By Jonathan Crouch

Introduction

If Citroen is to return to its traditionalist roots, it needs a big, plush comfort-orientated quirky flagship model. Which is exactly what we got with this car, the unusual but potentially rather pleasing C5 X sold briefly here between 2021 and 2025. It's an unusual confection, but the right kind of customer might rather like it.

History

What if you can't decide between hatch, saloon, estate or SUV for your next family car? Back in 2021, Citroen didn't think you needed to and for proof, offered this, the C5 X. Citroen has a long and distinguished history in larger models, from the Traction Avant and the DS of the '50's and '60s, to the CX of the '70s, the XM of the '90's and, more recently, the equally quirky early 21st century C6. Unfortunately, few of these cars sold profitably and even fewer lasted reliably - but at least they were memorable. By 2021, brand owners the Stellantis Group had no interest in nostalgia, or in continuing to build large Citroens no one wanted, so it was surprising to see the introduction of this C5 X. It owed its existence to a couple of things. First there was the fact that China, where this car was assembled, was - and is - a market still keen on larger mainstream brand models of this sort, so Citroen didn't have to depend on badge-obsessed Europeans for this contender's profitability. The second factor that got this model the green light was the multi-genre design approach we referenced earlier. Depending on your perspective, you might see it as either a luxury liftback hatch, an estate or some kind of Crossover. Or perhaps something else entirely. An unusual combination certainly, but an approach that by 2021 had been tried before, perhaps most notably with BMW's unsuccessful 3, 5 and 6 series Gran Turismo models. Here, it was delivered once more on a car sharing a badge with a Passat-sector Citroen model deleted a few years previously for slow sales (the C5). From a brand with no history of success against the German premium makers who dominate the luxury car segment. You've got to cheer for the underdog haven't you? And we rather like this one, a car with an 'X' suffix referencing its market position positioning 'at the crossroads of customers' needs', according to Citroen. All good in principle but it didn't work and the C5X was taken off sale in 2025.

What You Get

Well it looks a bit different doesn't it? Depending on your perspective and what angle you view it from, this is either a Crossover, a big estate or a luxury large hatch. The looks and the interior were inspired by the CXexperience concept car of 2016, but all the engineering underneath was based on the usual Stellantis Group EMP2 chassis underpinnings. From the side, that pleasantly confusing design brief melds into something you might find quite appealing. There's the stretched 4.8-metre profile of a sports estate; and the bigger 19-inch wheels with black-clad arches that you'd find together with a higher ride height and a contrast-coloured roof on a modern lifestyle SUV. Yet at the same time, there's the coupe-style sloping rear roof and high waist line of a luxury liftback hatch. All quite up-market; you certainly wouldn't guess that the windscreen and the front door glass are shared with a humbler Peugeot 308. Inside up-front, the brand tried (with some success) to make things a little different. For a start, the seating position is surprisingly commanding, set 10cms higher than it would be in a conventional D-segment saloon or estate. Whether it's all truly 'Citroen-esque' is another question. The plump seats, the unusual three-spoke wheel and the 7-inch binnacle display's digital speedo graphics try to be. But ultimately, there are just too many shared Stellantis Group parts - primarily the 12-inch centre screen and much of the switchgear - to make this spacious-feeling cabin a true quality match for premium brand models. It's not without appeal though: the smart light wood-style central trimming strip that widens into the doors, the pleasing soft-touch textures of the dash top and the grey-chevron-stitched faux-leather door panels all please. The seats we mentioned, as usual with a modern Citroen of this size, are of the 'Advanced Comfort' kind, which means that they feature particularly broad bases, foam that's 15mm thicker than usual for extra support, plus extra quilted padding to create an inviting visual signature that doesn't disappoint once you squish yourself into place. There's loads of cabin storage space too. The relatively lengthy 2,785mm wheelbase delivers a comfortable amount of rear seat space. That swept-back roof line doesn't compromise entry too much, but perhaps inevitably, once you're inside, it does affect headroom, though only for six-footers. Lanky folk won't want for leg space though. The knee room you get back here is a match for the Skoda Octavia, which means that it's very impressive indeed. We'd hoped that the rear of this car might replicate the vibe of the old Citroen C6, which could be had with lovely TGV high speed train-style individual rear seats with electric sliding and reclining mechanisms. Or at least, failing that, the sliding and reclining rear seat arrangement from the closely-related C5 Aircross SUV. In the event, the C5 X's conventionally fixed rear bench serves up neither, so it won't suit French ministerial types wanting to relax in the rear with a copy of Paris Match as they're whisked down the Champs Elysee. The load compartment resembles that of an estate car, thanks to its apparently vast size and four luggage runners embedded into the floor. Citroen says that this space would take a refrigerator, though it'd have to be a very specifically-sized one because closer inspection reveals that the luggage area, though usefully square, is somewhat shallow. Plus on the top-spec variant, it's accessed by an impractically stainless steel-trimmed lip, which will quickly scuff and scratch. The actual space you get depends on the kind of powertrain you choose. With the conventional engine, there's 545-litres available, a figure which falls to 485-litres with the Plug-in Hybrid version. Flattening the rear seatback is done via cargo sidewall catches, though the back rests don't fold down anywhere near flat. The space freed up though - 1,640-litres with the conventional version or 1,580-litres with the Hybrid, should be sufficient for the needs of most owners.

