[vigsom]

Introduction

This is a brief account of my first meeting with a Citroën C5 Aircross that a close friend acquired recently. My friend and I went through more than two weeks of deliberations on various options before he eventually got what matched his requirements to the T.

[vigsom]

Background

This friend was wanting to replace his 2013 BMW 320d Sport Line with a high seating highway car (he already has a 2013 Honda Amaze VX AT for local use) that should most importantly offer supreme ride quality and some sort of exclusivity on the road. His requirements were as follows:

• Supreme ride quality (to prevent aggravation of his bad back)
• Budget preferably sub INR 50L
• Powerful enough to perform quick overtakes on median-less roads
• Should be able to take plains and hills without fuss
• Automatic
• Preferably diesel with good fuel efficiency
• Reliable
• Reasonable to service
• Comfortable ride and seating for three in the rear

Options considered

Although some of the options considered here didn’t meet his most important requirement viz. ride quality, they were still evaluated just to get to the right car.

1. Skoda Kodiaq
2. BMW X3
3. XUV700
4. Toyota Fortuner
5. Toyota Innova Crysta
6. Jeep Compass
7. Tata Safari
8. Tata Harrier
9. Maruti XL6
10. Maruti S-Cross
11. MG Hector Plus

After eliminating a few options out, he got in touch with Skoda for the Kodiaq, BMW for the X3, Maruti for the S-Cross, Tata for the Safari and Jeep for the Compass. The S-Cross didn’t appeal to him (understandably so since he had been using a BMW 320d), the Kodiaq was available only in black, the X3 was in a different price range, and the Safari test drive vehicle never came.

He didn’t want the Crysta since he already has an Innova (a 2005 EPS that is still doing duty at 2,43,000km), found the Fortuner to be bumpy, didn’t like the attitude of the closest Mahindra dealer, rejected the MG for its poor pick up. He became inclined towards the Jeep Compass Trailhawk 2.0 AT, but kept that as an option.

The Hector Plus that my friend saw

[vigsom]

The C5 Aircross enters the fray

I knew about the C5 Aircross but wasn’t too sure of recommending him this option since this was a new entrant. I still remember how Peugeot came and exited, and didn’t want him to go through a similar experience. However, I did tell him that there was no harm in checking the vehicle out, since he was in Chennai when all these messages and phone calls were on between him and me.

Experiencing the C5 Aircross at the dealership

My friend was mighty impressed with the C5 Aircross when he visited the dealership. It takes a very strong marketeer to convince this friend to take a decision, but with the C5 Aircross, he was probably sold at the first test drive. What stood out during the test drive were the impressive ride quality and the pin drop silence in the cabin. He saw all shades including the Cumulus grey before making a choice.

Perla Nera Black




Tijuca Blue




Pearl White dual tone






View from the driver door


View of the rear three seater

[vigsom]

Shortlisting the right shade

Moving from a white BMW 320d, Pearl white would have been the right choice but my friend rejected white on the C5 Aircross on the following counts:

1. White doesn’t showcase this car best eg. a white Fortuner looks great while a white Altis is so-so
2. The red highlights were an eyesore

Black was out as an unacceptable shade. My friend was almost going to go ahead with the Tijuca blue when his better half stepped in and chose the Cumulus grey, which would not only be easy to maintain but also not attract unnecessary attention.

Deal is sealed

Before sealing the deal, my friend and I discussed the pros and cons of going ahead with this car. What helped his cause was that he was getting all that he wanted (listed in the opening post) well within his budget and at approx. half of what he'd have spent on a BMW X3. We finally took the decision to go ahead. The on-road price for the C5 Aircross Shine (the only variant on sale now) worked out to a shade less than ₹40lacs. Based on his historical usage, my friend calculated that he would be better off getting some additional warranty beyond the standard 3 year 1,00,000km. He eventually paid ₹74k for warranty for 1,00,000km over 5 years as per the table below. On maintenance, he preferred not to go with a bundled maintenance plan but go with routine service as time progresses.

Price Grid - kms and years for Extended Warranty


Maintenance Plans


Maintenance Chart - C5 Aircross


Spare parts costs - indicative

1. Air filter ₹800
2. Oil filter ₹470
3. Cabin Air Filter ₹1700
4. Brake pads Front ₹8700
5. Brake pads rear ₹7200

While normal consumables aren't pricey, the bumpers, headlamps, tail lamps are priced quite steep in the ₹30k territory. It pays to take B2B insurance.

Delivery

The car was delivered in 4 days of making the booking; my friend thus ended up creating a record for himself for the fastest time from test drive to booking in his history of owning cars.

The 320d leaves


The C5 Aircross enters

[vigsom]

How I met the C5 Aircross

I had gone home on a brief visit and one of those days, just called my friend up to check if he was around in his city. He confirmed and off I went. After I reached the place that the car was parked at, the covers were taken off and I saw the car in flesh and blood for the first time. I wasn’t awestruck at first sight but the car gradually began impressing me.

