• Well-considered trim and materials
• Solid interior quality
• Tech much improved over earlier Citroens

How is the quality and layout?

Plush materials are not something traditionally associated with Citroen, but it has to be said that the main touch points in the C5 X – such as the steering wheel and door pulls – feel very nice indeed. You get big, comfortable seats, a glassy interior, a bright and clear central touchscreen controlling all of the car’s major functions, and physical controls for the heating and ventilation.

The driving position is spot on – you sit snug and enveloped in the cabin, but there’s enough seat height adjustment to raise them adequately if you fancy a more SUV-esque driving position. In addition, there are lots of cubbyholes and clever storage solutions that should cater for all your family’s needs.

Infotainment and tech

On all but the Sense Plus model there’s a supersized head-up display projecting information onto the windscreen, and it works very well on the move, taking over many of the functions of the instruments ahead of you. Which is handy because the instrument cluster is a fairly small screen.

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Like the Peugeot 308, the C5 X car adopts Stellantis’s latest infotainment system, which bunches functions into tiles on the touchscreen. It’s a genuine leap forward over Citroen’s old system, proving quick and simple to use, with high resolution graphics. The ‘natural’ voice control system works very well, too.

Comfort

• Comfort is a real strong point
• Front and rear seats are hugely supportive
• Lots of lounging room in the rear

The good news is that if you’re after a comfortable car, the C5 X hits the bullseye. As soon as you get in, the cossetting driver’s seat puts you in a relaxed frame of mind. The C5 X shares its tech with the latest Peugeot 308, Vauxhall Astra and DS 4, but is much longer between the front and rear wheels, which a wheelbase of 2,785mm.

All of that additional space is fed into the rear, where passengers get far more room to lounge. The C5 X makes great use of the space, with plenty of knee room behind a tall driver – frequently as issue even in cars this size. However, as you can see from our video, headroom is at a premium if you’re taller than 6ft – if you’re regularly chauffeuring tall people, you’ll be better off with a Skoda Superb.