Best SUV nobody will buy? 2023 Citroen C5 Aircross review

You could buy any number of midsize SUVs in Australia - or you could do yourself a favour and buy a Citroen C5 Aircross.
This is the best unknown SUV on the market, and the most comfort-focused of any of the medium-sized crossover models you can buy today.
It is well packaged, decently equipped, and has some of the most comfortable seats of any car on the market.
So, would you roll the dice on a C5 Aircross over a Toyota RAV4, Nissan X-Trail, Mazda CX-5, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage or any of the others? The answer is probably a 'no', but in this video I'll tell you why this French five-seat high-rider deserves your attention...
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00:00 Intro
00:28 Is it the right price?
01:50 What's the best competitor?
02:48 Is it the right size?
04:00 Interior
08:06 Under the bonnet
08:40 Driving
11:34 Efficiency
12:07 Is it safe?
12:54 Ownership
13:34 Verdict
--
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#citroen #c5aircross #review

[@therightcar]

Whoops! The pop-up text graphic in the Under the Bonnet section is incorrect! Correct info: 133kW/250Nm 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cyl, 8-spd auto, FWD Thanks to Gary and Ged for pointing it out. (08:06)

[@TheCodeTinkerer]

You failed to mention, that the storage room is a fridge :D

[@gregturner_awod]

I owned C5 wagons in the past, super comfortable and so well equipped for their time. Diesel back in those days with a hydro-pneumatic suspension, the most comfortable cars I’ve ever owned. They were well built and with the most comfortable seats. French cars, and Citroen particularly, are underrated in Australia and shouldn’t be. This was a great and informative review. Thanks!

[@therightcar]

Thank you for your kind comment! I’m glad you enjoyed the video.

[@zaamuro8408]

Definitely underrated but too expensive for what they are. They want to compete with VW price wise, but most buyers shy away...

[@daweigo6851]

Pathetic dealer network is half the problem

[@finickity]

Have a C5 aircross, zips along and very very comfortable. Great sized boot and plenty of storage space. Hope it remains reliable as very pleased with it so far.

[@user-pp2cj7rx7c]

Excellent job ❤

[@AmberKwow]

Covered everything nicely

[@Dentos19]

Got this car 21 plate 1.5 hdi flair auto 8 speed so easy to drive and very quiet,plenty of room and three proper rear seats,car is averaging 46 mpg mixed driving,this is my first auto and it’s silky smooth got to be on your list as an all round family car😂🥳

[@therightcar]

Great to hear! Love this Citroen. Australians don’t, they sell hardly any.

[@Waheeda-kl8lt]

Your videos are very informative and helpful. You are doing great work.

[@therightcar]

So nice of you

[@paulgraves7949]

Owned the pre faced lift original (8 speed here in the UK) for 3 years and absolutely loved it was totally reliable and immensely comfortable and I miss it greatly...even though I know own a Cupra Formentor and have done for 5 months now...

[@mixupchannel643]

What a beautiful car 🚙

[@imranjaved9673]

Fantastic SUV❤❤

[@kashifrasheed2187]

Love it

[@iEnofadov]

