Citroën C5 X: The Avant Garde Crossover Sedan-Wagon SUV

There’s something about testing a French car on Germany’s third-highest mountain that feels poetically ironic. The Watzmann, towering at 2713 meters, isn’t just a hiker’s dream, it’s a proving ground for comfort, confidence, and mechanical refinement. And if one vehicle dares to embody the laid-back elegance of a sedan, the practicality of a wagon, and the commanding view of an SUV, it’s the Citroën C5 X.

Driving it on winding alpine roads, beneath the jagged limestone peaks and through valleys tinged with autumn gold, was the perfect stage to explore what makes this eccentric crossover so unashamedly Citroën.

Citroën C5 X: Plenty of space

The very first time you open the door and settle into the C5 X, you feel it. The space. No over-engineered drama, no design flourishes meant to impress your neighbors, just room. At 4.81 meters long, it’s a car that doesn’t try to shout for attention. But it offers more space than most cars in its class, and it uses it intelligently.

In the front, there’s a lounge-like calm: wide, plush seats and an uncluttered dash. Rear passengers sit slightly higher and enjoy a vast amount of legroom. I’m 1.86 meters tall and had room to cross my legs in the back without touching the front seat. Even headroom, despite the swooping roofline, is surprisingly generous thanks to the raised SUV-like body.

The trunk is another story of smart packaging: 545 liters with the rear seats up (or 380 liters in the plug-in hybrid), and up to 1640 liters folded flat. Straight sidewalls, a low loading sill, and a completely flat floor make it feel like a proper estate, ideal for hiking boots, mountain bikes, or just the results of an overly ambitious IKEA trip.

“Drive like God in France”

It’s a bold claim. And yet, within 10 minutes of driving, it began to Citroën feel less like marketing and more like prophecy.

The Watzmann’s approach roads twist and climb with irregular rhythm, switchbacks, sudden dips, rough patches. And through all of it, the C5 X soaked up imperfections with the grace of something far more expensive. That’s down to Citroën’s “Advanced Comfort Suspension”, a mechanical setup that mimics the effect of hydraulic dampers by adding progressive bump stops.

There’s no air suspension. No adaptive dampers. And yet, somehow, it works. It floats over potholes with the detached calm of a luxury car. You feel the road, but it never jars. The car leans noticeably in curves, especially in the Comfort setting, but it’s predictable and never feels unwieldy.

Through tighter bends, particularly in the plug-in hybrid version with adaptive chassis, switching to Sport mode firms things up just enough to reduce body roll. It’s not sporty. But it is serene. It’s a car that invites you to glide, not attack.

And there’s something poetic about that. Especially here in the Bavarian Alps, where slow, deliberate driving rewards you with breathtaking views around every corner.

C5 X: A petrol engine, not a diesel

Citroën made a deliberate choice here, no diesel. And for good reason. The only pure combustion engine available is a 1.2-liter, 3-cylinder petrol with 131 hp. On paper, that sounds underwhelming. In real-world driving, though, it’s just enough.

Matched with an 8-speed automatic, it does its job quietly and with little fuss. Acceleration isn’t thrilling,0 to 100 km/h takes over 10 seconds, but the drivetrain is smooth and refined. On mountain inclines, it had to work a bit harder, especially above 1500 meters where the air thins, but it never felt overwhelmed.

Fuel economy hovered around 6.2 liters/100 km in normal driving, rising to about 7.5 during uphill stretches with full load. It’s best suited for flatter routes and city commuting, but even in the mountains, it got the job done.

You also get a full suite of driver assists as standard, including semi-autonomous driving capability (Level 2), adaptive cruise, blind-spot assist, and a massive head-up display. That’s impressive at a base price of just €35,650.

Plug-in hybrid: around 60 km electric range

Now we’re getting to the heart of the C5 X. The plug-in hybrid versions, available in 180 hp and 224 hp variants, offer far more than just a greener badge. They transform the way the car drives.

I tested the more powerful Max version, which pairs a 1.6-liter turbocharged petrol (180 hp) with a 110 hp electric motor. The combined output of 224 hp and 360 Nm feels just right, especially on steep ascents.

Electric-only mode works up to 135 km/h, and you can cover around 60 km on a full charge. On our test route, which mixed highway, alpine roads, and some stop-and-go village driving, I managed 54 km before the engine kicked in. In town, I suspect 60+ km is easily doable.

And when both motors work together, the C5 X feels surprisingly sprightly. From 80 to 120 km/h, it pulls in 5.3 seconds. Overtaking lumbering tour buses climbing to Königsee? Easy. Merging onto the A8 autobahn? Confident.

The regenerative braking feels natural, and transitions between EV and hybrid modes are silky. This is the drivetrain you want if your budget allows. But it’s not perfect, the onboard charger is limited to 3.7 kW unless you pay €400 extra for 7.4 kW. That’s slow. Expect around 3–4 hours for a full charge even with the upgrade.

Weaknesses in the pollutants chapter

Here’s where the halo dims a little. On the Ecotest, the C5 X PHEV scored only 3 out of 5 stars. Why? Primarily due to CO₂ spikes during high-speed highway driving with an empty battery.

The electric motor masks a lot of the combustion engine’s thirst, but once the battery is depleted, fuel consumption jumps to 6.6 liters/100 km. That’s not bad, but it’s not groundbreaking either. The engine also has to run richer under load, increasing particulate emissions.

That said, the real-world hybrid consumption (battery full, moderate driving) was excellent. Over 100 km, I averaged 3.9 liters of petrol and 9.7 kWh of electricity. For a nearly 1.8-ton car, that’s a solid result. Still, if Citroën wants to stay competitive with plug-in leaders, better emissions control and faster charging should be next on the list.

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Technical Specification

For correct and reliable info, we pull technical details directly from Citroën’s website.

Conclusion

The Citroën C5 X is refreshingly different. In a world of cookie-cutter crossovers and cloned cabins, it dares to be soft, elegant, and eccentric. It doesn’t beg for attention, it earns your appreciation slowly, through comfort, space, and serenity.

It’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, nor the fastest to charge. But it delivers what modern drivers actually need: electric range for the city, refined comfort for the commute, and just enough versatility for a road trip into the mountains.

From the lakeside roads of Schönau to the misty ridges of Watzmann, the C5 X proved that there’s still room for French flair in a German-dominated segment. If you want a car that invites you to relax, not race, this one deserves a close look.