BY Motlatsi Kekana
The French have done it again. Known for their good taste in all things fancy and never compromising when it comes to comfort and luxury. That is exactly what they have managed to achieve in the new Citroën C5 Aircross. When Citroën the brand went under the knife sometime in 2022 they made it quite clear that they were going for simplicity in the most elegant and futuristic way possible. And, dare I say it comes Aircross (see what I did there?) in the latest C5 upgrade.
Spending a few rainy days in the C5 Aircross 1.6T Shine took away the stress of driving on our problematic South African roads, proving that it can handle all terrains. The exterior of the Citroën C5 Aircross has gotten some cool updates, a new grille plus the elegant logo I spoke about earlier, The single-unit headlights, which make it look cool and quirky and seemed to have fascinated a lot of people, are among the new improvements. The rear spots some re-designed three-dimensional LED taillights as well. So yes, I guess it now qualifies to be called a head-turner.
My favourite thing about the C5 Aircross 1.6T Shine has to be the interior. A spacious cabin for a mid-size SUV is more than we deserve. There are premium finishes all around including the new e-Toggle gear shift and drive mode selector that made the guys at the car wash a bit envious. The tech is there, your wireless charging but still caters to old-school individuals like myself who still need a cable to be at ease that my phone is really charging, so they have included two USB ports. A 10-inch touch display infotainment system caters to both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. To complete the overall premium finishes in the interior is the panoramic sunroof, you aren’t from Pretoria if you don’t like those.
The Citroën C5 Aircross is agile, nifty, and sips like a classy French lady, ensuring that the 1.6l turbo-petrol engine gives you much more kilometres and avoids the filling station like a plague. The performance is really good, I was pleasantly surprised by the quick acceleration from the 6-speed Automatic transmission giving me ample power when overtaking and even more on long stretches of road. It was a successful week-long relationship – I felt and she felt me, and we felt each other. The car goes without complaining and saves you bucks.
I must say I thoroughly enjoyed driving the Citroën C5 Aircross and I see it as a good companion for women, but if you are a man and into this sort of quirky good looks, I say go for it. However, I am not sure about seeing a lot of the C5s on our roads, seems like an acquired taste kind of car. I advise that you go to the nearest dealership for a test drive and you might be interested.
Model & Pricing
Citroën C5 Aircross FEEL R633 900
Citroën C5 Aircross SHINE R683 900
