Citroen C5 Aircross review

Citroen's dogged insistence on not being like other crossovers continues in the cabin. The seats look flat, more like lounge furniture, and the dash and doors carry rectangular pads like the bar in a diner. It's pretty refreshing actually.

And the seats are a lot more comfortable than they look. A soft layer of foam relaxes around you, but firmer shaping beneath holds you for the distance. The top-end driver's chair has multiple electric adjustments. Also massage programmes from the subtle to the borderline kinky.

Those three back seats give decent legroom when they're slid back. Individually, remember. If there aren't three tall adults back there, one or two can slide forward up to 15cm to free up even more boot space.

What's the tech like? 

All versions get a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster in place of traditional dials. The graphics are a little clunky but you can set it to show navigation while entertainment shows up on the central screen.

Still, phone mirroring on every version means you've got traffic-aware navigation whenever you're within signal. Or if you prefer, use the in-built nav system so you get the map on the driver screen. It too has traffic. But the graphics are a little gritty. Citroen's built-in dashcam is also available, recording automatically when there's a big braking event, and sending it to your phone.

Other controls include a row of touch buttons below the vents. They're shiny plastic touch buttons, as on a cheap microwave. Another slightly random smattering of switches below, but you’ll still need to venture into the infotainment to sort out some of the basics. Still, at least there's an actual volume knob.

For the driver there are gearshift paddles for the mild-hybrid, and cruise control on its own stalk which is easy to use. Stereo controls are on the wheel spokes

Is there much storage space?

At minimum you have a segment-leading 580 litres in the boot, but moving the backrests upright and sliding the seats forward opens up 720 litres, while folding them completely flat gives you 1,630 litres. In the ICE models, anyway. In the PHEV, it’s 460, 600 and 1,630 litres respectively, due to the battery.

A big centre console bin and glovebox take cabin storage to 33 litres, or a whole big bunch of picnic and devices like a large tablet.