Citroen C5 X vs Kgm Torres

What's the difference?

This is a new take on the Citroen station wagon, and it’s an impressive one at that. It may not tick all the boxes, but it is a comfortable and practical car, with stunning design, decent equipment and a pretty agreeable price tag.

Now, just get that plug-in hybrid version in at a reasonable price please, Citroen.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

The KGM Torres Hybrid represents yet another choice for buyers in the family SUV segment, as if there aren’t already enough! But the Torres offers a level of value its mainstream competitors can’t match. The hybrid powertrain is a winner, however KGM needs to iron out a few issues, like tyre choice and the advanced driver assist tech. But there is a lot to like about the Torres Hybrid. And it’s definitely the pick over the pure petrol version.

Citroen reckons the C5 X combines SUV, wagon and sedan design cues to make it a true crossover model. I reckon they’ve got a point, and while it’s certainly not as butch as some other crossover wagons out there, it’s not bashful, either.

I’m a massive fan of the assertive front end lighting design, the bold body lines that punctuate the bonnet and swoop backwards down the sides of the car, and the swooping roofline that dips away, almost like the iconic Citroen DS.

It’s quite a large car, too - at 4805mm long on a 2785mm wheelbase, it has a commanding presence, and it’s 1865mm wide (not including the side mirrors) and a rather sleek 1490mm tall. 

Of course it has some body cladding and black plastics to give that ‘rough and tumble’ appearance - and the rear features a couple of spoilers on the boot that help it cut through the air cleanly, and they look interesting as well.

Inside, there’s an almost-square steering wheel, which is interesting, and a pair of screens - a 12.0-inch touchscreen for your multimedia duties, and a 7.0-inch driver info screen. It looks and feels upmarket and pretty conventional in the cabin, so let’s see what the practicality is like.

What a curious thing the KGM Torres is. It has typical medium SUV proportions but with over-the-top styling designed to give the impression of a rugged off-roader. But this is no off-roader.

It has a Jeep-like slotted grille, faux winch hook in the lower grille, squared-off wheel arches, a boxy shape and weird grab mounts on the bonnet that serve no discernible purpose.

It also has what appears to be a rear-mounted spare wheel with a side-opening tailgate. But it’s all an illusion. It’s just a chunky addition to the tailgate which opens upwards, like a regular SUV boot.

If you discount the fake 4x4 bits, the Torres is quite a handsome SUV, especially from the front. The grille surrounded by cool integrated LED headlights makes for a nice front end. 

The tail-lights sit a little low at the rear, and the pointlessly massive C-pillar is a bit much. But there are some appealing elements.

Inside, there’s a bit of a nod to fellow Korean brands Hyundai and Kia with the dual 12.3-inch multimedia and driver display screens. 

There are no buttons to be found on the console and centre stack so it’s a clean look. The screens and air vents are angled towards the driver, too.

Bronze is a feature throughout and it breaks up the dash nicely, as does the ambient lighting. Matching stitching is a lovely visual touch on the nicely patterned cloth seats.

It doesn’t look or feel like a base model. It definitely feels a step up from the Korando and the Musso in KGM’s stable, as well as some rivals.

The Citroen C5 X is almost as big as a Subaru Outback, and similar in size to a Kia Stinger. So it ought to have a bit of family-friendliness packed in.

Starting at the back, there’s a 545-litre boot capacity, with the kick-action, electronically controlled tailgate that you can also use the keyfob to open. It is a low, wide, quite squared-off aperture, meaning loading bulky items in should be a breeze. Just note that the roofline does taper down towards the rear, so bigger things will need to be pushed towards the seat backrests.

Or, if you’re really acting like a delivery van, you can drop the rear seats down to allow 1640 litres of cargo capacity. There are boot-mounted releases to drop the seats down, and there’s a floor mat in the boot, under which is a space saver spare wheel.

Back seat occupants are decently catered for. I’m 182cm/6’0” tall and I managed to sit behind my own driving position with plenty of leg and foot room - however, the sunroof does create a bit of a hump in the ceiling that you might bump your head on, and those with big feet or small children might want to take note that the sills in the door openings are very tall. A child could easily trip over them if they were clambering in the back in a rush.

Children will be covered with a pair of ISOFIX child-seat anchor points in the window seats and three top-tether restraints, too. There are map pockets, door pockets with bottle holders, a pair of USB-C charge points and directional air vents, too.

