Is C5X Shine Citroën’s Best Car in Years?

Peugeot Citroën has been in a frightful funk, with the Stellantis group unable to unable to find fans. Just about every Stellantis brand struggles in Australia, and no one really knows why.

The Citroën is murky to say the least. Despite have previous cutting edge models, Citroën went broke, and the French government got fellow frog, Peugeot, to bail out the ailing automaker.

Following a checkered sales record, Citroën peeled off the DS models as a separate brand. Toyota did that with LEXUS and Nissan did the same thing with Infiniti.

Nothing seemed to work, and things came to a crossroads with yet another importer shopping the franchise around for another punter. Unlike most other brands in Australia, Peugeot Citroen is imported by a non-OEM, in this case, Inchcape. Inchcape also imports Subaru and has a record for a slimline operation that is profitable yet provides a good product.

Australia is the only market where Peugeot and Citroën are sold under the a combined brand identity. Sadly, Inchcape opted not to import DS, and their execs get quite shirty when asked why. So, let’s avoid doing that again shall we?

With DS defunct, Citroën C5X is left to carry the “flagship” torch for the Peugeot Citroën showroom, at least until the arrival of the 408. Citroën C5X is closely related to the DS4 and Peugeot 408, and comes out of the Dongfeng-PSA factory in Chengdu, China.

After driving the Citroën C5 Aircross a few weeks ago, the C5X proved to be much more than a crossover/wagon/hatch version of the C5 Aircross. C5X is far better looking, has more stuff in it, and is a nicer drive, despite having an identical engine and transmission combo. Perhaps it is the more sophisticated multilink rear suspension that gives me the ride and handling I want from a Citroën. The double (compression & rebound) Progressive Hydraulic Cushions all are also found in C5 Aircross but C5X is far less skittish in bumpy corners with its multilink setup.

Sadly, the hydro-pneumatic (uppy-downy) suspension is a thing of that can only be seen in the rear-view mirror.

The the Specifications HERE: MY22 Citroen C5 X Spec Sheet-539d554855584e23b4d6b0a3139c5fb8

There is more than a hint of past models CX and C6 in the C5X looks. The long, slinky body is voluptuous yet svelte, and is high enough off the ground to provide its driver with easy access.

To me, the most important question is: who is the buyer?

Funnily enough, Citroëns of the past have been big favourites in the gay community. French car days were positively stuff with paired gay boys in their lovingly-kept Peugeot and Citroën pride-and-joys. Architects and designers loved the first DS cars, but what of the current crop?

At this price point, C5X is going to appeal to a very particular buyer, and it remains to be seen as to whether or not that buyer exists. Like the C6 before it, C5X asks the onlooker to think of it as a sporty, yet luxurious gentlemen’s club and high-speed cruiser.

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ABOVE: 2023 Citroën C5X Shine

Before we move on:

If there is one thing I really cannot fathom, it is Citroën’s nomenclatures. “Shine”? What the hell does that mean? Shine is something the sun does, or something you do to your shoes. It is absolutely not the name for a luxury automobile, and sounds decidedly twee to me.

Will the Chinese origin offend Francophiles?

The one thing I know about French car lovers is the inherent Frenchness of the product. They want the cars to come from France, a place they love. Italian car nuts want their cars to made crafted in Italy, not thrown together somewhere else, so to speak. Will a joint Chinese manufacturing venture feel wrong to them? Some readers have expressed concerns via the Comments section, so here are my thoughts.

Let’s put that into perspective: Volvos and Polestars are made in China, and are owned are owned by a Chinese company. They produce cars in Sweden and China. Jaguar is owned by an Indian company and produce cars all over the place, and Australian car makers Ford and Holden are owned by Americans, although Holden is now defunct. Is that making your head hurt?

Consider this – Peugeot Citroën and Fiat Chrysler are joint founders of Stellantis, so does it really matter where the factories are?

Owners make all sorts of allowances for French foibles, and Citroën is still as French the guillotine, so what’s the problem?

The Tech:

The C5X has all the driver and safety aids one expects, but turning that lane centering on almost drove me to drink. It is a long push on the “assist” but, that same button that activates cruise control with a short push. I found myself vacillating between joy and despair as the system seemed to be on, but wasn’t. Once I got it on, I had to go through the process again if I accidentally deactivated Cruise Control. I mean, what the actual??????

