Post the initial lag, the pickup was really nice and gear shifts were seamless.
BHPian neel911 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
I was able to take a test drive (~15km) of C5 Aircross with the SA next to me and my wife seated in the rear. I drive a 2014 Honda City CVT right now. Here’s my feedback:
- The steering is extremely light. You don’t realise you are manoeuvring such a big vehicle
- There was a lag in the initial pickup and somehow it was more and more evident in traffic conditions. This is with pressing the accelerator lightly
- Sports mode was more responsive and somehow I preferred to keep in that mode during the test drive
- Post initial lag, the pickup was really nice and gear shifts were seamless.
- Braking was powerful but when you just start pressing brakes it feels a bit light and then it suddenly kicks in
- Wife was feeling extremely comfortable in this car in the rear. Usually, on bumpy roads, she feels really uneasy but nothing on this car
- You do feel potholes at low speed but once you go beyond 30, the ride was extremely smooth and uneven roads were not felt inside.
- Seating ergonomics were nice
- Amazing job on outside noise isolation. The cabin is extremely insulated from outside noise
- Park Assistance is a nice feature (demo was given) but somehow I just couldn’t digest someone moving the steering wheel automatically
Overall a great car. The initial lag is something that did bother me (something I don’t feel in my CVT Honda City) but then I’m not used to turbo diesel engines and this is a heavy vehicle. I’m not sure how the current generation Tucson Diesel behaves but would like to hear if this kind of lag is normal. The pricing and the dealer network is something that does go against this car but a very well built.
Here’s what BHPian Frusciante had to say on the matter:
All of your observations are spot on, though the lag you speak about is a bit surprising. I think with about 1 – 2 hours of driving you’ll find your sweet spot in terms of pedal pressure for both the gas pedal and the brake. Both me and @the.city upgraded to the C5 from Honda City (mine was an MT though) and our experiences are documented in the earlier posts. Coming from a wonderful car like the Honda City, I really really needed to be convinced about my next purchase is a true upgrade in every sense and the C5 was the only car on this side of Rs 50 lakh that made the cut. Once I switch to drive mode, it’s almost as the concept of gears doesn’t exist. Be it bumper to bumper traffic or the expressway, I just enjoy the drive with the light steering as you have said, the driving seating height (compared to the Honda City). All of this makes driving such a pleasurable task, I often joke to my wife that I could consider an alternate profession as a premium cab service driver if this is the car I get to drive all day long. Jokes apart, as someone who has upgraded from a Honda City, the C5 is the best upgrade you can have.
Here’s what BHPian the.city had to say on the matter:
Spot on about the difference. The way it registered in my brain is that the accelerator pedal response is different in C5 vs City. You have to go a couple of millimetres further in C5 to get the same acceleration compared to Honda City. In fact, nowadays I’m having slight trouble adjusting back to my old City — I’d invariably press the pedal too far while driving the old City and the engine would go brrr and I’d look like an idiot in traffic.
Keyword: Citroen C5 Aircross test drive feedback by a Honda City owner