There are a few reasons why the Citroen C5 Aircross and just Citroen in general, will largely be ignored by the general public in Australia, lets run through a few of them shall we ... 1. Despite the brand being one of the longest continuously sold car brands in Australia, Citroen pretty much has zero brand awareness in this country. Going through third party importers doesn't help Citroen's situation and for the life of me I don't understand why Stellantis hasn't come in yet and taken over full factory operations of all their brands in Australia? 2. Inchcape have done a pretty good job at making sure Citroen isn't on the radar of most Australian's and they did this with slashing the number of dealers that used to carry the brand. The dealer network in Australia is tiny! I'll use South Australia as an example, here our only Citroen dealer is in the capital, Adelaide and if you drove past the dealer, which it shares location and showroom floor space with two other brands from Inchcape, Subaru and Peugeot, you wouldn't even know Citroen existed, there is zero signage and only 2 or 3 Citroens on display on a good month. How does a brand be expected to survive when there is no signage showing that there is a Citroen dealer at the only location in South Australia? 3. Inchcapes business model for the brand here. Let's import only one highly spec vehicle of one model, price it above the competition and not do any marketing for that model. When Citroens of today don't even attract loyalists of the past, then how do they expect to attract new generations to the brand and maintain that connection? 4. Citroen's are expensive to buy in Australia, which is the opposite in Europe, where the brand is marketed as PSA's entry level brand. I was in Europe recently and the C3 hatch, C3 Aircross, C4 hatch, C5 Aircross and Citroen's range of vans were EVERYWHERE! Citroens are expensive to service in Australia and parts availability is nearly non existent, so you wouldn't want to be waiting on parts if your Citroen broke down or was in an accident. Some will say this is the case with pretty much every brand selling vehicles in Australia at the moment, but with the PSA brands, it's worse! 5. Resale values - as I said, they're expensive to buy but you lose so much money when it comes to trading them in, as no one generally buys them. 6. I don't see a bright future for the brand in Australia and I predict they won't be here in 5 years time. With the uptake of EV's here from much more established brands and newer Chinese brands and the federal governments pending release of their strategy to bring Australia into the 21 century with regards to a national fuel standards, where exactly is Citroen Australia going to be? What is their brand strategy for the Australian market? Citroen isn't alone in this, there are a few other brands I could also mention, but we're talking about Citroen here. Me personally, I'm a Citroen fan and I've owned many French branded cars, just no Citroens and we currently have a Peugeot in the garage, so I'm no Citroen hater. Would I buy a Citroen? Not a new one, but I'd be happy to buy a second hand one and let someone else payout that new car price!

[@therightcar]

Great points, and all of them very well made. I’ve said to colleagues for a decade or so that Citroen seems to be a “flag in the ground” exercise in Australia. Maybe if Stellantis does put on its big boy pants and make a go of it here, that’ll change… I won’t be holding my breath for it. The brand argues that they tried the “affordable, lower spec” approach and nobody wanted those variants. But they’re hardly convincing customers to consider the brand with over-the-top pricing like this car has.

[@iEnofadov]

@@therightcar You reap what you sow, right? Don't put in much effort, then don't expect too much in return. I won't be holding my breath either. PSA have shown that Australia has been pretty low on their priority list for the past 15 years or more and in that time, what customers they did have, have now moved on. With the 'winding' down of the brand here, and we thought Sime Darby couldn't have done any worse, Inchcape have taken the brand to a new low and any thought now to try and rebuild the brand, will be pushing the proverbial! It's hard for brands to come back and be successful when they've been mistreated like this for years. SsangYong seem to be doing better, it'll be interesting to see how Mahindra goes this time around and Chery will probably do a lot better given the investment the parent company is prepared to do. Interesting, PSA seems to be interested in India now, Citroen was only released there as a brand in 2021 and they've now got a couple of models that look like they'd be a good fit for Australia, like their new C3 and C3 Aircross, which aren't the same as the global C3 hatch and C3 Aircross. Doubt we'll get them here though, as Inchcape are pushing the Citroen brand into "premium" territory, which they simply are not. They're no better than a Nissan, Mitsubishi or Suzuki, yet they're asking Volkswagen coin. Yes they tried the “affordable, lower spec” approach, but did anyone know about them? Where was the marketing for it? Apologies for the rant! Thanks for your reply Matt!

[@therightcar]

Love a good rant!

[@souravchakraborty5588]

Bro whatever you said, it is almost the same situation of Citroen in India

[@daweigo6851]

Ferrari out sells them 😂

[@AmirZaib-rx7ov]

Blue colour 💙 so nice this car

[@AhmadKhan-bz3oe]

Nice video 💯

[@therightcar]

Thanks 💯

[@fyks6447]

I like the 3 separate back seats.which no other brands can offer!

[@ClanMacqueen]

I recently bought the plug-in variant of this in the UK. In the UK market Citroen is positioned at the more affordable end of the mainstream market so it actually represents pretty good value compared with its Peugeot 3008 sister and the mid-sized SUVs from the VW/Audi/Seat stable. But I agree with the review summary that it is comfort that is this car's strong suit. Shame you don't get the plug-in hybrid in Australia - I'm getting about 54km of plug-in range and most of my journeys are electric only, and the fuel consumption for the first 5000k of ownership has averaged about 3.1 l/100k. Obviously there are some electricity costs to add in, but if you mainly do shorter journeys the plug-in makes a lot of sense - and is super quiet!

