Starting today, C&C is officially the new distributor for Peugeot, while Leapmotor’s representation is in its final stages. The consolidation of three Stellantis brands under one roof promises to offer Singapore’s car buyers and fleet operators an enhanced selection of mobility solutions.  

“Our long-standing partnership with Stellantis is built on a shared commitment to innovation, quality, and customer satisfaction,” said Wilfrid Foo, Managing Director of Direct Motor Interests at Jardine Cycle & Carriage Limited.

“With Citroën, Peugeot, and soon Leapmotor under one roof, our goal is to offer greater choice, cutting-edge technology, and superior service. 2025 marks an exciting time as we work to expand each brand’s presence in the market.”

Cycle & Carriage is gearing up for a bold product offensive, rolling out an exciting selection of new vehicles from Citroën, Peugeot, and Leapmotor. Over the next two years, the lineups of both French brands will be completely revitalised, while Leapmotor will make its highly anticipated debut in Singapore’s EV market.  

Here’s a closer look at the proposed new models:  

Leapmotor C10

Leapmotor’s first global model, the C10, is a mid-size electric SUV designed with versatility and practicality in mind.

Built on Leapmotor’s advanced LEAP 3.0 platform, the C10 is a compelling choice for families and professionals alike.

New Peugeot 5008

Peugeot’s enhanced 5008 SUV takes the brand’s signature Allure, Emotion, and Excellence to the next level.

The latest iteration will boast a striking design, premium craftsmanship, and an updated i-Cockpit interior.

New Citroën C5 Aircross

Citroën’s popular C5 Aircross will undergo a bold transformation, blending striking design with improved efficiency. 

This model also marks Citroën’s first use of the STLA Medium platform, a state-of-the-art chassis that supports multiple powertrains, including combustion, hybrid, and full-electric options.

Strengthening Cycle & Carriage’s Automotive Portfolio 

To support this expanded lineup, Cycle & Carriage is revamping its multi-brand complex at 239 Alexandra Road. Renovations are already underway to create a dedicated space for Citroën, Peugeot, and Leapmotor, ensuring a seamless customer experience.  

“Cycle & Carriage’s long-standing history of excellence in automotive retail sets us apart as the ideal partner for Stellantis,” said Wilfrid Foo.  

“Our expertise in delivering reliable, customer-centric solutions has made Citroën a household name in Singapore. With Peugeot’s reputation for premium vehicles and Leapmotor’s innovative EV technology, we are poised to deliver the best mobility solutions for all our customers.”  

Read more automotive news at AutoApp, or check out our latest videos on YouTube and on TikTok!

Cycle & Carriage Singapore recently unveiled the updated ë-Berlingo, showcasing its advancements over its predecessor, which first turned heads in 2022.

This latest iteration of Citroën’s popular electric light commercial vehicle (e-LCV) boasts a 3,900-litre cargo capacity, a 100-litre improvement over the previous model. The redesign, featuring slimmer interior wheel arches and a low cargo floor height of 160mm, makes loading and unloading easy.

The widened space between the arches ensures practicality for diverse business needs, further enhanced by a robust payload capacity of 751kg.

The Extenso system, with its modular folding passenger bench seat, allows businesses to optimise space for passengers or cargo.

This includes extending the load length to accommodate items up to 3,440mm and transforming the central seatback into a writing table for mobile office functionality.

The ë-Berlingo now boasts a 50 kWh battery, delivering a range of 354km (up to 492km under WLTP City conditions). This is a significant jump from its predecessor’s 293km range. Leveraging lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry, the battery is built for longevity and frequent full charges.

Charging is equally versatile: a wallbox charger can fully replenish the battery in 7.5 hours with a 7.4 kW charge point, while a 100 kW DC fast charger can take it from 0 to 80% in just 30 minutes.

Its 136bhp motor delivers an energy consumption rate of 17.3 kWh/100km, making the ë-Berlingo a frontrunner for businesses keen on reducing their carbon footprint without compromising performance.

Inside, seats with denser foam and improved back support ensure a plush ride, while a six-way adjustable driver’s seat offers ergonomic comfort for long hours on the road. The refreshed cabin features a fully digital dashboard, a multifunction steering wheel, and a 10-inch HD infotainment screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Externally, the vehicle proudly debuts Citroën’s refreshed oval logo on its updated grille, blending modern design with its trademark practicality.

