Plug-in Citroen C5 X under evaluation for Australia in 2022
History shows Citroen doesn’t mind throwing a curve-ball at car design and philosophy, making us all excited for the plug-in hybrid version of its large sedan/wagon/SUV C5 X.
The front-wheel-drive plug-in uses the brand’s turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine alongside an electric motor for a combined 168kW. Its 13.2kWh battery offers a pure electric driving range of 50-kilometres up to a maximum of 135km/h.
That range is close to the MG HS PHEV’s 52-kilometres and the incoming next-generation Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV’s 54-kilometres.
A pure petrol C5 X model is also being produced, but details of which engine or engines will be offered have not been disclosed.
Australian plans
The five-seat C5 X is under evaluation for Australian launch, with Peugeot Citroen Australia spokeswoman Chloe Fraser telling EVcentral they were “evaluating the plug-in version as well as the petrol.” Ms Fraser said if the C5 X was to come to Australia, we could expect it next year.
Last year Citroen revealed its 350km-range pure electric e-C4 and e-SpaceTourer with seating for up to nine and range up to 300km. Both are currently on sale in the UK in right-hand-drive, but there’s no official word if either or both will be introduced here.
The new luxury flagship C5 X could be just the shot in the arm Citroen needs to boost Australian sales. The French brand shifted just 203 new cars here last year – Australians bought more Ferraris in 2020.
Peugeot – which sold ten times more vehicles than Citroen in Australia last year – has this week confirmed the arrival of plug-in hybrids to its line-up later this year, and full EVs in 2022. “We’ll be evaluating the Australian market with PHEVs and EVs through Peugeot first,” Ms Fraser said, suggesting Citroen would follow suit if the response was positive.
At 4,805mm long the Citroen C5 X is close to the size of Peugeot’s gorgeous 508 Wagon or, for reference, a Toyota Kluger seven-seat SUV. Its height of 1,485mm is more akin to a BMW 5 Series.
Boot space is 545-litres – 35-litres down on Citroen’s own C5 Aircross mid-sized SUV – but rises to 1,640-litres with the rear seats folded.
Unique Citroen flair
French gushing alert, prepare yourself. Vincent Cobée, Citroën CEO, said: “With C5 X, Citroën has created an ambitious, large touring vehicle, a real tool for winning over customers who are increasingly inclined to explore the world.
”An audacious and original proposal that truly embodies all of Citroën’s expertise: innovation, care and above everything well-being which we elevate here as a certain form of art of living.”
Certainly, the C5X is an interesting looking thing with plenty of plus point for style. A fastback body shape blending sedan and wagon elements is reasonably unique to the marketplace, especially when combined with a slightly elevated soft-road SUV stance.
Citroen’s C5 Aircross SUV has some of the most sumptuous seats you’re ever likely to encounter, and the C5 X promises likewise with Advanced Comfort chairs using special padding similar to a mattress topper.
The Advanced Comfort extends to the suspension too, with active suspension promised for the plug-in hybrid version. Citroen’s unique Progressive Hydraulic Cushions are fitted – honouring the hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension introduced in Citroen’s DS of 1955-75.
Key specification details – although nothing’s confirmed for Australia remember – includes a large-scale full-colour head-up display projected through the windscreen (a first step towards augmented reality, we’re told), 12-inch HD touchscreen, wireless smartphone charging and a raft of driver assistance systems.
With the C5 X touted as Citroen’s flagship model we can expect it, if it comes to Australia, to cost more than the current range-topping C5 Aircross Shine at $46,990 before on-roads. A fair estimate would be north of $50,000 for the petrol version and closer to $60,000 for the PHEV.
