Overview

Is it a car? Is it an SUV? No, it’s the Citroen C5 X, the French firm’s interesting range topper. As you’d expect from the brand that’s so wedded to building great family cars, the current desire to make everything sporty has been ignored with comfort being this car’s number one priority. It’s worked, too, becoming one of the best hybrid estates on offer and the Best Large Family Car in 2023 Parkers Awards.

Naturally for a Citroen it’s a less conventional choice than the competition, mixing estate, hatchback and SUV to make something that allegedly combines the best of all worlds. It’s a real shake-up for the big Citroen formula, no bad thing given the dismal sales of the late, lamented C6 and DS5. We hear on the grapevine that this one’s not going to be replaced as Citroen will be repositioned as a value brand within the Stellantis conglomerate, going up against the likes of Dacia and MG. In this new world order there’s likely no place for the C5 X when comes to the end of its life – though that won’t happen some years yet.

If the C5 X is doomed, it’ll be a genuine shame, because this is an interesting and niche-busting vehicle. Direct rivals are few and far between. Close in concept are the now-discontinued Audi A4 Allroad, Volkswagen Passat Alltrack and Skoda Octavia Scout. Only the Subaru Outback remains – and that’s more expensive and has standard fit four-wheel drive. Regular estates such as the SEAT Leon along with SUVs including the Skoda Karoq are closer rivals in reality.  

It’s certainly a striking-looking thing. Like the smaller Citroen C4, it gets X-shaped lamp graphics feeding into the double chevron grille up front. The approach is mirrored at the rear, but it looks less cluttered than on C4, due to the C5 X’s bigger rump – which is crowned by a pair of aero-aiding spoilers. In short, if you want a big family Citroen to stand out from the crowd, just like its predecessors, then the C5 X is for you.

The C5 X is currently with four trim levels – You!, Plus, Max and Hypnos. They all come with a infotainment system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, multi-zone air conditioning, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera. Other features including wireless phone charging, 360-degree parking camera system and a panoramic roof are added as you go up the trim level ladder.

Petrol and plug-in hybrid engines of various sorts are available, all of which come with a standard automatic gearbox. Arguably, the lack of a diesel option is an odd oversight.

We’ve driven a fair few C5 Xs along the way, and even after spending six months in one as part of our thorough testing regime, we’re still not sure what its closest rivals are. To understand more about how we’ve reached our conclusions, check out how we test cars here at Parkers.

So it’s packed with kit, is comfortable and roomy, but is it worth recommending? Over the next few pages we’ll be thoroughly reviewing all aspects of the Citroen C5 X and rating them in our verdict. Our scores take into account the driving experience, how pleasant the interior is, the practicality on offer and what it’ll cost you to run.