Dawn Pan, Chief Operating Officer of Multi-Franchise Operations at Cycle & Carriage, encapsulated the launch’s significance: “We are excited to bring the latest ë-Berlingo to the market, offering our customers an efficient, versatile, and comfortable electric vehicle that meets the evolving demands of urban logistics.”

Priced competitively at $57,999 (without COE), the Citroën ë-Berlingo is available for viewing and test drives at the Cycle & Carriage Electric Commercial Vehicle Hub. Businesses can purchase outright or explore flexible leasing options.

Read more automotive news at AutoApp, or check out our latest videos on Ignition Labs TV and on TikTok!

Regular readers would know that I have a soft spot for French cars. This came about when back in the 80s, one of my uncles in Malaysia joined Citroën’s sales team. From then onwards, I was privy to Citroën brochures up the wazoo from a young age because he knew that I was enthusiastic about cars. Of course, that didn’t temper my deep-seated keenness for Saab (RIP ), but I digress. Citroën has held a special place in my heart ever since, which then brings us on to the e-C4 that draws inspiration from the CX of 1974 and brings it into the modern era, electrification et al.

Price-wise, the e-C4’s chief competitors are the BYD Atto 3 100kW and Nissan Leaf Electric, both of which are listed at slightly more than the e-C4 and the Nissan being the most expensive of the trio. All three electric vehicles (EVs) fall under COE Category A.

L’extérieur

Aside from its iconic chevrons, one would likely notice the e-C4’s split headlights and daytime-running-lights (DRLs) arrangement. It looks a bit quirky, but Citroën is supposed to be the quirkiest of the French manufacturers, so this is right up its alley. The headlights themselves are LED items, and are complimented by LED foglights further down, which also double up as direction lights when turning either left or right.

The four-door coupe crossover sits on 18-inch rims shod with Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 195/60R18 tyres. For once, you won’t hear a peep out of me regarding smaller rims and thicker tyre sidewalls in a bid to improve ride quality. More on this later.

Black plastic trims clad the bottoms and wheel arches of the e-C4 and contrast nicely with the test car’s Polar White paintwork, only being broken up strategically by blue anodized-looking surrounds. Blue… because electric. The doors also feature comfort access which unlocks the doors when one approaches the car with key in pocket, and locks them when walking away after parking.

Round the back, one finds a split-level rear windscreen that’s bifurcated by a spoiler, and flanked by split-level taillights. More Citroën quirkiness but this design cue comes together quite cohesively. Otherwise, the rear-end is simple and underlined by yet more black plastic cladding and underscored by the rear centrally-mounted foglight.

L’intérieur

Boot space is modest at 380-litres, but we need to remember the coupe-like proportions of this four-door crossover. The boot floor can be raised and lowered depending on whether a seamless loading floor with no lip is preferred, or more cargo carrying capacity is needed. The rear seats can be dropped if even more capacity is needed, but Citroën doesn’t quote a figure for this expanded space.

The rear seats are rather comfy, but with the driver’s seat set to my seating position, legroom in the back is snug. So is headroom owing to the e-C4’s compact coupe-esque proportions, but not for me since my 1.82-metre tall frame consists of longer limbs and shorter torso. That said, one does need to watch their head when climbing in and out. I’d gladly ride back here for trips up to 30 minutes but not longer. Those of more normal to petite proportions won’t have any issues back here though, and will remain cool thanks to rear aircon vents that also feature USB charging ports below them.

The front seats are comfortable too, and feature manual adjustment fore and aft, up and down and for lumbar. It’s quite easy to get into one’s preferred driving position, and nothing got in the way of doing so. Both front and rear seats are trimmed in black leather and leather-effect textile, and more chevrons can be found here in motif.

The right-sized two-spoke steering wheel then falls naturally to hand, and can be adjusted for reach and rake. Both spokes feature buttons and toggles for various functions including audio and adaptive cruise control. Also worth mentioning is automatic headlights and wipers are standard-fit.

