FAMILY CAR REVIEW: 2019 CITROEN C5 AIRCROSS

How big is the boot of the Citroen C5 Aircross?

The Citroen C5 Aircross has a very generous size boot. The boot floor can be dropped down about 10cm, giving it a lot of depth so you can fit all types of strollers in there without removing the parcel shelf. From empty, I could fit 13 shopping bags in there, which is the same as the Honda CRV, one more than the  VW Tiguan and five more than the Renault Koleos.

The Mountain Buggy Duet twin stroller fits with four shopping bags.

The Britax Flexx tandem stroller fits with six shopping bags.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Tulsi’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.

Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.

I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.

The Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle single stroller fits with six shopping bags beside it.

The Mountain Buggy Nano compact stroller fitted with ten shopping bags beside it.

Or you could fit a medium sized dog in there!

The boot floor is flat when in its in both the raised and lower positions, which is good for an emergency nappy change.

How good is storage inside the Citroen C5 Aircross?

Storage in the cabin of the C5 Aircross is great. There are two cup holders in the central console that will hold a re-usable or disposable coffee cup and a large refillable water bottle fits in them too. In front of them is a little well I found good for the key.

The central console storage box is a really good size and I didn't test this one but I think a bottle of wine would fit easily like in the Peugoet 5008!

In front of the gear lever is a wireless phone charging well plus one 12V socket and USB.

The glove box is smaller and it would only hold my wallet with the manual, the iPad just would not fit.

The door bins in the front will hold a large refillable water bottle and an iPad easily fits in them too.

There is no glasses case in the ceiling which was disappointing but there are lit vanity mirrors in both front visors.

In the back storage is more minimal, although the door bins will hold a large refillable water bottle or two.

There are map pockets on the back of both front seats that will hold but not conceal an iPad and that's it, there are no cup holders for the rear seats.

How noisy is the Citroen C5 Aircross?

The Citroen C5 Aircross is a lovely quiet BabyDrive, the front windscreen and side windows are double glazed which makes for a peaceful journey, you really notice it when you get out of a car without it and into the C5 Aircross you notice just how cocooned you are from the usual road, traffic and wind noise and stimulation when driving which is great..

The media system in the Citroen C5 Aircross is similar to that of the Peugoet 5008. It is controlled by the six buttons on the panel underneath the screen, it contains the air con controls as well leaving the dash simple and clutter free.

The Citroen C5 Aircross has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which was great.

The reversing camera image is quite small on the split screen but you do get the birds-eye view as well which is helpful when parking. (in the image below and the video the blacked-out area is because I had a door open).

You can move between camera angles easily at the bottom of the screen.

The C5 has lane departure and blind spot warning too. The cruise control is on a stalk tucked closely behind the steering wheel which make it harder to see and use the controls, it is probably fine after a month of owning it you would be used to the position of the controls.

The Sat-Nav is quite easy to use and programme in your destination.

You can mute the guidance within the media screen but not a simple one button press.

Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!

That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.

If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?

It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?

A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.

Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!

I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.

The windows can both be locked from the driver's door control panel and I found both the doors and windows are really nice and quiet and would not disturb small sleeping passengers when opening and closing them. You can come to a stop with the engine still running and get out of the car without sounding any alarms.

There is a child lock button by the driver's right knee which locks the rear doors and windows.

There is also a display in front of the steering wheel to tell you when the child lock is turned on and off.

Since becoming a mum I spend A LOT of time parked up somewhere with a nice view while my daughter is asleep in the back! If it's hot I need to leave the engine running and the aircon on but I do like to get out and drink my cuppa tea in the fresh air while enjoying the fact my limbs are free from said dangling child!!

So this is a very important test as I have found that sometimes I have been held hostage by a cars BEEEEPING alarms when I have taken off my seatbelt or opened the door while the engine is still running!! (I only stand outside the car, I am not a bad mother!!)

The Citroen C5 Aircross is really nice and quiet to drive, it has a really small turning circle which makes parking easy and the ride is lovely and smooth.

There is a seatbelt removal alarm and a really good visual in the ceiling where the sunglasses holder usually is.

How many child seats fit in the Citroen C5 Aircross?

There are three top tether anchorages in the back of the C5's rear seat backrests behind the seat fabric. The outer two are clearly marked and although not within plastic guides they are nice and easy to connect to. The central one is not labelled.

There are ISOFix points in the two outer rear seats. They are not within plastic guides but are nice and easy to connect to.

The rear seats are all individual seats, that move indipendently from eachother, which is so good for installing child seats and distributing legroom.