[@danielngada8225]

You gave a very good review. I begin to like this brand. It should be my next machine this year

[@therightcar]

Cool!

[@user-cz1rc4ej5o]

Wonderful excellent good car❤

[@paulbr68]

Excellent review as always Matt. I see there is a sale on now......interested

[@therightcar]

Thanks mate! Yep, could be a good time to get a bargain.

[@AtifKhan-fw5jd]

Awesome car ❤

[@MasterMind-io6bp]

Amazing car 🚗

[@heathkelley994]

i think its a great looking car - wish i saw more on the road

[@user-qc4qx1tb1f]

Great day

[@MuhammadUmairTahir-bo9df]

Beautiful nice car 👌👍

[@bmunckton]

I’ve had the previous generation of this car in top spec 1.2 auto since 2020 on lease. We love it. But the lease is up and I’m into extended time now. Just don’t wanna give it back 🤣. Trouble is deciding whether to buy it, lease the new style one, or lease something different for a change.

[@TVseriesfangirl]

Great

[@therightcar]

Cool car hey?

[@rossappleton9758]

We’ve 270k on our 2012 C4 diesel, I just wish they were the same fuel type in this or a new C4.. Thanks for all your reviews. 👍🍻

[@therightcar]

Thank you for your comment! I’ve always loved the C4 wagon with the diesel engine. Great to see yours has served you for so long - and hopefully trouble free?

[@Dentos19]

The new 1.5hdi 139 bhp is a great engine I had the Picasso 120 bhp for 5 years no problems👍

[@zulfiqarghaffari5326]

Unique colour

[@therightcar]

Yep!

[@rsg5850]

We are not selling enough. Citroen: let's make it super expensive!

[@KLiNoTweet]

It's a very comfy car 😊

[@danieltaylor3755]

Fantastic car and its criminal why the brand is not more publicized here.

[@therightcar]

They kinda play it so only people who buy Citroens buy Citroens, you know what I mean?

[@daweigo6851]

​@@therightcarreality is that previous Citroen buyers are getting to old to buy another one

[@eddyvanderstraeten2522]

I love citroen al my life

[@user-xd5di6yi2i]

Wao so beautiful ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@therightcar]

Glad you liked it

[@smlines9836]

👍👍👍

[@sadiaiftikhar7459]

👍👍

[@bojansalmic9811]

yes, i love this car. Which petrol motor is in this car ? 1,2 liter 130 HP ?

[@therightcar]

We get the highest output petrol from Citroen - 1.6 turbo with 133kW (Pure Tech 180).

[@buncha5651]

Citroen and Peugeot where good many years ago sadly not now. Is there no blind on that sunroof ? Bloody hot

[@bmunckton]

There is on mine. And I’ve got the previous version so would imagine there is.

[@sujithwickramaratne4066]

Im thinking of buying the Mazda cx60. What do you think on that vehicle. Any clue on it. Im buying plug in hybrid version roughly costing me AUD85,000

[@therightcar]

I was supposed to be attending the launch for it but have other plans. I think it’ll be a luxurious thing - but 85k for PHEV? You’d have to really want it.

[@Paul-fv4no]

Did I miss it? Does the steering wheel have reach adjustment?

[@therightcar]

It does. I didn’t mention it because all cars should! Haha

[@oojimmyflip]

and electric drivers seat height, reach and tilt, the headrests are also adjustable back and forth @@therightcar

[@ItsPinkoy]

I hope you review Peugeot 5008. 😊

[@therightcar]

I wouldn’t be holding my breath for it if I was you 🥸

[@ItsPinkoy]

Is it really that bad? 😶😶

[@garyblizzard5266]

i had a french car once

[@gregj3515]

I think the loss of the orange coloured model is a shame, haggle hard for a big discount....kudos for the 40/20/40 rear split....

[@therightcar]

I liked that orangey-red one too!

[@dominochoir]

wrong.. There is 33-33-33 rear split.