The instrument screen is simple, compact and easy to read. There are three display modes to choose from – Driving, Computer and Minimal to suit one’s fancy. A nifty touch is the side-lit mood lighting that brackets this screen and can be adjusted for brightness levels. Complimenting the instrument screen is a head up display (HUD), whose polycarbonate projection screen rises from the top of the dashboard and displays vital driving and adaptive cruise information, and warnings clearly and legibly.

Panning left, we find the infotainment which is of the touchscreen variety and features a physical volume knob and a couple of shortcut buttons below the screen for quicker Home and Car function access. Also featured here is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity for smartphone integration. The latter worked well during my drive but I found the display area to be a tad small owing to the infotainment’s menu functions on either side still being visible. Not a big deal though. In-car technology isn’t the e-C4’s strong suite, but its simplicity and minimalism was also greatly appreciated. Also appreciated greatly were the physical aircon controls (YAAAAAY!)

The audio system is also pretty decent, although a bit boomy in the bass department but I was able to tune this to my preference. Bienvenue played crisp and loud and it was fitting to rock out to Celvin Rotane in a Citroën.

In yet more Citroën quirkiness, there’s a drawer above the glovebox that can be slid out to accommodate flatter items like files and paperwork, or presumably, an appropriately-sized laptop. Prefer to prop up an iPad or Android tablet to watch a movie? Well, the e-C4 has you covered there too with a tablet holder right above the tray. QUIRRRRRKY! But hugely useful.

La Conduite

Just a week prior, I’d tested a BMW 735i that was on air suspension. Folks, you’re not going to believe me when I say the ride comfort in the e-C4 is 85-90% that of the Bimmer. See, told you you wouldn’t believe me. Go take a test drive and experience it for yourself.

The reason for this is something called “Citroën Suspension with Progressive Hydraulic Cushions.” The French engineers must have dabbled in sorcery and witchcraft to come up a relatively simple suspension system that rides THIS well without resorting to air ride or the oleo-pneumatic system that Citroën was famous for back in the day.

Just as a side note, Rolls-Royce also used Citroën’s oleo-pneumatic system because it was THAT comfortable. But I digress. Back to the modern day suspensiony cushiony hydraulic thingy.

Even a rutted gravel track could not faze the e-C4, for it rode so well down the rough stuff. Actually, well before the gravel track escapade, and immediately after collecting the car, I collected Joel from the office for the photoshoot. You know those small but sharp humps found in multistorey carparks that can rattle your bones to the core if not taken very slowly? Well, the e-C4 thumped over one such hump at more speed than would be advisable as though it almost wasn’t even there, shrugged the damn thing off as if to roll its eyes and go “PFFFFT!”, and caused Joel and I to look at each other and exclaim, “SOOOO comfy lah!“

The story was pretty much the same for the rest of the drive. However, comfy does not mean a wallowing ride either with the e-C4 remaining well composed down streets and highways. That’s why I say the engineers must have dabbled in sorcery and witchcraft. With some escargot thrown in for good measure.

Visibility from the interior is good, but rearward visibility takes a little getting used to due to the aforementioned bifurcated rear windscreen. Not a pain though, just a process. A quirky one at that. Another quirk comes in the form of the blind spot monitoring system, whose glowing warning indicator in the wing mirrors looks like the birth of a new star or someone boring a hole in the mirrors with a laser from afar. Nifty!

The e-C4 is easy to drive and place going forward. In reverse, there’s an exposed rear view camera that works well when the weather’s dry but falls to bits when the skies open up. This is endemic of exposed reversing cameras and isn’t specific to Citroën. However, its compact proportions mean that the e-C4 is easy to park without the camera.

Another little niggle comes courtesy of the forward collision warning system that flashes up an amber-coloured warning on the instrument display and HUD, featuring the rear end of a car with the front end of another car close to each other and with stars emanating from between the two, with the words “Obstacle ahead.”

This system is a tad too sensitive and displays the warning even when one is not sitting right on the bumper of the vehicle in front. Given how chaotic Parisian traffic can be, I’d imagine that any hot-blooded French person would soon impale the instrument display and bludgeon the HUD with a baguette in a fit of rage given how frequently this warning flashed up. Why the system was made this sensitive is beyond me.

What isn’t overly sensitive is the way power is delivered to the road. 130hp from the electric motor delivered via the front wheels is not going to set any speed records for sure, but it comes in progressively and is easy to modulate. Floor the accelerator and progress becomes brisk but never unnerving, and keeps with the relaxed and comfortable ethos of the e-C4.

