Citroen C5 Aircross is as funky as the concept

At the 2015 Auto Shanghai, Citroen showed off an Aircross concept that boasted a funky design and a hybrid powertrain. Two years after that at the 2017 Auto Shanghai, it was revealed again, now as a production model. This here is the Citroen C5 Aircross.

The funky design of the concept hasn’t been watered down much. The dimensions are slightly tweaked though, making the C5 Aircross bigger than the concept it is based on. The Airbump protection panels on the wheel arches and lower body seen on the Aircross concept and the C4 Cactus has made it to the production model. There are not two, but 4 LED headlamp clusters upfront that gives the C5 Aircross a distinctive appearance. The pillars have been blacked out to create the illusion of a floating roof. Alloy wheels in multiple designs ranging from 17 to 19 inches are available. The paint palette gives the customer a chance to customise the car according to their preferences.

The design language adopted by the cabin falls short in terms of eccentricity when compared to the exterior design. But it’s a handsome design nevertheless. A combination of dark brown and black is used to trim the interior. Instrument cluster is now an all-digital unit which uses a 12.3-inch screen. Another 8-inch display flanked by four rectangular air-con vents serve as the screen for the infotainment system. A bunch of touch sensitive buttons are used to control many functions. The driver can control the media, telephone and navigation systems through voice recognition as well.

An array of driving aids includes Speed Sign Recognition and Recommendation, Automatic Dimming Headlights, Active Safety Brake, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop Function, Active Lane Departure Warning System, Active Blind Spot Monitoring System and a Vision 360 system that uses 180-degree cameras at the front and back to give the driver a wider view of the environment around the car.

The powertrain choices for the C5 Aircross include 165 hp and 200 hp petrol engines that are available in China. These are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Topping the range off will be a plug-in hybrid with 300 hp at its disposal, making it the most powerful production car Citroen has ever made. This powertrain makes use of the same petrol engine, albeit in a beefier state of tune along with a pair of electric motors. This will also come with all-wheel-drive and an electric-only range of 60 km.

The C5 Aircross will go on sale in China in October while the rest of the world will have to wait another to year to receive it.