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The PSA conglomerate is busy electrifying all its mid-sized SUVs, so the Citroen C5 Aircross gets that tech too. Like its group stablemates, it can be recharged from a home wallbox in under 2 hours and it offers a decent full-electric driving range - here WLTP-certified at 34 miles. Like all C5 Aircross variants, this one majors on comfort, courtesy of the brand's 'Progressive Hydraulic Cushion' set-up. Citroen may be rather late to this party but at least it's trying to bring something new.
Background
The C5 Aircross, launched in 2018, has sold steadily in the mid-sized 5-seat part of the SUV sector but needed a few more headlines. The introduction of this plug-in hybrid variant might provide a few of those, incorporating as it does a cutting-edge electrified powertrain. Citroen has tried to build this into the car without compromising its other comfort-orientated attributes and, as usual with the brand, there's a strong emphasis on value and innovative design.
This won't be the first car you'll have thought of if you happen to be looking for a mid-sized plug-in SUV, but it might well be worth including on your wish list.
Driving Experience
This electrified variant comes with a powerful and adaptable powertrain which sees a PureTech 180 Stop & Start petrol engine and an 80kW electric motor combining with a specially designed e-EAT8 automatic gearbox, to offer the equivalent of up to 225hp. At the wheel, you get three driving modes, with the one you'll be using most of the time being the 'Hybrid' setting that chooses the best mix of electric and petrol propulsion to suit the driving style whilst optimising efficiency. The alternative settings are either 'Sport' (where the car combines the power of the electric and petrol motors to offer livelier performance). And 'Electric' (where the car uses only the battery-powered electric motor, resulting in an ultra-quiet and smooth drive with zero exhaust emissions, offering a WLTP range of up to 34miles.
Otherwise, things are very much as they would be in any other C5 Aircross. This car's key differentiating point is the way it glides over bumps. That ability comes courtesy of its Progressive Hydraulic Cushion suspension system. This two-stage set-up features a couple of hydraulic stops on each side of the car, one for compression, the other for rebound. For major uneven ground impacts, the hydraulic stops work with the springs and shock absorbers to avoid jerky movements and unpleasant bouncing. Thicker softer seat padding also embellishes the impression of comfort. And double-laminated front windows and engine bay soundproofing play their part in reducing cabin noise.
Design and Build
There's very little to visually give away the fact that this variant is a hybrid, apart from 'Hybrid' badging on the front wings and the tailgate. If you want to be more overt about this car's electrified remit, you can specify an 'Anodised' Blue colour pack as an option. If you're not especially familiar with the C5 Aircross, you need to know that it shares the same EMP2 platform as the PSA Group's other mid-sized SUVs, the Peugeot 3008 and the DS 7 Crossback (both of which can also be had with the same plug-in engineering). This Citroen is 4.5m long and 1.84m wide with a 2.73m wheelbase, so is a touch bigger than cheaper cars in this class like Nissan's Qasqai and SEAT's Ateca. The brand's signature 'Air Bumps' make an appearance just above the lower side sills, but they're toned down here, just as they are in the brand's C4 Cactus hatch.
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