Charging the battery pack was also a straightforward affair, with Citroën claiming the charge level can go from 0-80% in just 27 minutes at a 100kW DC charger. My own experience suggests that this number is about right.

So what about energy economy? Citroën claims 14.5kWh/100km or 6.9km/kWh WLTP average, and I was able to better this number at 14.08kWh/100km or 7.1km/kWh over a test-driven 518km. This puts the e-C4 at number 3 on our energy economy table, just behind the current (see what I did there?) champion BYD Atto 3 and 2nd-place MG4.

Given the e-C4’s 50kWh battery pack, over 300km per full charge would be reasonable to expect. I wish the battery pack could have been a little bigger though, for 400km of range would have been ideal. As usual, the obligatory “your mileage may vary” disclaimer needs to be stated.

If it isn’t apparent by now, I really enjoyed my time with the Citroën e-C4. Nothing here feels contrived. Quirky, yes, but that’s what’s so lovable about this four-door coupe crossover. Plus its quirky looks turns heads. No one can ever accuse an e-C4 owner of driving something mundane-looking. It is SUCH a sweet car to daily-drive, and kudos to the French engineers who made it happen. Vive la France!

Photo Credit: Joel Tam (@r129_365)
Translation Credit: Christophe L

Technical Specifications

Citroën e-C4
Battery Size: 50kW
Power: 132hp
Torque: 260Nm
Drive: Front wheels
0-100km/h: 10.8 seconds (claimed)
Range: 363km (claimed)
Energy Economy: 14.5kWh/100km or 6.9km/kWh (claimed)
Price: S$171,999 with COE (accurate at the time of this article)
Contact: Citroën Singapore

Read more automotive news at AutoApp, or check out our latest videos on Ignition Labs TV!

It’s not every day that an automotive journalist gets the opportunity to review a commercial vehicle, so when Citroën offered their e-Dispatch for a review drive, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play “man in a van” over a weekend. Add to that the fact that the last time I’d driven a van was in 2003, and was keen to get behind the wheel again for a spot of “commercial gallivanting” on our streets and highways.

The e-Dispatch’s closest competitor is the Opel Vivaro-e, which is basically the same van from parent group Stellantis but at around $4,000 lower in price. Other notable mentions in this category include the Mercedes-Benz eVito 112 Long at around $45,000 more but with a smaller 60kWh battery pack as compared to the e-Dispatch’s 75kWh. This then puts the French van in an interesting in-between position in the market.

Outside

Apart from the familiar Citroën chevrons adorning the nose, this van is… well…. van-esque. At 4,959mm long, one needs to manoeuvre the e-Dispatch as though it’s a long-wheelbase luxury vehicle and things will be fine. Standing at 1,902mm height means parking in most HDB multi-storey carparks is doable as long as the height limit is 1.9-metres or more, and its width of 1,920mm means it will fit snugly into a parking spot in said carpark.

Unpainted bumpers front and rear mean parking ‘incidents’ at commercial loading bays can be simply brushed off without too much heartache. Those large rear-view mirrors are necessary for driving the e-Dispatch around, and do a good job of offering sufficient rearward visibility since the standard in-cabin rear-view mirror was rendered useless in the test vehicle due to the solid bulkhead partition between the cargo area and the cabin. However, a reverse-camera rear-view mirror was fitted over the in-cabin mirror, which then made it gobs more useful than the standard item.

Commercial-vehicle 215/65R16C Michelin Agilis 3 rubber wrap around 16-inch steel wheels, and this means one does not have to worry about the risk of grinding up expensive alloy rims when parking as close as possible to a kerb either.

Inside

The rear doors swing outward to reveal the cavernous cargo hold of the e-Dispatch, which is rated to cart 1,000kg of payload. This area can also be accessed by either side door which opens wide, allowing cargo to be loaded and unloaded easily both from the rear and sides respectively. Palletised cargo can be loaded by forklift through the rear doors only.

