Mid-range crossovers! Everyone wants to have one. Yes, you too, even if you don't think so. If it were modern humans that David Attenborough pointed his binoculars at from the bushes, he would conclude that tall, sort-of-tough cars with relatively modest fuel consumption stimulate our receptors and encourage a reflex that makes us reach for our wallets. to grasp. This is a biological fact, there is no point in resisting it.
Still, it pays for car manufacturers to occasionally fine-tune their crossovers and make them even more attractive to hungry car buyers. Take Citroën, which quite literally facelifted the C5 Aircross last year by providing it with a fashionable LED nose. And, because they were at it, now also a mild-hybrid powertrain (known from other Stellantisjes) to keep the petrol version and two plug-in hybrids company.
We drive the Citroën C5 Aircross Hybrid
In the Citroën C5 Aircross Hybrid 136, the 1.2-liter fuel engine delivers the horsepower that is in its name, with occasional help from an electric motor with just under 29 hp. This is connected to a 48-volt system and houses a six-speed DCT transmission – the ë-DCS6, for fans of unnecessary diaphragms on letters – which as a whole helps to provide extra pep and reduce average consumption by a good 15 percent. . Wait a minute, shhh! Do we hear a pack there? empty nesters shuffle anxiously towards the car boulevard?
Driving the Citroën C5 Aircross Hybrid is an interesting experience. The hybrid drivetrain makes quite a few fascinating, tram-like sounds at low speeds: soft but present humming that varies with speed and has audible shift points. It regularly drives fully electrically, sometimes at speeds of 80-90 km/h, but with the slightest prodding from your right foot, the e-motor becomes too much and the three-cylinder switches on.
You can use one-pedal driving
If you let go of the gas, the car regenerates and slows down quite violently. This way, the small battery under the driver's seat remains well charged and the petrol engine can be left out more often. We drive electrically 25 percent of the time on a varied route. Not bad for something that only calls itself a mild hybrid.
With power like this you don't have to expect the world in terms of performance, but the C5 Aircross comes along nicely. When in a hurry, the petrol engine sounds a bit ragged. The transmission responds well to the paddles on the steering wheel and is always alert, whether you drive smoothly or quietly. The turning circle is surprisingly small, but so is the headroom in the rear – and without such a trendy sloping roofline. Bizarre.
The seats in the Citroën C5 Aircross Hybrid are nice
Typical Citroën are the nice Advanced Comfort seats and the chassis with 'hydraulic cushions', which work together to make your ride as pleasant as possible. Yet the Aircross is not soft or distant: bumps are not filtered, but they are neatly rounded. The steering is quite heavy in all driving modes, as if they were afraid to go too far in terms of comfort.
It is noticeable that the C5 Aircross is already getting a bit old: the central screen is small, the USB connections are of the old type. Yet it has a lot of its technology in order (it sets off a kind of air raid siren if you open the door without activating the handbrake – very 2024) and it still has an excellent design. High. Kind of cool. Modest consumption. Ah, look at the swarm coming, bank cards in hand.
Specifications of the Citroën C5 Aircross Hybrid 136 Max (2024)
Engine
1,199cc
three-cylinder turbo hybrid
136 + 28 hp @ 5,500 rpm
230 + 55 Nm @ 1,750 rpm
Drive
front wheels
6v automatic
Performance
0-100 km/h in 11.6 s
top 195 km/h
Consumption (average)
5.7 l/100 km
127g/km CO2
Dimensions
4,500×1,860x
1,689 mm (lxwxh)
2,730 mm (wheelbase)
weight nb
53 l (petrol)
580 l (luggage)
Prices
€45,140 (NL)
€39,100 (B)
#Citroën #Aircross #Hybrid #review
