C5A first impressions

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BusybeasC5A
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri May 28, 2021 9:19 pm

Post by BusybeasC5A »

Ok, now had a C5 Aircross 130 hdi Flair Plus for just over 2 weeks and will share my thoughts / first impressions.

Our 6th Citroen motor, and by far and away the best we have ever had , in every respect.

Likes:

The look /design, only seen 3 in local area in many months.
Amazingly quiet.
Super Smooth EAT8 gearbox compared to the old EAT6.
Extremely comfortable, seats are lovely and the PHC suspension really does make a difference!
Enjoyable to drive...or even sit still in a traffic jam :D
Factory fitted sunroof ( our first ever.. nice to have)
Auto tailgate lift
Considering its a bigger and heavier car than our 1.6hdi DS4, its got more than enough power for us.
The gadgets, Highway Driver Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control and a myriad of others.
Currently 52 - 60 mpg, only drops with any short local journeys, as expected.
Insurance-- cost was exactly the same as our old DS4, which is amazing as this is 3x the value /cost.


Dislikes ( not many and not all specific to C5A ):

No Spare wheel /saver ( sourced my own from a DS7)
No heating control knobs, adjustments only via voice recognition or the touch screen
No heated front windscreen
No reversing / tilting mirror function
No LED head lights ( UK spec appears dumbed down to me)
Subscription based maps after 3 years.
Subscription based speed camera alerts
Wife complains the storage bins in the doors are smaller and shallower than the old DS4 were, she is right !

Pleased to say, all the dislikes were / are never a deal breaker, as overall comfort and quietness were top of our list.
Its a joy and pleasure to drive anywhere and even after only 2 weeks, this beats all of our previous Citroens, which included a Xsara, C4 original, C4 (B7) Hatch x2, DS4
Yes, I l do like Citroens , they are quirky, not seen in masses, on the road, they look different, and I like that !

More feedback to follow
NOW 2023 C4X Shine 130 1.2 Petrol EAT8 in Perla Nera Black
WAS 2021 C4 Shine Plus 130 HDI BLUE EAT 8 in Elixir Red
WAS 2020 C5 Aircross 130HDi BLUE EAT 8 Flair Plus in Platinum Grey
WAS 2016 DS4 EAT6 Blue Hdi

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GilRil
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Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2021 4:35 pm

Post by GilRil »

We use to have a C4 Picasso, but now have a C5 Aircross, new since 22-03-2021, both me and my wife prefer our old C4, the C4 was much bigger and more room, had under floor storage and comfomtable seats so my wife says, she is disabled and the C4 was great for her to get in and out, but the C5, she keeps hitting the door seal with he bad leg and my inlaws say the back seats are smaller and not a lot of lot of room.

I do love all The gadgets, Highway Driver Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control etc, only had Cruise control on the C4,
my biggest dislike is not having all round camera view, on the C4 we had 4 cameras 1 in the front, 1 at the rear and 1 each in the door mirrors, with that you could get a live all around view of the car, great when parking you can see the lines on the floor and park correctly.

I dont like the idea of not having a spare tyre, I like to have a spare tyre.
having Driver Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control in the C5 is great, its like the car is driving itself, ( i always hold the steering wheel ), I like the way it stops by itself when pulling up in traffic (I always cover the break just in case) and keeping its distance from the car in front
We thought have a New C5 would be bigger than the C4, but we wished we kept our old one
C5 Aircross 1.2 Pure Tech 130 Shine Plus Auto
JohnB
Posts: 129
Joined: Fri Jun 08, 2018 3:52 pm

Post by JohnB »

Hi GilRil, I have a similar experience to yours - currently have a C3 Aircross but as the lease is up soon I've recently bought a used Grand C4 Spacetourer as we need more space. I looked at the C5 Aircross and whilst it's a lovely car, it didn't seem to have that much room in the back, so I went for the older Spacetourer. The only other car I could find with comparable room was the Peugeot 5008 - every other mid-sized SUV just doesn't seem to have much rear legroom (the wheelbase is longer on C4 Spacetouer/5008). A must for me was the reverse dipping door mirrors and rear blinds, although I would have liked an opening sunroof! Also, and this is probably specific to me, as I have a short body, the higher window line on newer cars doesn't work for me - the C4 Spacetourer is probably a couple of inches lower. I may have been crazy going for a diesel again, but at an average of 54 mpg so far (over 60 on a run), I'm happy. Oh and one other thing, unlike the C3 Aircross (and C5?), you can turn off lane assist permanently! ;)
C3 Aircross Flair 1.2 110 Auto with Parking & Family packs & sunroof
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GilRil
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2021 4:35 pm