Once cargo operations are done, it’s time to get behind the helm of the e-Dispatch and drive off to the next location. Getting in and out was pretty easy for me at 1.82 metres tall, and with my longer legs, all I had to do was literally have one foot on the ground while sliding my bottom onto the driver’s seat bottom. There’s a step at the sill to aid ingress and egress, and my Mom, who’s a petite 1.52-metre tall and 79 years old could rather easily get in and out of the passenger’s seat using this step.

Once inside, the sitting position is rather upright, as allowing more reclining would mean eating into valuable cargo space behind. This is not a problem, even for yours truly with spine issues because the seats are rather comfortable for longer journeys.

The cabin itself is basic. The steering wheel is large, necessitated by the greater amount of turns lock-to-lock required by the e-Dispatch for manoeuvring in tighter spaces, so do keep this in mind when negotiating parking spots, three-point turns and narrower up- and down-ramps in multi-storey carparks.

The gauge cluster is mostly analogue and is clear and legible. The digital display in the centre offers basic information and needs to be toggled through using a button on the wiper stalk on the right. Cruise control of the non-adaptive type is standard fit and useful while traversing Tanah Merah Coastal Road with its 70km/h average speed zone.

Like the gauge cluster, the infotainment system is also basic, but supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto via a USB Type-A wired Mirror Screen function. Bluetooth connectivity is also there, although it is slow to pick up the previously-connected device and one needs to be patient until the paired device shows up.

Even pairing my phone required a bit of a think. I’d click the ‘phone’ button on the infotainment with my phone on pairing mode, and click through in the subsequent screen to pair a new device. Removing the pairing required the same screen to be brought up with my phone disconnected.

One annoyance, though, came courtesy of the parking brake switch’s placement, which I only found on the third day of driving courtesy of an eerie red glow coming from between the seat-bottoms while parked in a darker corner of a multi-storey carpark. Why couldn’t Citroën ditch the drive-mode selector and place the handbrake switch beside the drive selector?

Does this van really need ‘Eco’, ‘Normal’ and ‘Sport’ drive modes when just one would do? It’s baffling and reeks of parts-bin rummaging to save cost vis-a-vis the e-Dispatch’s original internal-combustion engine’d underpinnings.

Otherwise, things appear solidly built to last many miles and years of commercial cargo conveyance duties at the hands of harried delivery drivers.

Driving

If there’s something the French are really good at most of the time, it’s suspension tuning. And so it is here with the e-Dispatch, whose ride was more well-controlled, comfortable and sophisticated instead of a crashy and jarring ride that one might be inclined to expect of a van. So was handling, with the Citroën remaining composed and confident around bends and corners and surprising some cars in the process.

Noise levels were very well contained, with the cabin remaining quiet most of the time except over the more coarse tarmac of certain stretches of highway. This, of course, comes courtesy of the fact that this van is electric, and being electric, its 260Nm of torque is available instantly and also managed to surprise some cars on the streets and highway. Speaking of the highway, the speed warning beeper will start sounding at 68km/h, but it can be mostly drowned out by the audio system, so things are bearable.

Charging the van, on the other hand, was a rather frustrating exercise. Both of SP Group’s 100kW DC charge points at King’s Centre refused to initialize and kept timing out, resulting in a wasted parking fee. Cell reception at the charger was also atrocious.

Over at Gardens By The Bay, one of SP Group’s 100kw DC charge points initiated its handshake with the van, but also timed out. Sweating profusely and praying pathetically to the deities of electric charging at this point, I plugged the second cable in and thankfully it worked. These are possibly firmware-update-related issues, but it does mean charging escapades may end in frustration for many.

Anyway, the charging process, once started, was pretty good with the e-Dispatch seeing up to 80kW charge rate at the 100kW DC charger. Citroën quotes 48 minutes to charge from 0-80%, and it felt quite accurate.

What also felt accurate was the remaining range indicator on the gauge cluster. Over a test-driven 597km, the e-Dispatch averaged 5.5km/kWh or 18.1kWh/100km, which is commendable. All drives were done with the van unladen and in ‘Normal’ drive mode.

It can be reasonably expected that this energy economy figure will be lower when loaded. Based on its 75kW battery pack, over 400km of unladen range is not out of the question, which is impressive. Citroën quotes 339km of WLTP combined range, and it sounds about right while laden.

All said, and aforementioned annoyances and frustrations aside, it is painfully obvious why electric motors make sense in vehicles such as cargo vans.

