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Will the updated 2022 Citroen C5 Aircross come to Australia? Volkswagen Tiguan, Renault Koleos rival gets sharp new design, multimedia upgrade

The updated Citroen C5 Aircross borrows design cues from the new C4 and the unusual C5 X.

Citroen has signalled a shift in design direction with the reveal of the facelifted version of its C5 Aircross medium SUV.

The French brand is aiming for a more upmarket look for the refreshed C5 Aircross, with the new design theme favouring structured lines instead of curves.

The updated Renault Koleos rival still features bold front-end styling, but Citroen has modernised it by moving away from the split headlights fund on the pre-updated model that arrived in Australian showrooms in mid-2019.

Citroen was one of the first brands to adopt split headlights – specifically, slimline daytime running lights with a squared-off lower headlight binnacle – with the C4 Picasso back in 2013. Hyundai has adopted it for many of its SUV models.

The headlights are now one unit and the V-shaped DRLs are clearly inspired by the Citroen C5 X crossover revealed in 2021.

It now features a completely redesigned front bumper, inspired by the new C4 and C5 CX, with a bigger lower air intake, new side air intakes and twin louvres on the grille that surround the larger, more prominent chevron logo that’s finished in black lacquer and chrome trim.

The only obvious changes at the rear are a tweak to the LED tail-light design with a 3D effect. It also gains new 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels and a fresh Eclipse Blue colour for the palette. The so-called protective Airbumps running along the lower part of the doors carries over.

Inside it features a new 10-inch multimedia screen, up from 8.0 inches in the outgoing version, and the 12-inch digital instrument cluster carries over. Other tweaks have been made to the centre console.

The Citroen Advanced Comfort seats have been tweaked for even more comfort and there are new seat materials and colours to choose from.

Citroen has also improved cabin noise with acoustic laminated front windows.

There are few changes under the skin. The plug-in hybrid version offered overseas allows for electric only driving of 55km.

The existing model is currently offered in two grades in Australia, starting with the Feel from $42,990 before on-road costs and Shine from $46,990.

Both are powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine delivering 121kW/240Nm, driving the front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission.

It’s the same powertrain used by its twin under the skin, the Peugeot 3008 and 5008 SUV.

A Citroen Australia spokesperson said that the updated C5 Aircross is under evaluation for Australia, but history shows that means it will eventually get a local launch, but timing and pricing are yet to be locked in.

“We can confirm local evaluation is underway for the all-new C5 Aircross. We hope to have further information to share with you on the all-new Citroen C5 Aircross in the coming months,” they said.

The C5 Aircross holds the unfortunate title of the lowest-selling model in Australia’s sub-$60,000 medium SUV segment. In 2021, Citroen found just 58 homes for the C5, a 34.8 per cent drop compared with 2020.

That’s much less than other slow sellers in the segment like the Peugeot 5008 (189), SsangYong Korando (353) and Jeep Cherokee (382), and light years from the segment-leading Toyota RAV4 (35,751).