What to Look For

The main issues with the C5X tend to relate most commonly to infotainment and electronics. The central touchscreen and related electronics often suffer from software glitches, freezing, or slow responses. The standard 12V battery is also known to lose charge easily, causing various electrical issues across the dashboard. The PHEV version has a reputation amongst some owners for uncertain stopping and jerky braking, caused by a clunky handover between regenerative braking and traditional discs. PureTech 1.2 models sometimes suffer from an overly aggressive stop/start system that can cut the engine before the car comes to a complete halt and have faced well-documented issues with wet timing belt degradation, which requires strict adherence to servicing schedules. Certain C5 X models have been recalled for a low-pressure rubber fuel pipe in the engine compartment that could potentially rub against other components, increasing the risk of fuel leaks or fire. As usually with family models of this sort, check for child damage inside and alloy wheel scuffs outside. And of course you'll want a fully stamped-up service record. The drive battery in used C5 X PHEV models should have quite a bit of life in it, unless you happen to be looking at one of the very earliest '21-plate versions. When the battery is on its way out, you'll obviously find that it won't go as far on each charge - and when it starts to run low on charge, you'll find that the car will particularly start to struggle going uphill. When it gets old, the lithium-ion battery used here can suffer from the ionised liquid in the battery freezing certain cells; those cells are then unable to receive charge. Before going to all that trouble though, make sure the issue really is the battery. If the car won't charge, it could be a problem with your home electrics (or those at the public charge point you're using). Check the charge light to make sure that electricity really is going through the charge port. And make sure there really is charge in the socket you're using to power from - plug something else into it to see - say, your 'phone. If that charges OK, it could be that your charging cable is demanding too much power, so try another power source. Another problem could be that the circuit may have tripped due to a circuit overload. Or perhaps there could be a problem with the charge cable: this needs to be cared for properly. Repeatedly driving over it (as previous owners may conceivably have done) will damage it eventually. Make sure you do a charge-up before signing for the car you're looking at. When you do this, make sure that when you plug in to start the charge cycle you hear the charge port and the cable locking and engaging as they should; that's all part of the charger basically confirming with the car's onboard computer that everything's good to go before releasing power. But if the charging cable fails to lock as it should, then that won't happen. If there is a failure to lock, the issue could be actuator failure, caused by a blown fuse.

Replacement Parts

(approx based on a 2021 C5 X excl. VAT - autodoc.co.uk) For an oil filter you'll need in the £4 to £5 bracket. A water pump is around £41. A heated wing mirror glass is around £15. Front Door Panels cost around £391. Front brake pads cost from £189 to £249. Front brake discs vary from £379 to £559.

On the Road

So many family cars these days seem, to a greater or lesser degree, seem to feel the need to be 'sporty'. The C5 X doesn't, prioritising ride over handling, refinement over driving involvement. If those are your priorities too, you might well like it very much - in either of the two forms Citroen offered in our market. The conventional variant uses a 130hp version of the Stellantis Group's 1.2-litre three cylinder PureTech petrol engine, mated to 8-speed EAT8 auto transmission. In this guise, the car gets the passive version of Citroen's clever 'Progressive Hydraulic Cushion' suspension system, which sees hydraulic dampers replace the usual rubber bumps stops that the suspension coil would usually crash against at the top and bottom of wheel travel. As a result, over poorer surfaces, though you still know the bumps are there, you just don't feel them to the extent you'd expect to. The C5 X alternative is a 225hp 1.6-litre petrol Plug-in Hybrid powertrain in a model which compensates for its extra 304kgs of weight by the extra fitment of that suspension system in more advanced 'Active' form. With that, a system of sensors scan and evaluate the condition of the road surface as you drive, preparing the springs for bumps and undulations before you reach them. Which is just enough to make this Citroen a rather lovely thing to travel in. The PHEV model offers a potential 39 mile EAER-rated EV driving range from its 12.4kWh battery. And you can drive at speeds of up to 84mph in the car's 'Electric' drive mode. At which point it's pretty quiet - but then all C5 Xs are, aided by acoustic windscreen glazing, which extends out to the front side windows in the top-spec model. The PureTech 130 can't of course match the tax-beating efficiency figures of its PHEV showroom stablemate, but it performs creditably enough, managing up to 48.6mpg on the combined cycle and up to 137g/km of CO2.

Overall

Take a good look at this Citroen C5 X. Outside of France, you're not likely to see many, which is strange because this car actually delivers a lot of what plenty of people look for in a model of this size, all in a very well priced, extremely versatile package. It's not sporty, it doesn't want to be and it doesn't need to be. That's refreshing. There's a welcome spark of originality here too, with elegance, comfort, efficiency and style translated into a car designed to suit a family executive seeking something just a little out of the ordinary. All the truly great large Citroens of the past took this path, but they were always also marked out by the ground-breaking innovations they introduced. Everything here though, we've seen before; the multi-genre style concept from BMW, the engineering from Peugeot, the suspension system from DS. Combining all of that though, does create an undeniably pleasing Gallic confection and even if the exterior design approach is derivative, it was delivered here with the flair of a puff of Gallouise. Let almost everyone else in the sector from this era sign on the dotted line for something dull and probably German. Instead of that go and try one of these. Be different. Just as Citroen was here once more trying to be.