New Citroen C5 Aircross Coming Soon: Specs, price and release info

Citroen first teased us with the C5 Aircross Concept at last year’s Paris Motor Show and the finished car has now been revealed. The C5 Aircross has evolved from its curvy beginnings with a much more imposing design and it will share its foundations with cars from the wider Stellantis group such as the Vauxhall Grandland and Peugeot 5008. It promises lounge-like comfort with more space and more tech than before. Citroen will offer the C5 Aircross in a fully electric guise for the first time in addition to a variety of hybrid options.
• The C5 Aircross is a large family SUV which will become Citroen’s flagship • It promises signature Citroen comfort, bold design and plenty of tech such as ambient lighting and a massive central screen • With a range of up to 422 miles for the electric version • Expected to arrive towards the end of this year • Likely to start from under £40,000

The new C5 Aircross was designed in France and will be built in Brittany. This all-new version looks much sharper than its predecessor with its use of clean lines interrupted by bold, dash-shaped lights at the front and back. At the rear these lights protrude beyond the main body like wings or scales on a dragon’s back. This styling makes the car more distinctive than its Grandland cousin and also aims to improve aerodynamics. In addition to efficiency, Citroen has made use of recycled materials. The new C5 Aircross contains 160kg of recycled metals and recycled or bio-sources materials contribute to 47kg of plastic. Citroen has even used organic vine shoots from French vineyards, which would otherwise have been burnt, as part of the plastics in the doors and centre console storage.

True to form the C5 Aircross majors on comfort. Citroen says the C5 Aircross “gives the impression of travelling in a high-tech cocoon” and based on our experience of other Citroen models, we’d expect the C5 Aircross to be similarly cushioning. In the front the seats are electrically adjustable with heating, ventilation and massage function. Meanwhile, the back seats can be reclined and on range-topping models they are heated too. A panoramic roof should give the car an airy feel, there should be plenty of storage compartments for all your bits and bobs, and there’s even ambient lighting for the first time in a Citroen.
The C5 Aircross features the largest central touchscreen of any model in the Stellantis group so far and Citroen has done away with most physical buttons and controls. Hopefully the infotainment will be intuitive enough to use given the mention of personalised configurations sounds promising. The C5 Aircross will also have wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and wireless charging, along with a voice assistant featuring ChatGPT. The driver gets a 10-inch customisable digital display and higher-grade models will also gain a heads-up display projected onto the dashboard. The C5 Aircross will be equipped with a host of driver aids including semi-automatic lane changing. Additionally, there’s and array of cameras and sensors, plus blind spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alerting if the car detects approaching obstacles when you’re in reverse.

The electric C5 Aircross will be available with two battery options. There’ll be a standard 73kWh battery offering a range of up to 323 miles and larger 97kWh version with a range of up to 422 miles. Higher trim levels will get a heat pump as standard to maximise efficiency in cold weather and vehicle-to-load (V2L) technology will be available from 2026 allowing you to charge other devices using the car. If you’re not ready to go fully electric there will be a 195-horsepower plug-in hybrid option with an electric only range of around 50 miles. Alternatively, a 145-horsepower hybrid version will combine a 1.2-litre petrol engine with a small electric motor to improve efficiency.

The C5 Aircross is expected to arrive towards the end of this year. No word on pricing yet, but it will likely be in a similar ballpark to the Vauxhall Grandland. We just hope Citroen can offer both electric and hybrid variants below £40,000 so the C5 Aircross can neatly dodge the’expensive car supplement’ threshold for VED which can increase running costs substantially.

Citroen has been busy updating its full line-up and the C5 Aircross is the final car to receive a refresh. We’ve recently driven the latest C4 along with the electric e-C4 and the quirky saloon-like C4 X. Last year Citroen also brought us a new C3 and C3 Aircross, plus it gave the adorable Ami quadricycle a new look.

The closely related Grandland and Peugeot 5008 will be the C5 Aircross’s biggest rivals. Elsewhere, Dacia’s new Bigster and the MG HS both major on value and provide strong competition. Buyers might also consider newcomers like the Skywell BE11.