Upcoming Citroen C5 Aircross SUV spied testing in India

Team OD Updated: December 13, 2019, 02:37 PM IST

The clearest yet spy pictures have emerged of the Citroen C5 Aircross undergoing testing by the International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) in Manesar, Haryana. This seems to suggest that Citroen India is running preliminary tests to zero in on the specs and other parameters for the India-spec version. These pictures suggest that these C5 Aircross models are high-spec European versions shipped in to run these tests.

Internationally, the Citroen C5 Aircross comes with two petrol and two diesel engines. The base petrol is a 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder with 131PS and 230Nm, the other option is a 1.6-litre turbo with 181PS and 250Nm. The two diesels are a 1.5-litre unit with 131PS and 300Nm and a 2-litre with 181PS and 400Nm. The base petrol is available only with a six-speed manual, the 1.6-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel get both the manual and an eight-speed auto while the 2.0-litre diesel only gets the auto. Further, a hybrid powertrain with 60km electric-only range is being developed for a late 2019 launch.

In keeping with Citroen's traditional expertise in suspension systems, the C5 Aircross also gets a Progressive Hydraulic Cushion system that adds two hydraulic stops to a regular shock absorber. Each of these dull compression and rebound, to smoothen out the ride. Internationally, numerous safety features are available on the C5 Aircross like adaptive cruise control, emergency braking, adaptive headlamps, park assistance, driver attention and lane monitoring system. Expect the Indian car to come with at least six airbags and the non-radar based safety tech. There is no AWD available yet.

Two more cars will follow the C5 Aircross, the smaller C3 Aircross and a new international model which will make its global debut here. Uniquely, the brand's products will feature a high level of localisation from the get go, even powertrains and gearboxes will be sourced locally.

We've driven the 1.6-litre turbo-petrol, although Citroen is expected to introduce a new localised 1.5-litre turbo-petrol in India based on the 1.6 when the C5 debuts here in the latter half of 2020.