Citroen C5 Aircoss Review 2025

The popular Citroen C5 Aircross family SUV has entered its second generation — and look how it's grown! Its more spacious interior is wrapped in a longer body with sharper-edged styling, but softer driving comfort should still be high on the agenda. Value for money certainly is, with prices starting at £30,495. 

The Citroen C5 Aircross's angular form is a radical departure from the rounded, friendly aesthetic of the outgoing model. That's not a huge surprise given the the brand's other recent launches — the latest Citroen C3 and the Citroen C3 Aircross — displaying a similar obsession with straight lines. Whether or not it's an improvement is up for debate. 

The Mk2 C5 Aircross is 150mm longer than before, with 60mm of that coming from a stretch in wheelbase — important because it translates to more passenger space inside. There's an extra 51mm of legroom for those sitting on the rear bench, while you can also recline the seatbacks anywhere from 21 to 33 degrees. There's  also an extra 68mm of headroom for those sat back there. 

You'll be sitting on Ctiroen's Advanced Comfort seats wherever you are in the C5 Aircross, with your bottom benefiting from wide cushions and high-density foam. The whole cabin is described as being inspired by home furniture design and while similar claims have been trotted out by manufacturers in the past, it does look very pleasant in there.

The Citroen C5 Aircross's dashboard features an unfussy, minimalistic look, broken up in the middle by a 13.0-inch portrait aspect infotainment touchscreen rising from the centre console, similar to what we've seen in a lot of recent Mercedes models. 

Further back, there's a 565-litre boot putting many rivals, including the Nissan Qashqai's which is nearly 50 litres behind, to shame. Fold the rear bench down and the load space increases to an impressive 1668 litres. There's plenty of storage around the cabin, with various cubbies and the big glovebox giving an additional combined 40 litres. The glovebox can also accommodate a 1.5-litre bottle, which certainly isn't something you can do in the closely related Peugeot 3008 and 5008. 

While we're mentioning alternatives, it's worth noting the C5 Aircross sits somewhere between the 3008 and 5008 in terms of size but is comfortably cheaper than both. It's also a little longer than another Stellantis cousin, the Vauxhall Grandland, but again the Citroen's not as expensive.

The Skoda Karoq and Volkswagen Tiguan both offer similar levels of space, with the Karoq coming a little closer to the C5 Aircross when it comes to price. Perhaps the only SUV to truly beat the C5 Aircross in terms of value is the Dacia Bigster, which costs less and has an even bigger boot.  

We found the Vauxhall Grandland to be a strangely firm-riding car but that shouldn't be the case with the Citroen C5 Aircross. Like many cars in its range the suspension features special hydraulic cushions designed to promote a smooth ride. 

While it looks different both outside and in, what's under the C5 Aircross's is a bit more familiar. Its 1.2-litre PureTech three-cylinder mild hybrid-assisted engine was found in the old C5 Aircross along with many, many other Stellantis vehicles. Here it makes 145PS and 230Nm of torque but based on our experiences with it in related models, we're expecting it to feel laboured when performance is asked of it. It's a not very refined starting point. 

Later will come plug-in hybrid versions of the Citroen C5 Aircross, combining the smoother, punchier 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol with a larger electric motor or two plus higher capacity battery packs. 

We don't know how much the PHEV will be just yet but pricing has been confirmed for the Hybrid 145. It's £30,495 in You trim, £33,135 as a Plus, and £35,775 in the range-topping Max grade. That's roughly a £2,000 uplift across the board compared with the outgoing model, but you are getting more car overall.

Those prices are also around £2100 more model-for-model than those of the all-electric Citroen e-C5 Aircross, trimmed by £1500 after the inclusion of the government's new Electric Car Grant. 

Even the entry-level You models get a decent range of equipment, including 18-inch alloy wheels, the 13.0-inch infotainment screen with 3D navigation, a wireless smartphone charging pad and adaptive cruise control. Plus versions buildson this with interior ambient lighting, dark-tinted rear windows, keyless entry, front parking sensors and a 180-degree rear parking camera. 

The Plus looks to strike a good balance between equipment levels and value but if you're looking for more the Max grade adds a head-up display, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a hands-free electric tailgate and upgraded driver assistance systems.

Keep this page bookmarked for further news on this important new range and to read our forthcoming comprehensive and full Citroen C5 Aircross review in the weeks ahead.