Likes

• Solid build – at least I could feel it from the thud of the doors
• Stylish interiors – tastefully done dash and console
• Cavernous boot
• Spare wheel is a full sized alloy
• Handsfree tailgate opening – with key in his pocket, the chauffeur placed his foot under the bumper and the tailgate began opening
• Absolute silence in the cabin once the doors are closed
• Three individual seats in the second row
• Engine insulation is with some superior material – not the typical plastic with foam
• “Flick” operated gear shifter and ORVM open-close switch
• Electric parking brake

What could have been better

• Seats could have been full leather and not part fabric
• The three individual rear seats are better suited for passengers of average build
• Hood release lever is on the left
• 17” alloys with 235/60 profile tyres would have allowed the brilliant suspension to take less of a beating
• No in-built maps; phone needs to be paired for maps

View from front left


View from the rear




Closeup of the taillamp


Closeup of the wheel - shod with 235/55R18 Michelin P3 ST


Boot


Full size spare with alloy


Red button to close the tailgate


Hood release lever - at the bottom of the left A-pillar


Engine Bay


Engine cover - note the superior insulating material unlike plastic on other cars


Battery


Wipers with wash nozzle hoses? Not sure.


Dashboard


Center console


Switch for the Electric Parking Brake - flip switch up to engage and press down to release. Indication on instrument console would come on/go off two secs after the switch is activated


Power window and mirror controls - note the flickable ORVM switch

[vigsom]

Test drive and first impressions

Summing it up in one word - Brilliant!

The first thing that struck me was the complete silence when the door was shut – NVH control was at vera level thanks to the acoustic windshield and double laminated windows. You will notice the noise cancellation as soon as the door is shut at 00:09 in the video below

https://youtube.com/watch?v=QwjSu6aVMgg

Initial observations

1. Brilliant ride quality – I drove out of the parking on a surface that would put craters to shame, and yet, the roll was just not noticeable; progressive hydraulic cushions in action
2. The car was spectra-wide, meaning one would need to be mindful of the width especially at sharp crossings and in narrow lanes
3. For the trained ear, there was a bit of road noise even from the Michelin P3 ST tyres
4. Great combo of a decently powered diesel mated to an 8-speed AT.
5. 100kmph was achieved in no time with the engine purring silently at 1200-1300rpm. The car is guaranteed to be super fuel efficient
6. Adequate engine braking
7. I did not test the audio quality as I was more focused on trying to listen to the odd noise – the engine would get a little audible (although negligible) at 2000rpm
8. Adequate turning radius to do U turns on narrow roads – I faced no issues here

After an approx. 20km drive on the highway, I shifted to the rear seat and experimented with all seating positions - left, right and center. The under thigh support is just about adequate and might pinch passengers on long drives. I was just awestruck looking at the panoramic sunroof. I’m not a fan of sunroofs at all in our country, but this one just left me looking into the sky above in amazement.

Center Console


One hundred kmph at a mere 1200 rpm approx.(pics taken by my friend seated in the co-driver seat)




View from the rear seat


Second row - space on the left


Second row - space to the right


Seated on the left - view of center and right seats


Seat back


Console box below center armrest - quite deep


View of front suspension - looks ordinary but works brilliantly


Panoramic Sunroof




View of the sky through the sunroof

[vigsom]

Summing it up

It was a short trip well spent – in the one hour that I spent with the Citroën C5 Aircross, the car just blew me away with so many virtues. The highest end car that I have driven till date has been a 2011 Audi A8L 4.2. The C5 Aircross cannot obviously rival such a car but for sheer ride quality, cabin silence, build and features on offer, the car is unparalleled in today’s gen at this price point. My short meeting with the C5 Aircross just left me aiming for the sky. What an experience it was!

[Aditya]

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

[Axe77]

Great review Vigsom and brilliantly sums up the virtues (as well as missteps) of this neat little package.

Keeping aside the minuscule footprint of Citroen (which is one aspect that might make a prospective buyer wary), if I had two gripes with the C5 they would be:

1. A more comfortable and better designed rear seat.
2. Decent quality leather seats at that price point. With the multitude of airbags you really do wish to have the right seats straight out the factory, rather than tinker with these aftermarket.

Barring these two aspects, the C5 simply hits it out of the park on all fronts as a product. It is fabulous to drive, has great ride quality, has a brilliant boot (disproportionately important to me) and if it was a hint more successful (and therefore confidence inspiring), had at least a couple of dealers in my city, it would be in the narrowest shortlist of my consideration set of a vehicle in that segment, despite being overpriced and everything.

I still do wish they manage to inspire more confidence soon with their C3 launch - it’ll help move C5s too once people see more Citroens in general on the road.

