• Loads of interior storage cubbies
• Generous boot space
• Tighter rear seat space than rivals

How much space is there?

The Citroen C5 Aircross is one of the bigger mid-size SUVs on the market and there’s plenty of passenger space in it. Particularly in the front, where there’s generous head, leg and shoulder room – even our tallest testers fit without touching the ceiling.

Similarly, the rear compartment is tall and broad, but there’s less rear legroom than in the Kia Sportage or Skoda Karoq, for instance, even with the sliding seats pushed all the way back. Those who’ve traded in a C4 SpaceTourer may feel short-changed.

At least the three individual rear seats are all the same size, and the rear floor is virtually flat. That maximises foot space for back seat passengers and makes it easier to seat three abreast. Three of our testers squeezed into the back, though they weren’t keen on being there for long – children will be more comfortable. Beware the optional panoramic sunroof which robs rear headroom and forces anyone over six feet tall to duck.

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We’re nit-picking here, though. The C5 Aircross should be more than roomy enough for most families. The feeling of space is boosted by the huge windows and high seating position – kids will love the view out. And parents will love that it has three sets of Isofix child seat mounts, on the front passenger and outer rear seats.

Boot space and storage

Citroen compromised a bit on the C5 Aircross’s rear-seat passenger space to make its boot bigger. With the back seats in their rear-most position, there’s a whopping 580 litres of room available. That’s 70 litres more than you get from a SEAT Ateca and 59 litres more than the famously practical Skoda Karoq.

However, if you slide the seats all the way forward, you get a cavernous 720 litres. Fold the rear seats down and there’s 1,630 litres on offer. They split 40:20:40; start with the middle one first or your fingers will get squashed.

There’s an adjustable boot floor, too, which allows you to raise the height of the boot floor and makes it easier to haul heavy luggage into the rear. The higher level also creates a huge underfloor storage area. We thought the two-piece parcel shelf design is irritating – and easy to catch your head on if you’re careless, as one of our testers discovered to his cost.

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Citroen has overlooked some of the useful practicality features you get in rival SUVs. Our long-term test of the C5 Aircross highlighted that there are no shopping bag hooks in the boot, like you get in the back of a Skoda Karoq. So, if you have a twisty road between the supermarket and your house, your shopping could be scattered around the boot by the time you get home.

Plug-in hybrid models are less practical, as the space under the boot floor is taking up by the battery pack. As a result, minimum space drops to 460 litres. However, you do at least get some underfloor storage for the charging cable, which is more than can be said of the Audi Q5.

Citroen also designed the C5’s cabin storage well. There are loads of places to hide things, including well-sized door pockets, a tray in the centre console that’s big enough for the most enormous of smartphones and an immense chilled storage bin between the front seats.

Is it easy to park?

The Citroen C5 Aircross is bigger than its Peugeot 3008 cousin and almost identical in size to the popular Volkswagen Tiguan. It’s a snug fit in many UK parking spaces but getting into a bay is made easier as all versions have a reversing camera, plus front and rear parking sensors. 

The high seating position gives you a good view out – forward at least – and the mirrors are generously proportioned, so threading the C5 Aircross through traffic is relatively stress-free. However, the view over the shoulder isn’t great because of the thick roof pillars.

Safety

• Five-star Euro NCAP rating
• Lots of standard safety features fitted
• Driver assistance tech works well

Car safety experts Euro NCAP gave the Citroen C5 Aircross two safety ratings when it was assessed in 2019. Cars with the standard-fit set of safety features were given a four-star rating, while those fitted with the optional safety pack garnered five stars.

But the Aircross has been updated in the meantime, and all models now have those previously optional features. They include (depending on model):

• Autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection
• Driver attention monitor
• Lane keeping assist
• Traffic sign recognition
• Blind spot monitoring
• Automatic high beam headlights
• Adaptive cruise control

During our long-term test, we found the driver assistance features worked reliably most of the time, although the lane-keeping assist occasionally picked out lines in the tarmac (such as repair patches) that don’t constitute a lane.

The cruise control is easily adjustable and operates smoothly, with a good range of distances available between you and the vehicle in front. One minor irritation is the button for the hazard warning lights being hidden by the steering wheel.

Watch the Citroen C5 Aircross crash test video