Citroen confirms C5 Aircross SUV for Australia: 2018 Paris Motor Show

Following its global debut at the 2018 Paris Motor Show, Citroen Australia has confirmed that it will introduce the C5 Aircross SUV to local showrooms in the second half of 2019.

The C5 Aircross compact SUV measures 4.50-metres in length, sitting between Peugeot's 3008 (4.36m) and 5008 (4.64m) with which it shares many of its underpinnings, and being a little more generously cut than the 4.37m Nissan Qashqai.

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The C5 Aircross utilises the marque's proprietary Progressive Hydraulic Cushion suspension system, in effect a pair of hydraulic bump stops that help the conventional springs and dampers control compression and rebound respectively.

Unlike a conventional mechanical stop, which absorbs the energy then partially returns it, the hydraulic stop absorbs and dissipates the energy. As a result, there is no rebound.

Everyday practicality for this five-seat SUV is well catered for, with three individual sliding, folding and reclining rear seats, each with an Isofix child seat fixing. Resisting the temptation to shoe-horn another pair of seats into the back results in a best-in-class boot capacity of 580-litres, which expands to 720-litres if the rear bench is slid to its forward-most position.

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Given that its local introduction is still a year out, there's no firm word on specs or pricing as yet, but the C5 Aircross lists a huge array of driver assistance systems including Autonomous Emergency Braking and Active Blind Spot Monitoring. Many of the interior fitments that we've come to expect from 3008/5008 will see their way into the C5 Aircross including wireless smartphone charging.

The seats gain a huge amount of additional memory foam padding, using state of the art bedding tech to integrate polyurethane foam and viscoelastic or textured foam to really isolate you from the road and European models have been shown with an 8in central tablet, a 12.3in TFT instrument cluster and voice recognition.

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The oily bits are intriguing. Like the EMP2-based 3008 and 5008, drive for conventional petrol and diesel-engined models goes exclusively to the front wheels, despite that generous 230mm ground clearance.

European markets are set to receive a wide range of Euro 6.2-complaint powerplants. The petrol models comprise PureTech 130 S&S six-speed manual and PureTech 180 S&S EAT8 eight-speed automatic.

Three diesel models are also offered: BlueHDi 130 six-speed manual, BlueHDi 130 S&S EAT8 and BlueHDi 180 S&S EAT8.

If this little lot doesn't float your boat, there's the tantalising option of a 165kW petrol-electric plug-in hybrid version set to debut shortly after launch. The marque's first ever PHEV, it has a battery-only range of 50km and a full recharge of the batteries takes approximately two hours with a 32 Amp wall socket.

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“The all-new C5 Aircross is a return to Citroen’s comfort credentials and, symbolically, arrives in time for the marque’s 100th anniversary,” Citroen Australia’s Managing Director, Ben Farlow, said.

“Citroen has long been synonymous with comfort and the all-new C5 Aircross will see us return to this territory, supported by the rest of the Citroen range,” Mr Farlow added.