Citroen C5 X 2023: Australian release date confirmed for Subaru Outback rival

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Over a year after it was first revealed to the world, Citroen Australia has now confirmed the C5 X wagon will be released in Australia before the end of 2022 with an expected price of between $50,000 and $60,000.

Set to arrive at some point between October and December this year, the C5 X will be sold in a single, highly-specified grade with a sole drivetrain option.

The sole engine for Australian buyers at launch will be the Stellantis-PSA 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder tuned to produce 133kW of power and 250Nm of torque in this guise, fed to the front wheels only via an eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission.

Chasing Cars understands that Citroen continues to explore bringing a C5 X plug-in hybrid powertrain to Australia. Offered in Europe, the PHEV version adds an 81kW/320Nm motor to the front axle to bring combined outputs up to 165kW/360Nm.

The European C5 X PHEV model can travel 50km on pure electric range (WLTP) thanks to its 12.4kWh lithium-ion battery. 

The C5 X is a raised station wagon with a strong cutaway tailgate – essentially splitting the difference between a Volvo V60 Cross Country, Subaru Outback and something like an Audi A5 Sportback.

Citroen continues to be something of a niche vehicles specialist within the French arm of Stellantis. The French brand, which has sold just 172 cars in Australia thus far in 2022, also sells the C4 small SUV locally – a finalist in our 2022 Car of the Year testing program – as well as the C5 Aircross midsize SUV.

Despite its cutaway, almost coupe-shaped rear, the C5 X features ample boot space with 535 litres with five seats up, or 1640 litres in two-seat mode, when the rear seats are folded flat.

Active suspension to provide a smooth ride

Offical specification details of the sole C5 X grade have yet to be released but Citroen Australia said in a statement that our version would come “highly specified”, so it’s likely the raised wagon will come loaded with top-spec features from the overseas model. 

Citroen has a history of preferring comfortable suspensions to sportier setups. Historically, the French brand’s cars were equipped with hydropneumatic, self-levelling suspensions and in more recent years, the company has adopted ‘progressive hydraulic cushion’ soft bump stops in combination with traditional passive dampers.

The C5 X comes standard with this system, referred to by Citroen as its ‘Advanced Comfort’ suspension, but only the plug-in hybrid model is currently available with the ‘Active Advanced Comfort’ suspension.

Citroen is believed to share the fundamentals of this system with the similarly EMP2-based DS7, which takes things a step further by using a camera and a series of radar sensors to scan the road ahead and adjust the firmness of each wheel to suit. 

C5 X interior to feature 12.0-inch touchscreen

Being a new-generation model, the C5 X has taken a big step up when it comes to technology with an interior built around a 12.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Despite this integration of new technology, Citroen has chosen to retain physical buttons for the climate control and other functions, unlike other manufacturers such as Volkswagen who are increasingly moving the controls into an all-encompassing touchscreen. 

Other features include four USB C ports, a wireless phone charger, a digital driver’s display and a head-up display that integrates navigation and call functions into its field of view.

Buyers can also expect luxurious features like leather interior trim along with eight-way power adjustment for the driver and six-way for the front passenger.