However, it wouldn’t be a French car without some kind of quirky cup holder situation, and the back seat has none - there’s no flip-down armrest to speak of. But the seat is exceptionally cushy.

Front seat impressions are good - and cup holders are present. They’re big ones, too - large enough for a big cuppa or a bottle of water, even, And there are door pockets with bottle holsters as well.

There’s an opening centre armrest box with a USB-C charge point, and in front of the interestingly designed recessed gear selector and parking brake, there’s another storage spot with a wireless phone charger, too. Nice.

Seat comfort up front is very good, with lots of adjustability (eight-way electric for the driver, six-way electric for front passenger) and heated front seats as well.

Scoring a big tick from me is the fact there are physical dials and buttons for the air conditioning and ventilation controls. But they’re in that glossy black finish, which shows fingerprints so much that it makes you feel self-conscious of being a walking germ farm.

The big touchscreen multimedia system has a few buttons and knobs, too - though the menus on screen do take some getting used to. It is highly customisable, so if you bought one you’d set it and forget it, but on first impression I struggled to get to grips with some of the nuances of the menus.

It does, however, have wireless or wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (with the media-feed USB-C port under the controls) and it goes full screen, too, while leaving enough space for other crucial elements. The graphics are nice and high-definition, and the 360-degree camera display puts  the “surround” view units in Peugeot models to shame. 

There’s also a configurable driver info screen, and a crisp and lovely head-up display as well. 

The KGM Torres Hybrid sits at the smaller end of the medium SUV set, but it still offers decent levels of space throughout, especially when it comes to headroom.

Storage is something KGM gets right with the Torres. The centre console has an armrest with large under-lid storage. There are a couple of good sized cupholders and a small slot for the phone to sit in, however it’s not super deep so it’s better for keys.

Further under the console is a large tray and two USB-C ports, plus another smaller shelf just above. There’s heaps of space in the doors for two bottles, plus additional space. And the glove box can hold the vehicle manual.

When it comes to in-car tech it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The multimedia screen takes way too long to boot up, especially when it’s hot. Which is not great because you need the screen to crank the air-con as most vehicle functions are housed in the screen. That display delay also frustrates if you want to reverse immediately after turning the car on, meaning sometimes there’s no camera display for a few seconds. It’s just not good enough by today’s standards.

The system is fine in terms of navigation and menus but not super intuitive. Swipe down for drive modes ('Comfort', 'Sport' and 'Eco'), plus some quick access options. You can always swipe down even when Apple CarPlay is active.

You can also hit the fan from left of screen to open the air con settings.

As mentioned, there’s no digital radio and no wireless Apple CarPlay. Also no wireless charger in the K30. Having to use a cord can be a pain but at least it means flawless CarPlay connection and a properly charged phone - something most charging pads fail to achieve.

The digital Instrument cluster is clear enough, but there is no head-up display.

Steering wheel controls are clearly labeled on the lovely looking thin-rimmed, four-spoke wheel.

In the back seat you’ll find ample leg, knee and toe room. There’s plenty of space behind my 183cm driving position. The rear bench is flat so there’s not as much side support as the lovely front seats.

That rear space has quite a high window line so small kids may struggle to see out.

Amenities back there include two map pockets, rear knee-level air vents, two USB-C ports, ISOFIX anchors on the two outboard seats, three top tether points and enough room in the doors for one big and one small bottle.

You get 465 litres of space (to the top of the seat back) with all seats in place. It is ample space for luggage or a big shopping haul. Drop the 60/40 split-fold rear seats and the front seats and that grows to 1526L.

You’ll find a 12-volt outlet in the boot as well as nooks on the side, a light and a cargo blind. What you won’t find, disappointingly, is a spare wheel of any kind. Just a tyre repair kit. This puts KGM behind the pace of brands like Toyota and Hyundai that at least offer a temporary spare wheel for their hybrid models.

Another quirk is adjusting to the tailgate opening upwards, not sideways as the rear 'handle' suggests.

The hybrid version of the Torres is available in two model grades, the K30 from $45,000 drive-away and the K40 at $48,000. We tested the K30 Hybrid.

The non-hybrid turbo-petrol Torres is available in three grades and ranges from $38,000 to $47,000. There’s also a fully-electric Torres called the EVX that costs $58,000. Keep an eye out for our review of the EV in the coming weeks.