Post by GilRil »

We only got rid of our lovely old C4 picasso (4 year old) because we got a Motability car for my wife, i wonder if a C4 air cross is bigger than the C5 air cross?
C5 Aircross 1.2 Pure Tech 130 Shine Plus Auto
Beanee687
Posts: 642
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2020 10:22 pm

Post by Beanee687 »

C3 Aircross dimensions L 4154 W 1824 H 1637
C4 Aircross dimensions L 4345 W 1770 H 1615
C5 Aircross dimensions L 4500 W 1969 H 1654
2023 C3 Aircross Shine+ 130 BHP EAT6.
Pepper red with red roof and black mirrors & roof bars
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GilRil
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2021 4:35 pm

Post by GilRil »

with the dimensions Its looks bigger from outside, but when my wife gets in she has to left her bad left foot very high compared to the C4, and when the inlaws get in the back of the C5, they have problems getting in, they say the floor seal is higher and they dont seem to be as much room in the back
I notice the front windows, i use to be able to rest my arm on the open door window, but the C5 open door window is higher
just my views
C5 Aircross 1.2 Pure Tech 130 Shine Plus Auto
Hiboost
Posts: 146
Joined: Fri Jan 29, 2021 10:11 pm

Post by Hiboost »

Keep an eye on your door seals, my drivers door seal (C3 Aircross 2019) has started to wear through, dealer says it is not covered by warranty, it’s wear and tear.
I disagree, it’s impossible to get in and out without brushing against it, I’m 6ft and the seat is set back behind the B post.
BusybeasC5A
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri May 28, 2021 9:19 pm

Post by BusybeasC5A »

Well, three weeks on and 600 miles later, I am still loving the C5 Aircross.

If the figures on the dash and the My Citroen app are to be believed the best to date is 67mpg on a long run, and high 40's pottering around town.
Overall average is around 52.
Given the C5 beast is much bigger and heavier than the old DS4, have to say I am delighted with the mpg.

The top view rear camera function is excellent when getting closer to an obstruction it zooms out.
Not quite sure how it does this, but aligning the car within parking bay lines is a much easier, looking down from birds eye view!

Motorway runs are amazingly quiet, the adaptive cruise control and highway assist, take some getting used to.. be it does work and works very well.
The old DS4 had cruise control more accessible on a scroll wheel on dash, messing about with the hidden stalk controls on the C5A took a little time , but now I get it right each time.

Not everyone's cuppa tea, but I like the S&S function, it rarely worked on the older DS4, but now its most of the time.
The sun roof has been a delight in the recent weather, luckily the gulls and pigeons direct ($)hits are when it's closed :lol:

Like some other have said the door elbow height is quite high, and combined with a low seat position its nigh on impossible to rest an elbow on top of the door while driving.
The only way to do this would be to put the drivers seat position up to maximum height and adjust steering wheel etc.

Personally, I don't like the very high position so my elbows rest on the door arm and the centre console.
That is, until the on board tech tells you you put hands on steering wheel , in certain situations ! :D

C5A are still as rare on the roads as any of my C4's or DS4 ever were, so not as common as sh*t, like other makes.
In 600 miles, we have only seen 6 including ours seen a family locally who have two ( so they like em) , two others and only 1 on a long motorway journey..
We clocked 6 Toyota CHR's in space of a couple of hours , dozens of Range Rovers, Kuga's, Qashqai etc

Yep...we like ours...So, at 3 weeks on, no regrets at all .
NOW 2023 C4X Shine 130 1.2 Petrol EAT8 in Perla Nera Black
WAS 2021 C4 Shine Plus 130 HDI BLUE EAT 8 in Elixir Red
WAS 2020 C5 Aircross 130HDi BLUE EAT 8 Flair Plus in Platinum Grey
WAS 2016 DS4 EAT6 Blue Hdi
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