Citroen C5
As a brand, Citroen is renowned for its refinement in suspension and ride quality, but – also as a brand – Citroen does not surface on fleet radar very often, especially outside of the UK.
This has not been for lack of trying on the brand’s part. Indeed, Citroen has come up with some excellent fleet vehicles in the past, but the timing has never been right and more critically, the dollars to euros conversion has never really been in Citroen’s favour. Until now.
Things have changed a little in the economic climate, and last year Citroen introduced its flagship, the C5 Aircross, with its Feel and Shine tech and spec variants.
The C5 Aircross is sort of an SUV and sort of a wagon, which makes it an interesting er…cross. This is not a bad thing in a market which appreciates big wagons and a neverending thirst for SUVS.
In typical Citroen fashion, the C5 Aircross is eye catching and, while it looks distinctive, its exterior design lends itself to a remarkably practical interior.
Opening that rear tailgate reveals a cargo area of 580 litres, which can – by virtue of the rear seat’s flexibility in slide – expand to 720 litres.
If you really want space, you can drop the seatbacks to give you 1630 litres and there’s a little more under the false floor of the regular boot.
The rear bench seat is a clever piece of automotive interior design. In addition to offering the ability to adjust a full 150mm as a unit, the rear seat( s) is
( are) designed to give each of the three occupants their own feeling of space.
Generous in shoulder room yes, but the rear accommodations provide sufficient comfort and support for three occupants without the – any parent will relate to this – cries and complaints of “she’s in my space,” “get your elbow out of my eye,” “stay on your side” comments which usually accompany the situation of three kids in the back seat.
The same exacting degree of comfort and support is manifest in the front seats, which sit a smidge higher than you might expect, giving a sense of SUV superiority of height.
Finding the edge of the vehicle’s exterior is easy as a result of this, combined with an expansive all round ‘ greenhouse’ glass cabin affair, which almost precludes the requirement for the active blind- spot monitoring – a very small component of the C5’s overall safety package.
This includes tyre pressure monitoring, top view monitoring camera, front and rear parking sensors, hill start assist, traffic sign recognition, active lane departure, front collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, intelligent braking assist, programmable cruise control with limiter and the routine alphabet soup of ABS ( antilock brakes) ESP ( electronic stability programme), EBFD (emergency brake force distribution) and of course, front, side and curtain airbags.
The cockpit is… intriguing. There are the de rigueur touchscreens to access infotainment and navigation functions ( Shine model) while a digital multifunction command screen provides driver useful information, but the layout and design of the dash is quite different to even other European cars for that “French flaveur.”
Ride quality is however the C5’s hero piece. As opposed to a conventional suspension set- up of shock absorber, spring and a mechanical stop, Citroen has added two hydraulic stops for better compression and decompression.
This set- up is referred to as Progressive Hydraulic Cushions and form part of the Citroen Advanced Comfort programme which recognises the increased amount of time many spend in their vehicles.
Thus, Citroen is tacitly suggesting cars which are thus equipped – like the C5 Aircross – should be high on the list of those looking at vehicles doing high mileages – an interesting option for those who once had Falcons or Commodores n’est- ce pas?