Citroen’s unusual C5 X hatchback/wagon/crossover combination has been locked in for a launch in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Like the C3 and C4, it’ll be offered in a single trim level. It’s powered by a turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, producing 133kW of power and 250Nm of torque, mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The C5 X had previously been confirmed for a third quarter launch. Pricing has yet to be announced.
UPDATE 13/09/2022, 1:45pm – Citroen has confirmed the range of colours and some specifications of the cars being offered on the C5 X in Australia. We’ve updated our story with the relevant information.
Overseas models shown throughout
The brand’s current flagship, the C5 Aircross, is priced at $52,300 before on-roads in its single variant, while the mid-sized passenger car from Citroen’s sister brand Peugeot, the 508, starts at $63,431 before on-roads.
Citroen’s vaunted hydropneumatic suspension may be gone, but the C5 X uses the company’s latest Advanced Comfort suspension.
While this lacks the trick hydropneumatic spheres of old, it uses progressive “hydraulic cushions”, or two hydraulic stops to separate from the springs and dampers – one stop for compression and the other for rebound.
Six colours will be available locally: Steel Grey, Platinum Grey, Amazonite Grey, Nera Black, Magnetic Blue, and Pearl White. All cars feature a black roof, and a powered sunroof.
Citroen calls the C5 X a “unique combination of the elegance of a sedan, the dynamism of a wagon and the elevated stance of an SUV”.
It also says it’ll “further expand the brand’s growth opportunities in Australia”. Citroen sales are up 142.3 per cent year-to-date, thanks largely to the addition of the new C4, which features similarly genre-busting styling.
The brand has sold 172 vehicles to the end of June.
“Now whilst we have been challenged as a brand in 2021, we have an absolute driven commitment in the Australian market,” said Peugeot Citroen Australia general manager Kate Gillis late last year.
“Over the last number of years we have seen those sales start to decline, bearing in mind that we no longer have the Berlingo in the range, we have concentrated our LCVs to our Peugeot LCV lineup.
“However, with the launch of the C4 and… the new C5 X which is coming through in 2022, we’ve got some real ambition of growth plans within the market.
“The introduction of the C4 helps us to build a new audience again for the brand and allows us then to extend that story again as we get into the C5 X.”
At the time, Peugeot Citroen Australia said the plug-in hybrid variant was “absolutely on the table”.
Citroen doesn’t currently offer any PHEVs in Australia, though sister brand Peugeot sells plug-in 3008 and 508 models and will soon introduce a 308 PHEV.
The plug-in hybrid C5 X mates the 1.6-litre turbo with an 81.2kW electric motor and a 12.4kWh lithium-ion battery, for a total system output of 165kW and a claimed electric range of 50km on the stricter WLTP standard.
The PHEV also builds on the petrol car’s suspension with Advanced Comfort active suspension, which electronically adjusts the ride depending on the drive mode you select.
Citroen withdrew from the mid-sized segment in Australia in 2016 when it discontinued the previous C5 sedan and wagon.
Citroen C5
That model ended European production in 2017, so Citroen has been without a mid-sizer in most markets until the launch of the C5 X – the exception being China, where C5 production continued.
The brand has also offered the larger, conservative C6 sedan there, unrelated to the quirky flagship that once graced Citroen Australia showrooms.