[@user-wr8pl9cc6s]

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@user-su8wi2oc6o]

Super 😅😅😮😢😢🎉

[@oojimmyflip]

we have a UK 2019 1.5 diesel 8 speed auto Flair model with everything but the glass roof and the electric tailgate and who wants to kick the towbar everytime you open the boot by waving your shin at it? we bought ours at 3 thousand miles used for 18K it does 37mpg around town and 58 MPG on a run, it weighs 1400kg so the towing limit is a little down on the 2 litre diesel version but it still leaves plenty of scope for towing for us. Blind spot detection (not mentioned here) I think you call it cyclist detection. camera included already mounted in the car can record every journey, (first european car to include a camera), auto braking to prevent collisions with pedestrians/vechicles works very well with the radar and camera working together to map the road ahead, cruise control is responsive and accurate as is the speed limiter if required. The big captain armchair seats are very confortable and the drivers seat is electric with height, rake and tilt adjustment, the steering wheel also has height and rake adjustment, Im six foot 3 with a 33 inside leg and I have loads of room to be comfortable. its a luxury ride on stilts with better than Range Rover reliability. but what isnt these days? Go test one you wont be dissapointed esspecially if you can find a low mileage used diesel, it will save you half the cost at least and turn off lane guidance its very annoying when changing lanes at speed. My last Citroen was a 1998 Citroen Xantia estate 1.9 turbo diesel it was 18 years old when we had to say goodbye to it as it was costing 3 grand a year to keep it on the road in maintenance costs. It had done nearly 500 thousand miles.

[@therightcar]

Thanks mate. Sounds like you’re loving it!

[@Dentos19]

Got this car 21 plate 12k miles ex motabiluty for £17500 and it’s great my first automatic won’t be going back to manual

[@stizzygrayson5541]

The c5x has a hud, wireless CarPlay and 8 speaker audio, this doesn’t. What a shame. Once again Citroen Australia has managed to clutch defeat from the jaws of victory.

[@therightcar]

It’s a “new platform” vs “old platform” thing, that. If only the C5 Aircross had the goods you mentioned. And diesel or PHEV. And AWD. And a lower price. 😆

[@tonybennett638]

Mate talking seat comfort... going bach a couple of years like back to the70's a Ford Falcon or Fairmount let all a Fairlane would have real comfort.

[@lukeclifton4392]

I’ve always liked Citroen but the reliability and repair costs have scared me. Now that they’re part of the automotive litter box “Stellantis”… I’m not interested anymore. PS. The stitching on those seats looks worse than a shirt from a grade 9 textiles class😂

[@therightcar]

Litter box. Nice.

[@servusgunter]

I own a C4 Grand Picasso for 8 years now with absolutely no repair cost occured this period, just normal service for filter, oil and brakes…

[@markhamer5112]

I’m not sure what the point is of putting up a “video” that appears in my subscription list but doesn’t show me anything.

[@therightcar]

It’s a Premiere mate. So, if you want, you can set a reminder on KZbin so you will be notified when it’s about to be published.

[@Oz1965Gaz]

Your pop up text shows the engine spec as 1.5l 82kW 150nm 4 speed auto ?!

[@gedz44]

133kw 250nm 8 speed need to send us both some merch

[@giggygiggy1393]

Was gunna say that's atriousus power

[@therightcar]

Whoops!!

[@therightcar]

I’ll give you a prize if you can tell me which car has those outputs! 😝😆 But seriously. Having some issues on the merch front. When I start spruiking the link, hit me up and I’ll send you a freebie.

[@giggygiggy1393]

An absolutely rubbish car ? Lol

[@RanaFaisal-mk9yb]

Ham

[@paranormalchef5211]

If it had AWD and diesel I'd get it 100%

[@therightcar]

I hear you. Would turn a good car into a great one.

[@billybeveridge9172]

Not that great on the fuel its crap infact but it is a nice car to drive think theres better ones outhere tho 😊

[@tonybennett638]

Probably right mate ..but sorry by 100%°

[@SuperAlmighty]

4 star ANCAP and no AWD at this high price, not for me.

[@therightcar]

Understandable.

