Citroen adds sporting touch to C5 Aircross

CITROEN is now accepting expressions of interest for its forthcoming C5 Aircross Sport, a highly specified facelifted variant of the French brand’s medium SUV that is due in local showrooms before the middle of this year.

Available with an upgraded engine and transmission combination, the Citroen C5 Aircross Sport now delivers 133kW at 5500rpm and 250Nm at 1650rpm from its 1.6-litre PureTech turbocharged petrol engine (up 12kW) and is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission in place of the outgoing six-speed unit.

Citroen says the model appears visually larger than its predecessor, bringing a new design language with more structured lines, a more modern fascia, and a raft of additional equipment.

The C5 Aircross Sport adds a panoramic sunroof, LED headlights, DRLs and indicators, a functional aerodynamic air curtain, a new skid plate and revised taillights as standard.

A cosmetic black pack featuring 19-inch alloy wheels, wing mirror covers, roof rails, roof, airbumps and fog light bezels is also available.

The colour palette for the single-variant range is also refreshed with a “choice of premium materials reflecting greater comfort and quality”.

New Paloma Nappa leather trim is applied to the seats while the armrests and centre console are capped with a new black leather effect fabric. The dashboard also scores a structured black leather effect insert.

The cabin is finished in a Hype Black décor which features blue highlights on the seats and blue stitching on the dashboard, door cards, centre armrest and centre console.

Indeed, the centre console is something of a big deal in the revised C5 Aircross Sport. Citroen has remoulded and reworked the console to be larger and higher with a mix of black leather effect fabric enhanced by chrome design lines which it says, “underline a more ergonomic layout of controls”.

The console features a newly adopted e-Toggle gear selector and new driving mode selector incorporating the vehicle’s Grip Control function. There is also more storage space than before, two additional USB ports and a wireless device charging pad.

In the central dashboard, a 10.0-inch infotainment touchscreen is replaces the previous 8.0-inch unit while the driver’s seat adopts a massage function and electric adjustment.

Crucially, the updated C5 Aircross Sport offers what Citroen says is a wide range of the latest-generation safety technologies, including highway driver assist with adaptive cruise control, Stop & Go functionality, and active lane departure warning.

The features join carryover technologies such as autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, speed limit recognition and recommendation, hill descent control, tyre pressure monitoring, anti-lock braking with EBA and EBD, automatic hazard light activation upon heavy braking and dynamic stability control.

Citroen will offer the C5 Aircross Sport in six paint colours: Polar White, Perla Nera Black, Platinum Grey, Steel Grey, Eclipse Blue and Pearlescent White.

“We are looking forward to introducing the refreshed C5 Aircross Sport later this year to a revitalised local range alongside the recent addition of the C5X and C4, offering greater choice for Australian customers,” said Citroen Australia managing director, Kate Gillis.

“Appealing to the discerning Citroen customer in Australia, the C5 Aircross Sport offers a compelling package with Citroen’s signature Advanced Comfort philosophy influencing all aspects of the vehicle, a distinctive and modern exterior design and a comfortable and stylish interior, couple with important safety and convenience features.”