Instant torque and lack of engine noise maketh a more comfortable journey, and the Citroën e-Dispatch is a comfortable van indeed. It may be basic, but it’s there to get haulage work done and appears to be built to last.

Photo Credits: Sean Loo (@auto.driven)

Technical Specifications

Citroën e-Dispatch
Power: 130hp
Torque: 260Nm
Battery: 75kW
Estimated Range (WLTP): 339km (claimed)
0-100km/h: 11.9 seconds (claimed)
Top Speed: 132km/h (claimed)
Energy Economy: 24.6kWh/100km or 4.07km/kWh (claimed)
Price: S$66,000 without COE (accurate at the time of this article)
Contact: Citroen Singapore

Read more automotive news at AutoApp, or check out our latest videos on Ignition Labs TV!

This partnership is part of SingPost’s target to transition to an all-electric delivery fleet by 2026. C&C has also collaborated with other companies like FairPrice Group and Uniqlo Singapore in the past, supplying new Citroën electric vans for a wide range of business needs.

On top of supplying SingPost with the vans, C&C will also conduct two new trials. The first is Mobile Servicing, which will see C&C technicians performing onsite servicing and maintenance for SingPost’s fleet at their headquarters, eliminating the need to drive the vans to a dedicated workshop. This will greatly streamline SingPost’s operations, further optimising operational efficiency whilst minimising downtime.

The second trial is Carbon Tracking and Reporting. Utilising telematics to transmit data from the vehicle, data will be sent to a central system for analysis and reporting. C&C will process this data to allow SingPost to analyse the amount of carbon they save, giving them accurate insights into their sustainability and decarbonisation efforts.

The trials are set to commence in June 2023, further underlining C&C’s scope as an e-Mobility service provider.

“We are excited to partner with SingPost on this important initiative,” said Ms Dawn Pan, Chief Operation Officer of Multi-Franchise Operations at Cycle & Carriage Singapore. “These illuminating trials will help us to continuously improve our services, and prove that we are not just any distributor. We also aim to help improve our clients’ operation efficiency and ease their journey to e-Mobility.”

Read more automotive news at AutoApp, or check out our latest videos on Ignition Labs TV!

(updated: 23 September 2023)

The turn of the decade saw a sharp increase in the number of crossovers, each touting more benefits than the last. This has subsequently turned consumers into crossover connoisseurs, who now expect a good 3-in-1 deal: Good looks, Practicality, and Effective cost savings.

You’re effectively spoilt for choice when hunting down something that rides tall on the roads. And I believe I’ve found something that tick the above requisites rather well.

French glow up

The Citroën C5 Aircross ditches its old and bland facade in favour of a new handsome demeanour.

Its new front fascia is dressed to the nines and gives the C5 a more commanding presence on the roads. Plastic trim pieces clad the underbody, woven into the design in a discreet manner. Roof rails and a flushed rear give it taut proportions.

Not much has honestly changed on the outside from its predecessor, but these subtle improvements coagulate into a much more future-focused design.

Fun on the outside, practical on the inside

The Citroën C5 Aircross dials down the French quirkiness, and functionality takes precedence in the cabin.

Instead of the usual 20:40:20 layout where middle passengers get ostracised, the C5 adopts a 30:30:30 layout with 3 individual seats. If you got 3 kids or adults, they’ll be contented in the back knowing that all is fair in the world. Although, the single rear USB port would be something they would have to fight for.

Since it’s 3 separate seats, each can be folded flat independently, creating versatile options for carrying odd-sized cargo. Even with the seats upright, the C5 still boasts 580 litres of boot space, which can be configured to have a flat floor as well.

Up front, the C5 portrays a clean demeanour with a little bit of French flair thrown in for good measure. The digital instrument cluster up front provides ample information for the driver, and everything is laid out with visibility in mind. A virtual Citroën C5 Aircross is also present on-screen, a small easter egg!

Entertainment is commanded by an 8-inch touchscreen nested in the middle of the C5’s unique dual-channel aircon vents. The interface may seem alien at first, but the simple UI is easy to get a hang of. Should you not want to deal with it, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connections are available too.

There are two USB-A ports and a 12V port found up front, although I would have loved to see at least one USB-C port present.