In terms of other hybrid rivals, the Torres lines up against the GWM Haval H6 ($40,990-$47,990, drive-away) and MG HS ($42,990-$46,990, d/a). Some more established models have more hybrid grades, like the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Nissan X-Trail and Subaru Forester but they creep up dangerously close to $60K for the priciest grade.

KGM offers solid value for money across its model range and that’s definitely the case with the Torres Hybrid. The standard features list is healthy without being jaw-droppingly generous.

In the K30 you get 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and daytime running lights, dual-zone climate control, interior ambient lighting, leather steering wheel, heated, power-adjustable and power-folding door mirrors and rain-sensing wipers.

It also has dual 12.3-inch screens, one for driver instrumentation and the other for multimedia, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a retractable cargo blind, fabric seats, manual adjust front seats, six-speaker audio and USB-C ports.

It misses out on digital radio and the lack of wireless connectivity is a miss.

The K40 adds synthetic leather front seats, heated seats, a heated steering wheel, rear sunblinds, a hands-free power tailgate and auto up-down front power windows.

The Torres Hybrid also has a lengthy standard safety features list, but more on that in the Safety section below.

Yes it’s almost 2023, but the Citroen C5 X model launching right now isn’t bringing anything new or exciting to the table in terms of what’s powering it.

Instead, it runs a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine that is also used in other Citroen and Peugeot models. No hybrid tech, no electric version yet….  But Citroen has stated it is keen to bring a plug-in hybrid model to the market. Hopefully, it comes soon.

The petrol motor used here is the brand’s PureTech 180 with Stop & Start, and it’s good for 133kW of power at 5500rpm and 250Nm of torque at 1650rpm. This isn’t a small car, but it is relatively light, weighing in at 1439kg (tare mass). 

However, it has a pretty small engine with low outputs for this type of vehicle. For context, the 508 from Peugeot has 165kW and 300Nm.

The C5 X has a standard fit eight-speed automatic transmission, and despite some SUV pretences, it’s a two-wheel drive, with power sent to the ground via the front wheels only.

That much-anticipated plug-in hybrid (or PHEV) uses the same petrol engine but adds an 81kW electric motor to the mix, for a combined output of 168kW of power and 360Nm of torque. Grunty.

Powering the KGM Torres Hybrid is a 110kW/220Nm 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine paired with a permanent magnet synchronous motor delivering 130kW/300Nm, for a combined power output of 150kW. KGM does not provide an overall torque figure but clearly pulling power is healthy.

It also has a 1.8kWh lithium iron phosphate battery as part of its hybrid set-up. As mentioned. this is not a plug-in.

That’s a little less than the Hyundai Tucson (172kW) and GWM Haval H6 (179kW) hybrids, but more than the Honda CR-V (135kW).

It uses a ‘dedicated hybrid transmission’ and drives the front wheels only.

If you see a brand-new Citroen C5 X in the showroom or on the street you’ll note that the sticker on the windscreen shows an official combined cycle figure of 6.0 litres per 100 kilometres. For a petrol engine, that’s impressive.

Now, whether you get near that will be determined by how you drive. Lots of city and urban driving could result in a higher figure - but it does have start-stop tech for the true traffic grind.

On the launch drive, which included a mix of different driving situations, I saw an on-display return of 8.5 litres per 100 on the trip computer.

Fuel tank capacity is 52 litres, meaning a driving range of 866km if you can achieve the official figure, or 611km if you average what I did on the launch drive.

Can’t wait for the plug-in hybrid version of this car; it has claimed efficiency one-fifth of the petrol version launching initially - yep, it sips a claimed 1.2L/100km… but of course that relies on you making sure you actually charge it up and use the 50km of EV driving range it is said to offer. We’ll cover it off in more detail when the vehicle launches locally, likely sometime in 2023.

KGM says the Torres Hybrid consumes 5.6 litres per 100 kilometres on the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle. After a week of mixed urban and freeway driving I recorded a figure of 7.0L/100km. Not bad, but it could be better.

The Torres’s Euro 6 powerplant uses 95 RON premium fuel and taking into account the 50-litre fuel tank, you could theoretically get a total driving range of about 890km.

If comfort is your main priority when it comes to your new car, then the Citroen C5 X (or any Citroen, really) should suffice.

The brand says that comfort is one of its defining features - a pillar of why Citroen exists, if you will - and as the flagship model in the brand’s lineup, this should represent the ultimate in comfort. 