The wireless CarPlay was a little moody too, but the properly-posh sound more than made up for it.

A 12” centre screen, 10” driver cluster, and a huge HUD are so simple to use. The map on the HUD is glorious and detail is just enough, without being too much. The much smaller driver cluster can be changed through several views, each with a carefully curated set of data.

There is no AUTO HOLD for brakes at traffic lights, a feature I have come to depend on.

Some POV model Peugeot Citroëns have a god-awful reversing camera. The 360^o view camera is some shoddily cobbled together patchwork of camera views, and knits itself into a non-live picture as you go backwards. Thankfully, the C5X has a proper 360⁰ view camera as well as a decent selectable rear view.

The Cabin:

Like the C5 Aircross, the C5X has revamped seating with new foam cores. I’ve driven many Citroëns over great distances including the DS5, before the range became a stand lone brand. C5X embraces that touring legacy without a slavishly projecting itself in the painful position of being a pathetic pastiche.

The switches, except for the auto-steer, are well laid out and easy to understand.

There is an ambience of comfortable suppleness, a genteel softness without the bougy attitude of the Germans. Perhaps it is the quality soft surfacing, subtle curves sans jarring edges, or it could be something less tangible.

The sunroof is huge, and opens, Hoorah! I don’t see the point of a sheet of glass that bakes all inside, without the advantage of being fully open to a sparkling spring morning. There is a manual sliding cover to cosy things up, if that’s you thing.

Rear space is ample and well designed. The front driver seat slides back on exit but will leaves oodles of room for legs and feet for anyone sitting behind it. Although there isn’t a 3^rd zone of climate, you get a couple of USB-Cs, some vents, and a little cubby hole at the rear of the front console. Best of all, the floor is almost flat with no ugly hump intruding into the cabin.

The rear floor has space under it for a temporary spare.

The Drive:

A 1.6 4-pot screamer is never going to set land speed records, but that would miss the point of a beauteous, long-legged tourer. I remember how fast a mid-80s CX 2500 GTi felt, yet it had a 0-100 of 7.8 seconds VS the 8.1 seconds of our C5X. Not only that, it had 122kw compared to the 133kw of the C5X.

It is all about perspective.

After a few days in the saddle, the C5X fell into place. Although the soft, progressive shockers, make for a fairly smooth ride, it is nowhere near the sublime magnificence of the Hydropneumatic suspension found in the DS and CX models. Rather than lament was is lost, lets celebrate what is not.

The 8-speed automatic puts the modest 133kw/250Nm power through the front wheels with lovely sharp steering. The brakes are also pin sharp without the horrible feel that your face will be mashed against the windscreen in a moment of madness. It is gentle, considered, and luxurious.

Highway travel is a regal, wafting experience, but the tranny is a bit dim-witted in town. Most new cars want to change up as fast as possible. It helps the economy no end, but it kills the drive experience unless you spend the whole time with your loafer glued to the Axminster. Sport mode prevents upshifts but kills the economy, so definitely a win/lose scenario. It takes a deft hand to wrangle the C5X into being a thrifty-yet-nippy town car.

First, gently-Bentley is the way to go. A soft foot on the pedals, and a gentle touch to the tiller, transform the big Citroën into pussy cat.

Finally, the cruise has a steering feature as well as a queue assistant.

Conclusion:

I’ve owned Citroëns, and it is a brand that says something about its owner. The owner likes the unusual, and is certainly not a head-banging bogan hell-bent on getting to 100kph two seconds before the foot was planted.

Expecting a car to be something it was not designed to be is just plain daft. You’re bound to be disappointed, so instead, enjoy this delicious bowl of Gallic goodness for what it is: a posh, big, cosy, cruiser.

Sadly, at almost 60 grand, C5X falls into a category that is shrinking faster than cashmere in a clothes dryer. That is, perhaps, why Peugeot Citroën is marketing the C5X as a crossover-car-wagon-SUV to bathe in some of that rarified SUV aura.

It appeals to people that already love Citroëns, but will it bring new followers into the fold? It should do, it is fabulous. I think Citroën C5X is the best car they have made in a decade, if you don’t count the DS5 (which was then a Citroën model).

Price: $57,670