Citroen C5 X review

Driving position

The Citroen C5 X could be right up your street if you can’t decide between a saloon, estate or crossover – it gives you a bit of everything.

It’s by no means an SUV, but it does give you a slightly raised driving position for better visibility. You certainly won’t tower over traffic, though.

The seats are a selling point for anyone who does a lot of driving because the memory foam-clad Advanced Comfort cushions are almost armchair-like.

What the car makes up for in comfort, it lacks in support – we were left wanting slightly more lateral support from the seats in corners.

On the whole, the cabin felt light and airy, and some clever quarterlights between the rear doors and boot helped minimise blind spots.

Tech and features

Ergonomically, the cabin strikes a good balance between tech and practicality. It feels plenty modern enough, but we liked the physical climate controls that are far easier to use than a touchscreen.

The infotainment system houses everything you need, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but it’s not the most responsive screen out there.

A few shortcut keys are tucked beneath the screen, and there’s a handy wireless phone charger in the centre console.

Our high-spec Max model was also equipped with a head-up display. Citroen also lets you use the wing mirror controls to adjust the projection on the windscreen, which is really intuitive.

Engines and power

You get the usual array of Citroen engines in the C5 X, including the 1.6-litre plug-in hybrid that we tested.

It’s spritely around town but not as quick as you might hope. The 12.4kWh battery does get you 25-30 miles of real-world range, which is fairly useful.

Other engines include the 130hp 1.2-litre petrol that we’ve enjoyed driving in many of the group’s smaller models. While we haven’t driven it in the C5 X, we suspect it might feel a touch underpowered.

A 180hp 1.6-litre petrol was also available until 2023. Citroen likely discontinued this option to simplify the lineup and reduce emissions.

Handling and ride comfort

Citroen’s literature claims that the C5 X has a Magic Carpet-like ride, and we’d say it lives up to that lofty claim.

The plug-in hybrid C5 X we tested had the Advanced Comfort suspension, which is fitted to all PHEV models as standard. It smoothed potholes and rode larger speed bumps effortlessly.

There are some trade-offs with that super-soft suspension, though. On a fast and twisty road, the car can feel wallowy and unplanted, almost as if it’s begging to be driven in a calmer manner.

Engaging Sport mode does tighten things up somewhat, but if you’re after a more engaging drive, you may wish to consider a mechanically similar Peugeot 408.

Charging times

Thankfully, the C5 X supports 7.4kW charging speeds as standard – this is a paid extra on the C5 X’s cousin, the Peugeot 408.

It takes just under two hours to fully charge the 12.4kWh battery.

Boot space

Behind the seats, the 545-litre boot is in line with many larger crossovers and smaller SUVs.

Be aware that plug-in hybrids have 485 litres of space in order to fit the batteries.

Citroen positions the C5 X against estate models like the Volvo V60 and Audi A4 Avant. It offers more space than those but less than a Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer.

Rear seats

The car’s unique shape is good news for interior space. The rear seats are pushed quite far back, and we think Citroen has done a good job of balancing the amount of boot and rear-seat space on offer in the C5 X.

Speaking of seats, the ones in the back are just as comfortable as the memory foam seats in the front. The lack of a huge transmission tunnel also means there’s plenty of space for three people to put their feet.

Storage solutions

What you see is pretty much what you get in the C5 X. Big door bins and four cupholders – two in the front and two in the back – are great for storing road trip essentials.

On the centre console is a sliding cover to protect your phone on the wireless charging tray, and there are a few USB-C ports throughout the car.

Further back is a central armest which also serves as additional storage. We love the split opening mechanism, which is akin to what you’d find in something like a BMW.

Safety

Euro NCAP awarded the Citroen C5 X a four-star safety rating in 2022, with positive remarks about adult and child occupant protection.

That’s in line with other similar models, like the Peugeot 408 and DS 4, but other cars like the Volvo V60 have it beat for safety.

Fuel economy

After a week in the 225hp plug-in hybrid, we walked away with an average of nearly 60mpg after several hundred miles of mixed motoring.

Shorter trips with regular charging can boost this to over 100mpg, but we found the C5 X to drain its batteries slightly quicker than the mechanically similar Peugeot 408.

Using just the engine, you can expect around 40mpg. For reference, 40mpg is about what you can expect from the 1.2-litre petrol engine, too.

We do like the e-Save model, which we used on a motorway trip to keep the batteries topped up in order to finished the journey on electric power. You can choose to keep the batteries at around 25%, 50% or 100%.

It cost about £1 for us to charge the batteries off-peak, but expect to pay more at public charging points.

What we didn’t like so much was the 40-litre fuel tank. It’s noticeably smaller than the 53-litre tank in the petrol-only models, so you might have to stop more often on longer journeys in the hybrid model.

Reliability

Citroen shares parts, including engines and car tech, with brands like Peugeot, DS and Vauxhall. This should boost reliability, but also makes parts more readily available if needed.

The C5 X is a relatively new model, and its suspension is fairly complex and yet to be observed long-term, but so far the C5 X’s reliability has proven solid.

Insurance groups

Just like the Peugeot 408, the Citroen C5 X occupies various insurance groups in the 20-30 mark depending on configuration.

It might sound pricey for what is usually an affordable brand, but it reflects the technology and power of the hybrid system.

For more premium estates, like a Volvo V60, you might find that insurance premiums are even higher.