Citroen’s new C5 Aircross is a welcome break from the norm

Through the haze of blandness that classifies many of the current crop of SUVs, the Citroen C5 Aircross is a car that wouldn’t be different if it wasn’t a Citroen. For decades, the brand has produced cars from outside-the-box thinking, and the latest SUV from the French aristocrats is defined by its peculiar looks and typical of Citroen’s individuality.

Although it is based on the same platform as the Peugeot 5008 and the Opel Grandland X, Citroen stylists have produced some distinctive visuals and clever engineering to manage the space and the technology that make the C5 Aircross unique in a humdrum world occupied by so many other SUVs.

Underpinning the lot is a further attempt by Citroen to use different suspension setups and five individual seats that offer comfort ahead of the support you might need from driving at outright speed. Strange, then, that this setup derives from their exploits on the World Rally stage, something that you might expect to be alien to that sport.

Add the space once found in less-popular MPVs, and you get a car that gives every passenger more personal space that can be altered to make room for bulky items of cargo too. For those with small children, there are ISOFIX mounts on both outer rear seats and the front passenger seat.

Under the hood of this week’s test model this car is fitted with a 1.5-litre 130hp Puretech petrol engine with six-speed manual gearbox. Although this is a sizeable vehicle, it has plenty of life in it and zips along without too much persuasion. Now, it’s not a racing machine in the purist sense, but few would complain about its ability or its energy.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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