Wishing your friend a great ownership experience in his C5 and hope we can see updates on this thread periodically. There are so few of these on the road in general and in Team BHP too as a result. Will be nice to receive periodic updates on the car’s performance as well as the general ownership / reliability / service etc updates vis a vis Citroen.

[GTO]

Great review, Vigsom! Thanks for sharing. Going to our homepage today .

All I can say is, you're not the only one. Me & Aditya went for the C5 Aircross drive - not expecting much - and the car blew us away too! The depth of engineering, driving experience, design, build quality & sweet ride quality were absolutely top class.

The main problems with the car are the lack of brand recognition and the fact that Citroen overpriced it. The French just don't understand India. If I was the CEO of Citroen India, I'd have sold the C5 Aircross at a mouthwatering price...even if I was losing 5 - 7 lakhs per car. I would take this from my marketing budget. That initial traction, owner reviews and word-of-mouth would be worth crores of rupees! As things stand today, whoever drives the C5 Aircross loves it, but few people ever experience it because of the unknown brand + overpricing. Of course, good luck explaining the loss-leader strategy to your French headquarters - your career would be finished right then & there. These companies are very short term in their thinking.

Sharing my post from back then:

Originally Posted by GTO

Me & French cars have never seen eye-to-eye (309, Fluence, Koleos) and I wasn't expecting much of the Citroen. Suffice to say, after driving it, the C5 Aircross blew me away. Definitely among the more impressive cars I've test-driven in the last year. It's very sorted & an all-rounder in almost every way. I'd even buy it over the likes of the X1 & Q3 from segments above.

I didn't like the design from the pictures. In person however, the car looked really good.

Hope they price it well. Kia & MG have proven that Indian customers will accept a fresh new brand if the product is good (which the C5 Aircross is) and the price is right. Am concerned about the pricing as the French haven't always understood India well (even in industries other than automobiles). Am sure it's not going to be cheap with that 8-speed AT, blind spot monitoring system, insane levels of insulation etc., but it had better offer good value when launched. VALUE is key.

It was a fun day with the C5 Aircross & the Safari:

[PratikPatel]

Originally Posted by GTO

The French just don't understand India. If I was the CEO of Citroen India, I'd have sold the C5 Aircross at a mouthwatering price...even if I was losing 5 - 7 lakhs per car.
Attachment 2296650

How about Renault then? They seem to be doing pretty well, at least better than the Americans who tucked their tails and went home. The French have always been quite rigid in how they do business. Their argument has always been ‘look at our engineering & quality’, ‘you will not get a product of the same standard any where for the same price’. They will not bulge once they take a certain stand. Be it fighter aircraft contracts worth tens of billions or something as innocuous as a home appliance.

[JShah]

Thank you for such a wonderful review, This review is definitely taking me to test drive one very soon.

[McLaren Rulez]

I was really hoping the C3 would have this exact feeling but in a baby brother form. Sadly, from what we've seen so far, it appears to not be the case.

[SR-71]

Fantastic review and clear cut observations.

Originally Posted by Axe77

1. A more comfortable and better designed rear seat.
2. Decent quality leather seats at that price point. With the multitude of airbags you really do wish to have the right seats straight out the factory, rather than tinker with these aftermarket.

Barring these two aspects, the C5 simply hits it out of the park on all fronts as a product.

If anything its point 1 that pinches the most. In my case that one issue single handedly ruled out the car. My father and brother who are well built with wide body frame, found it quiet uncomfortable in the short drive. The wife and I who are more on the leaner side found it awkward in the short drive. If the seats were designed properly like other cars to seat 2 people in comfort, then its a good buy in my book.

A car maker should think global if (s)he wants to sell the product globally. In this case the Citroen designers seemed to have designed it considering French people and their build!

[PrasunBannerjee]

Originally Posted by PratikPatel

How about Renault then? They seem to be doing pretty well, at least better than the Americans who tucked their tails and went home. The French have always been quite rigid in how they do business. Their argument has always been ‘look at our engineering & quality’, ‘you will not get a product of the same standard any where for the same price’. They will not bulge once they take a certain stand. Be it fighter aircraft contracts worth tens of billions or something as innocuous as a home appliance.

It still took them quite a while to understand India. Yet the 'original' Renault products bombed in India. Fluence, Koleos for an example. Their successful products in India were either rebadged Dacia (Logan, Duster) or something they built India specific (Kwid/Kiger/Triber). Their Kaptur-Captur-Kaptur game went a bad route as well.

And even today when SUV craze is higher than ever, Renault withdraws Duster, which already missed out on getting global facelift to India and had just a nip and tuck job passed off as facelift. The car that started the segment, and was so good people lapped it up despite the dated interiors on launch day itself. Renault is finally on a better path, but definitely could have done much better.