MOROCCAN ROLL!

If this Citroën can handle the Atlas mountains rural Ireland will be easy

THERE have been many occasions on which I’ve been invited to the European launches of SUVs, some of them even full 4x4s, and found myself on test routes that wouldn’t challenge a unicyclist. A speed ramp is not a gradient and the odd puddle on a suburban road is not exactly a raging torrent.

This always leads to the suspicion that the car is nowhere near as good as the manufacturer would have you believe, and indeed is more of a soft-roader than an off-roader. As it happens, the new Citroën C5 Aircross is just a front-wheel-drive SUV with no pretensions to Jeep territory, but it comes with grip control, and clearly it works.

I say this because, on Thursday morning, I found myself 1,800 metres up in the Atlas Mountains just outside Marrakech in Morocco, on a ‘road’ that played rather loosely with the accepted definition of the word. Mountain streams showed no respect and simply flowed across it. Thick ochre mud sat on the surface like icing on a cake. The way was strewn with rocks that clearly had tumbled down the slopes – and, just for good measure, at many points along the route, there were sheer drops to the side, and no protective barriers to prevent us rather rapidly becoming reacquainted with the plain far below.

And here’s the thing. The C5 Aircross not only took all of this in its stride, it felt surefooted at every twist and turn. It’s a sign of the confidence Citroën has in its new baby that the route was chosen at all, and it paid off triumphantly. I’m not saying you’d ford deep streams or drive across a bog in one, but it certainly would have a good go at most of the weather conditions we’re used to in Ireland, and the French carmaker is to be commended for putting its money where its mouth is.

Add in the fact that the scenery was astonishing – from fertile villages dotted with Berber mud-brick houses to soaring peaks capped with snow, this was a drive to live in the memory, and a welcome respite from the more usual routes around Barcelona and Lisbon so beloved of carmakers launching cars during the northern European winter. It reminded me what driving really is all about.

The fact that the drive also was incredibly comfortable speaks volumes about Citroën’s traditional great strength – suspension. The Progressive Hydraulic Cushions added, if not quite the magic carpet ride promised, a relatively smooth feel. The suspension coped easily with every furrow and rut, if not quite every gaping pothole, and there was none of the queasiness I often associate with driving for extended periods on rough roads. The car comes with large 720mm-diameter wheels and 230mm of ground clearance (that’s nine inches in old money), enough to get you out of trouble.

The seats help too. Citroën calls them Advanced Comfort, and it’s true; with a slight rake from front to back, they’re wider than the norm and you ease gently into them, with especially good support for the lower back, and a general air of being cossetted and spoiled. They’re as good as anything out there, even in the premium marques. In the rear, there are three individual seats that can be folded flat.

CITROËN found that one of the main barriers stopping MPV owners switching to SUVs was a 60:40 rear bench, so instead fitted three seats of equals width. Boot size also was a deterrent, so the C5 Aircross comes with class-leading space of between 580 and 720 litres if the rear seats are fully back or moved forward on a sliding rail.

The fascia is attractive and uncluttered though, as always, I’m not wild about the aircon controls being available only on the touchscreen; I still prefer dials I can reach out to touch without taking my eyes off the road, especially one that high up in the mountains.

The C5 Aircross arrives here in midFebruary, with pricing to be announced. There will be two petrol versions – a PureTech 128hp six-speed manual and 178hp stop&start eight speed automatic – and three diesels, 128hp six-speed manual, 128hp S&S eight-speed auto, and 178hp S&S eight-speed auto. I drove only the higher-powered versions in both fuel types, and will report again on the lower-powered versions that likely will be the volume sellers in Ireland.

If I have a quibble, it’s with the exterior looks. The large chrome C inlay to the rear of the glasshouse does nothing for me, and nor do the red frames on the front and on the side of the doors. The design unmistakeably is consistent with the new face of Citroën, but strays a little too far into the blingier DS styling.

I like my SUVs to look just a little less effete. Overall, though, it’s a better drive than expected, and I never once felt uncomfortable with its ability to tackle difficult terrain.