Otherwise, the centre console is tucked neatly with no outwardly protrusions, and this opens up the cabin space for front occupants. You also get a deep centre cubby hole, with space enough for even full-sized tissue boxes.

All seats are upholstered in a blend of synthetic leather and fabric, and the fronts even have slight bolstering which is handy in the corners.

Overall, its sensible nature really makes the cabin a pleasant place to be.

Boisterous enthusiasm

The 1.2-litre 3-cylinder that resides under the hood is the same one found in most French models today, and its hardy nature is a tried and tested formula.

Power figures are modest at 129bhp and 230Nm of torque, but this torque is available at just 1,750rpm, which gives the car a bit of a kick off the line. Plus, the 1.2-litre porker does make a nice grouchy sound when under stress. I like the sound, but I don’t think it’ll resonate well with some folks who wish for a quieter experience instead.

At full chat, the C5 will hit the centurion mark in around 10.3 seconds, and reach a top speed of 188km/h. Because of its heft, the engine would have to work hard just to keep the momentum going, and that hinders fuel consumption to an extent.

During my test, I managed to garner an average of 10.8km/litre, which is good for about 570km of range from the 53-litre tank. A decent showing considering I was more or less between 3-4000 rpm at all times in order to keep pace.

(update: 23 September 2023)
And then somehow, our resident fuel economy tester managed to squirrel his way into the C5’s driver seat and came back with an overall average fuel economy of 6.5-litres/100km or 15.3km/litre across a test-driven 480km, compared to Citroën’s claimed 4.9-litres/100km or 20.4km/litre figure.

Vivek was last seen sobbing silently in a solitary corner of the office for failing to even come close to the claimed fuel economy number.

(/update)

If you don’t take every corner like your life depends on it, the C5 is really comfortable taking bends at leisurely speeds. Citroën’s Advanced Comfort suspension setup works brilliantly here, and bumps and undulations in the roads are mostly cancelled out. 

Great all-rounder

I’ll be honest, I did not have ambitious hopes when I first got into the Citroën C5 Aircross. Having previously reviewed its smaller C4 sibling, which was lacklustre to say the least, I was harbouring thoughts that the C5 would be built with similar veins.

However, I am pleasantly and thoroughly surprised at just how good it is. Sure, it may not have the best fuel economy, but it’s a strong soldier that does everything you want it to with gusto. And it does this, with true blue French flair.

In a world filled with a sea of bland-looking SUVs, the C5 stands out from the pack. 

Technical Specifications

Citroën C5 Aircross

Engine: 1,199cc, 3-cylinder in-line PureTech Turbocharged
Power: 128bhp
Torque: 230Nm
Gearbox: EAT8 8-Speed Automatic
0-100km/h: 10.3 Seconds
Top Speed: 188km/h
Fuel Economy: 20.4km/L (Claimed)
Price: S$152,999 with COE (Accurate at the time of this article)
Contact: Citroën Singapore

Read up on AutoApp’s latest reviews here!

With a frugal turbocharged engine, practical and spacious interior for the family, and crucially falling under category A of COE, the C5 has a lot going for it. Consumers agree too, and the car has seen substantial success ever since it hit the showrooms.

Now, Citroën is trying to improve on that success. How will they be doing that? By bringing in a new, facelifted version. Same tried and true formula, with new refined looks. 

So what do you get with the new facelift? Up front, a new “V” LED light signature gives the C5 a commanding facade. The front bumper is also reworked with a larger, more prominent Citroën logo.

To round off the overall aesthetics and add a bit more functionality, longitudinal roof bars are a new feature for the facelift. Not available on the old model, the facelift C5 Aircross also introduces a new paint colour, aptly dubbed ‘Eclipse Blue’. 

On the inside, the Advanced Comfort Programme is now a standard option in the C5 Aircross. This gives occupants Progressive Hydraulic Cushions and Advanced Comfort Seats. In layman’s terms, this means drivers can now enjoy the combination of high-density foam in the seat centre, with thick textured foam on the surface that ensures softness and support throughout their journey. A very welcome creature comfort option for those looking to snag one up.

The C5 Aircross is now available at Cycle & Carriage, and you can check it out at the Citroën showroom located in Alexandra.

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