor for a BMW X1. So they are offering you a cheaper , more comfortable and very French vehicle which suits Indian roads.

Citroen is also wondering why we aren't buying more of them given this stellar deal.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

^ C5 Aircross in Citroen's mind is a competitor for a BMW X1. l:

People dont see that, it's the BMW brand, Citroen is a nobody currently

[one-77]

Originally Posted by ajmat

People dont see that, it's the BMW brand, Citroen is a nobody currently

I think you’ve missed the sarcasm there.