I easily fitted three child seats in the back of the Citroen C5 Aircross using the ISOFix or seat belt.

With rear facing child seats installed we found we could fit a 182cm driver, legroom is very good in the C5 Aircross.

Posting bub into their child seat from outside the car is really nice and easy in the C5. From inside the ceiling is high enough that posting Bub into their seats from inside is good too. There are handles above both the second-row doors to hang a child's toy.

Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!

There is plenty of room to feed bub in the back if you only have one child seat installed.

How comfortable is the Citroen C5 Aircross? And How good is the Citroen C5 Aircross to drive?

The Citroen C5 Aircross seats are SUPER comfortable! In the front and back they have memory foam in them which made them nice for around town and I definitely appreciated them on long journeys. Both the front and rear seats have panelling details and a combination of woven and easily cleanable coverings.

Throughout is a contrast stitch detail that goes with the rest of the C5's interior styling.

Even on the dashboard.

The headrests are adjustable so I couldn't have a ponytail in the driver's seat which is fantastic.

I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too… said no new mum ever!!!

For a mum travelling in the back with bub, all three seats are super comfortable too.

The back panels of the front seats are wipe cleanable which is great because whether you like it or not your kids will put their dirty feet and shoes on the back of the front seats!!

There is not really any hump in the central footwell, which is great for central seat legroom and made it much easier for my little one to walk across the car from her car seat if I needed to get her out of the other door which happens often.

For the first year of Tulsi’s life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Tulsi so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!

The steering wheel was fully adjustable in/out and up/down.

There are eight little air-conditioning vents across the front dashboard; four central ones and two at either end.

There are also two air vents in the back of the central console box for rear passengers as well, I found I could reach those to adjust them while driving.

The controls for the aircon are within the media screen, they are nice and easy to reach and use while driving.

The rear interior lights are located centrally in the ceiling but too far back for me to reach them from the driver's seat while driving, a taller driver may reach though.

I have found Tulsi does not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it’s really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.

Also if I am traveling home and it is getting near to bed time and I DEFINITELY DON’T want her to fall asleep in the car as even a five-minute nap in the car means bed time is all over!!!! I lean back and pop the light on so it’s not dark and try to keep her awake!! Along with screaming/singing at the top of my voice!!!

It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.

Visibility in the Citroen C5 Aircross is quite good, I didn't encounter any problems with visibility in my week of driving.

One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Tulsi has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the C5 Aircross was easy to park especially with it's tight turning circle.

Aesthetically the Citroen C5 Aircross is a great looking SUV on the outside and has some really nice interior styling.

How safe is the Citroen C5 Aircross?

The Citroen C5 Aircross scored a four-star ANCAP safety rating in 2019.

Scoring a total of 87% or 33.4 out of 38 for adult occupancy. Broken down into 7 out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 6.34 out of 8 for the frontal offset test. Full marks for the side impact test and 7.04 out of 8 for the pole test.

For Child Occupancy protection the Citroen C5 Aircross scored 43.6 out of 49 which is 88%. Broken down into 15.61 out of16 for the dynamic front, 8/8 for dynamic slide. Child restraint instillation scored 12/12 and onboard features score 8 out of 13.

ANCAP said of the testing: In the frontal offset test, protection of the neck of the 10 year dummy was ADEQUATE, while the protection offered to all other critical body regions of both the 6 and 10 year dummies was GOOD.

In the side impact test, protection of all critical body areas was GOOD for both child dummies.

The Citroen C5 Aircross is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages on the rear outboard seats and top tether anchorages for all rear seating positions.

Installation of typical child restraints available in Australia and New Zealand showed that all of the selected child restraints could be accommodated in each of the rear seating positions and full points were scored for this assessment.

Six airbags come as standard; Dual frontal and side chest-protecting for the front row and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags for both outboard positions.

As standard, all models of the Citroen C5 Aircross come with seat belt pre-tensioners in both the front seats and rear outboard positions, anti-lock braking system (ABS), autonomous emergency braking (AEB) for the city, Interurban and VRU, automatic headlights, automatic high beam, blind spot monitoring (BSM), daytime running lights (DRL), hill launch assist, electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), electronic stability control (ESC), emergency brake assist (EBA), emergency stop signal (ESS), fatigue reminder, forward collision warning (FCW), lane departure warning (LDW), lane keep assist (LKA), speed assistance auto/intelligent/manual speed limiter, speed sign recognition and warning and trailer stability control and tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) all come as standard.

Options available as in New Zealand are adaptive cruise control (ACC), automatic high-beams and fatigue detection.

Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Tulsi’s asleep!