Citroen C5 Aircross review - Practicality, comfort and boot space

Citroen is in full swing with reinventing its range, and the C5 Aircross isn’t a direct replacement for any model that has gone before. However, the firm has been brave with its decision to concentrate on offering comfortable space for five, and choosing to leave lugging large loads of people to the likes of the Peugeot 5008 and the Skoda Kodiaq.

Size

The C5 Aircross is a nice, round 4,500mm long, 1,969mm wide and 1,689mm tall, with a 2,730mm wheelbase, making it slightly bigger in all dimensions than a Skoda Karoq and Peugeot 3008, and very close in size to the Peugeot 5008 – unsurprising, given the shared platform. However, while the latter is a seven-seater, the Aircross is five-seats only.

Although the interior isn’t a cavernous as a Hyundai Santa Fe or Honda CR-V, it is still very spacious, with wide door pockets, a small glovebox and a centre console that can be optioned up to include wireless smartphone charging.

Leg room, head room & passenger space

Up front, the C5 Aircross has plenty of space in all dimensions aside from headroom – cars fitted with the panoramic roof really suffer from the dent it makes in available overhead space. However, it’s not compulsory unless you opt for the top-spec trim, so we’re keen to try one without to see if this problem is rectified.

Visibility from the driver’s seat is very good – another of Citroen’s weapons in its crusade for comfort is an unobstructed view. The Advanced Comfort Seats, standard from the mid-range Flair trim, are comfortable as advertised, but only up to a point. Drive enthusiastically and you’ll notice they rather lack side support, meaning that gentle progress is the only way to ensure back pain isn’t an issue.

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Boot

Each rear seat can slide back and forth by 150mm to give more cabin or boot space as required. With the seats in the rearmost position, boot space is a decent 580 litres, while this grows to a genuinely impressive 720 litres with the seats set forward – the same as a Skoda Kodiaq. Those three rear seats aren’t the easiest to fold down, but if you do, you’ll get a good flat floor and a maximum capacity of 1,630 litres. The tailgate opens high and wide and operates on our top-spec car by waggling your feet under the rear bumper.

Towing

Depending on the engine you choose, maximum weights for a braked trailer range from 1,250kg to 1,450kg, depending on wthwther you opt for petrol or diesel power.