HY-SOCIETY (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_citroenc5aircrosshybrid_2021

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 80

By 2020, the PSA conglomerate was busy electrifying all its mid-sized SUVs, so the Citroen C5 Aircross got that tech too. Like its group stablemates, it can be recharged from a home wallbox in under 2 hours and it offers a decent full-electric driving range - here WLTP-certified at 34 miles. Like all C5 Aircross variants, this one majors on comfort, courtesy of the brand's 'Progressive Hydraulic Cushion' set-up. Here, we look at the pre-facelift 2020-2021-era versions of this model.

Modelsword count: 11

5dr SUV (1.6 Hybrid Plug-in) [Flair, Flair Plus, Shine, Shine Plus]

Historyword count: 152

The C5 Aircross, launched in 2018, sold steadily in the mid-sized 5-seat part of the SUV sector from launch but needed a few more headlines. This plug-in hybrid variant, launched in early 2020, provided a few of those, incorporating as it did a cutting-edge electrified powertrain. Citroen tried to build this into the car without compromising its other comfort-orientated attributes and, as usual with the brand, there was a strong emphasis on value and innovative design. This car shared its PHEV engineering with three PSA Group cousins from the 2020-2021 period, Plug-in Hybrid versions of the Peugeot 3008, the Vauxhall Grandland X and the DS 7 Crossback E-TENSE. This Citroen won't be the first car you'll have thought of if you happen to be looking for a mid-sized plug-in SUV from this era, but it might well be worth including on your wish list. Here, we look at the pre-facelift 2020-2021-era models.

What You Getword count: 257

There's very little to visually give away the fact that this C5 Aircross variant is a hybrid, apart from 'Hybrid' badging on the front wings and the tailgate. The brand's signature 'Air Bumps' make an appearance just above the lower side sills, but they're toned down here. Inside, as with most modern Citroens, what you find is a mixture of interesting design, a few cheaper plastics and some clever electronics. Oh and lovely seats, these being of the generously proportioned 'Advanced Comfort' variety. The instrument binnacle is another cabin talking point, conventional dials completely replaced by a standard 12.3-inch colour screen that's fully configurable and customisable. Just about everything else you'll need to know can be found on the 8-inch centre-dash capacitive touchscreen which delivers everything you'd want - the usual DAB stereo, 'phone, navigational and smartphone-mirroring functions, plus WiFi, a Connected Apps package and various specific EV screens. At the rear, that lengthy wheelbase translates into a cabin that feels significantly larger than that of most models in this class. And as in an ordinary C5 Aircross, you get what Citroen claims is the 'most modular' rear bench arrangement in the segment, with three seats that individually slide and recline, MPV-style. Few PHEV competitors can match the size of this C5 Aircross model's luggage space area either, the extent of which depends on the position of the sliding second row bench. The 460-litre capacity is 120-litres down on what you get in an ordinary C5 Aircross though, thanks to battery placement beneath the cargo area base.

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