After five years of loyal service, a facelift for the Citroën C5 Aircross does not just fall out of the sky. Car manufacturers often work only briefly and the changes can be counted on one hand. The French have adhered less tightly to the original design and have taken a much more light-hearted approach.
From the first glance you immediately see that the Citroën has been thoroughly brushed aside by the design of the C5 Aircross. The nose is a lot cleaner. The double grille has given way to a more robust-looking single variant. The light units of the daytime running lights are also no longer isolated, but have found a home in the units that also house the regular headlights. The double chevrons, on the other hand, have detached themselves from the design and now adorn the nose independently, separate from the chrome strip. Citroën’s PR department proudly mentions how this simple design trick gives the logo more breathing room.
less drastic
Less innovative are the sides and buttocks of the new Citroën C5 Aircross. We see that the rear light units have been slightly touched up, but that’s where the changes stop. Even with Citroën’s press information at hand, we don’t discover many other changes. The French are already talking about how the contrasting paint color at the C-pillar makes the roof seem to float in the air. So nothing breathtaking, the pre-facelift Aircross already had that.
The C5 Aircross gets a new interior
The innovations are slowly continuing in the interior. The new 10-inch touchscreen should now appear to ‘float above the dashboard’. The screen must have made significant strides in the field of ergonomics, for example by making direct access to things like climate control easier.
Other innovations to the dashboard are the new ventilation grilles under the floating screen, and the renewed 12.3-inch digital information screen behind the steering wheel. This screen provides the driver with all useful information about the car, the engines and the route to be driven.
Flying carpet
According to Citroën, the C5 Aircross is the most comfortable car in its class. This is partly due to new seats and the so-called Progressive Hydraulic Cushions, a modern variant of the iconic Citroën hydraulic suspension. The car has to smooth out all the bumps and bumps flawlessly, and create a real ‘flying carpet’ effect.
Plug-in, petrol and diesel
The renewed C5 Aircross is again on the market as a plug-in hybrid. The petrol and electric motor deliver a combined power of 225 hp and a maximum torque of 320 nm. Pure electric driving is possible, with a range of 55 km. Citroën also mentions that regular petrol and diesel engines will come on the market. However, the French are not yet revealing what we can expect from the Dutch dealers.