While you do need to venture into the screen to turn off some of the more nannying driver assist functions, Citroen makes that easy too, with a physical hotkey button that gets you to the right menu instantly. Another physical button beside it takes you to the home screen for the system. Bravo, Citroen.
Pairing your phone is easy enough, although you’ll only find USB-C ports in the cabin if you prefer to connect your devices through a cable. Bluetooth works well and we had no disconnection issues in our Hypnos test car, with Apple CarPlay functioning as well as ever. However, while you get a wireless charging pad, it seemed to do little other than make our iPhone a bit hot, rather than actually charging it.
Navigating the menus is straightforward and the screen is fairly responsive too. We’d say the system in a Skoda Superb is a little more intuitive, but it’s difficult to complain about Citroen’s implementation. Most models get a 12-inch screen, although the budget-friendly You! has a slightly smaller 10-inch display, albeit with the same functionality. One advantage of the C5 X’s particularly refined cabin is that even quieter podcasts are perfectly audible, and the sound quality in our Hypnos test car with its eight-speaker system was more than acceptable, too.
Comfort and practicality are high up the C5 X��s list of priorities, and it scores well on both fronts. The boot is a useful size and shape, too
In giving the C5 X a cabin full of eye-catching details and tactile materials, Citroen thankfully hasn’t forgotten good old-fashioned practicality. Designers have made the most of it being one of the brand’s larger models and there’s plenty of space for people and luggage as a result, plus some clever touches to make day-to-day use a little easier. There’s nothing especially novel here; it’s more a case of getting the basics right, from plenty of seat adjustment to more than adequate rear passenger headroom and legroom.
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 4,805mm |
| Width | 1,865mm (2,062mm including the mirrors) |
| Height | 1,485mm |
| Number of seats | 5 |
| Boot space | 485-545 litres |
Dimensions and size
While the C5 X is a rival for the Skoda Superb, it takes up a little less space on the road. At 4.8 metres long it’s still no supermini, but that’s around 10cm shorter than a Superb. It’s a touch wider, but the SUV-style cladding is just a visual illusion, as it’s within a few millimetres of the Skoda in height. Citroen doesn’t quote a ride height for the C5 X, but if you do need to venture further off the beaten track, the C5 Aircross or a Berlingo will be a better option.
Seats, leg room, head room & passenger space
The C5 X is a five-seater and while the middle rear seat is, as with most vehicles, more of a lump between the outer seats, nobody gets a bad deal with the all-important headroom and legroom – all passengers have plenty of space. There’s good adjustment for the front passengers, too, and the seats themselves are very comfortable, at least if you appreciate softer chairs that you sink into a little. If there’s one downside, it’s that models with all-black trim can feel a little gloomy, particularly in the back, making it feel tighter than it actually is.
Boot space
As is often the case in models with conventional petrol, hybrid, and plug-in options, you’ll get a slightly different boot size depending on your chosen powertrain. Namely, petrol and regular hybrid C5 Xs get 545 litres to their name, dropping down to 485 litres for the plug-in. That said, the large hatchback of the C5 X makes access easy whichever model you go for, and the plug-in has a small storage area below the boot floor for stashing a charging cable. The sloping roof means it doesn’t have estate car utility (you may not want to put a large dog back there, for instance) but the weekly shop or a fortnight’s holiday will be a doddle.