[@oojimmyflip]

mine easily climbs a 1 in 4 on snow and ice thats pretty good for a front wheel drive auto 1.5 diesel. it lost a star for auto breaking when your not in the vechicle, if your to stupid to not apply the handbrake when you leave the car parked thats not a deal breaker in saftey, thats irrisponsibility and driver error. however the automatic emergency breaking does work very well if someone steps out in front of you without warning or brake checks you. The C5 Aircross is the first european vechicle to come with an inbuilt camera which records every journey taken in the top of the windscreen. The park assist is very handy in town for reversing into parking bays or parallel parking or even leaving a tight parking space assisted by the cameras all you have to do is control the throttle and the car will steer for you. Blind spot detection is very handy for cyclist detection or motorcycles filtering, this really wasnt highlighted in the review and should have been.

[@sidjyothi]

Citroen are nowhere in Australia, it simply has to be unsustainable. i believe they sold only 296 cars in 2022. Outsold by Jaguar, Maserati and even alfa romeo! Surely this is not sustainable long term. hard to gamble on it

[@therightcar]

I hear you. A great brand that isn’t being handled in very convincing way in Australia.

[@sidjyothi]

@@therightcar in fact, just noticed the VFACTS for May'23. 26 cars sold!, including a grand total of 5 Aircosses :)

[@FrugalRoo]

For the same money, you can get the new Honda ZR-V hybrid with more power and better fuel consumption and arguably a higher-quality build.

[@therightcar]

And I’ll be doing a review on it soon. You can also get a RAV4 hybrid (in theory) or a H6 Hybrid, or any number of other SUVs.

[@FrugalRoo]

@@therightcar Look forward to the ZR-V review. Looks promising if I look at the spec sheet.

[@therightcar]

Agree!

[@ytlurker220]

The ZR-V is quite a bit smaller inside, which seems to be the case across Japanese brands. The boot is a lot smaller, seats down even more so which implies less rear seat space and probably a less square cabin/boot shape.

[@daweigo6851]

​@@ytlurker220also no sunroof available

[@mattamee7]

We have the C5 aircross 2019 the car is good the Citrone UK is the more worst company. There was back call for injection. We don't know about this. 2 weeks ago the injection was broken. After call to authorised dealer in UK we get very bad answer. Its not worth buying car from Citroën if the company didn't doing nothing. This was back call front GOV. We changed the parts in service . Its was little costly. Now we looking for different car. Don't buy it !!

[@therightcar]

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience mate.

[@oojimmyflip]

I have a 2019 1.5 diesel Aircross Flair in the UK, I bought used at 3 thousand miles for around 18k and its had no recalls as yet, it is 100% reliable. Citroen Uk are not reliable best to have a good independant VAT registered garage do the servicing for you at a lot less cost, if your delearships permit that like they do in the UK without voiding the warrenty. Ive been driving Citroens for most of my life since my early 20s and im 58 years old now and still love em. accessories are a little hard to find but it is getting better slowley, if you need a roof rack for one get a streamlined one it doesnt impact on fuel economny at all.

[@351tgv]

Don't buy this previous generation outdated Mitsubishi Outlander clone, yes Matt that is what it is. Buying French car? I suggest you ... stopping that line of thought. Be prepared to pay through the nose for parts IF you can find them.

[@therightcar]

Ha! It’s a good rig, mate. I liked it a lot!!

[@351tgv]

Yeah I know, I was being outrageous since it's based on the now outdated Outlander platform. Putting that aside I guess it come down to personal taste of you are serious about buying this vehicle. That said thearket has spoken and PSA or now Stelantis and Renault are very fortunate that the Tench government backs their automotive industry even if the manufactures have to use "other platforms" and make them "Fench" in nature.

[@00TheAceOfSpades00]

It's ugly, expensive and legendarily unreliable, wouldn't even take it for free

[@therightcar]

Yes you would.

[@wheresmycheese8511]

It looks fantastic, can get one at a good price if you haggle and no more unreliable than any other brand. Funny how people are stuck in the past when it comes to French reliability but happy to forgive Hyundai's fire balls.

[@daweigo6851]

Silly comment

[@DannChewie]

Not even the French would buy a Citroen or a French car for that matter

[@therightcar]

Are you French?

[@AK-tb7gt]

France is full of French cars!!

[@dave7738]

Biggest selling brand in France Peugeot, next ones are German then Citroen. Your Toyota is way down the list.

[@daweigo6851]

Stupid comment, they are massive sellers in France and Europe, Africa

[@Dentos19]

Talking rubbish

[@smlines9836]

👍👍👍