And it does. 

The seats - with triple-layer foam - play a big part. They’re wider than most seats and, while they don’t hold you in place like the buckets in a sports car, this isn’t a sports car. 

It also has acoustic glass front and rear to help make it feel more serene and ‘cocoon-like’ inside. There’s barely any wind noise, and just a touch of road roar over coarse-chip roads, but it’s far from noisy in the cabin.

Further, it glides along with relative comfort over bumpy sections of road, with the so-called Suspension with Progressive Hydraulic Cushioning all-but eliminating road surface intrusion into the cabin. 

The suspension has hydraulic cushions at the ends of the springs and dampers (but before the bump stops) that are designed to delete the little bumps in the road surface, while also helping lessen the impact of larger imperfections like potholes. And, with the launch being held in Sydney on yet another wet day, the suspension did a spectacular job. 

You can still feel the 19-inch wheels moving around a bit when you sink into a pockmark, but the way it feels from the driver’s seat is very good. I didn’t get to play passenger on this launch drive, but the seat of the pants vibe I got was that all occupants will be cosseted nicely. 

That tendency towards relaxed movement is reflected in the handling of the car, too. It’s not a corner carver. You can engage Sport mode - which adapts the powertrain (engine and transmission calibration and sensitivity) and also the steering weight, if you really want to.

On the engine - it is perky enough in Sport mode and can do the 0-100km/h sprint in 8.1 seconds, according to Citroen.

This powertrain should really be categorised in the ‘comforting’ rather than ‘compelling’ category. It’s not a bad engine - but you can feel the weight of the car is holding it back, and it particularly feels a bit sluggish from a standing start. I also noticed a bit of vibration through the car under full-throttle acceleration, too. 

But honestly, unless you were trying to duck through a gap in traffic, you’re not likely to spend much time with your foot pinned to the boards in this car. 

I love and admire that this isn’t a car designed to be sporty. It isn’t trying to be that. The PHEV version will be more of a driver’s tool, with an adaptive suspension system and more power and torque. But honestly, I’d be happy with the C5 X as it is, because it’s just a lovely car.

While this might be CarsGuide’s first time behind the wheel of the KGM Torres Hybrid, we have driven the petrol version. Andrew Chesterton lived with one for three months. You can read his take on it here.

As predicted by Chesto, the hybrid powertrain does sort out some of the issues with the pure petrol version. Regular acceleration is smooth and lacks any of the jerkiness experienced in the pure-combustion model, thanks in part to the hybrid transmission.

There is, however, tyre squeal when you give it a boot full. That could be fixed with better tyres than the 225/60R18 Nexen Roadian GTX rubber on the hybrid grades. There was also axle tramp when I tested the Torres under hard acceleration.

The transition between petrol and electric power is seamless. Only when pushed hard up a hill does the petrol engine sound a little rough.

Of the three drive modes - Comfort, Eco and Sport - the latter only adds mild spice. Best stick with Comfort.

The Torres Hybrid’s brakes are strong and lack the spongeyness of some hybrids. It has regenerative braking which just feels weird in a hybrid. I kept it at a lower setting as a result.

It steers nicely, offering a good amount of feel and it’s sharp without overdoing it.

I noticed some light vibration through the steering wheel on coarse chip and uneven roads. But the cabin is well insulated and relatively quiet. A particularly windy Melbourne spring day was the only thing that unsettled the peace in the cabin.

Suspension is MacPherson strut up front and multi-link at the rear and in terms of handling, there’s subtle lean in corners but it feels pretty hunkered down for a family SUV. More so than a number of its rivals.

The Torres Hybrid’s ride quality is variable, depending on the road quality. On some average roads, it handles better than others. You’ll definitely notice sizeable ruts, but there’s little to complain about in urban settings.

In terms of visibility, the C-pillar is way too big. I get that it’s a design element but that, combined with the tiny rear third-quarter windows, make a head check all but useless.

The Torres has not been tested by ANCAP for a crash safety rating, but it comes with a long list of safety gear as standard.

Hybrid grades get autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and lane departure warning, forward collision warning, driver attention alert, multi-collision braking, trailer stability assist and front and rear parking sensors.

Disappointingly the K30 misses out on a rear cross-traffic alert, blind spot warning and lane change-collision warning that are all standard in the K40.

It comes with eight airbags including a front centre bag to help avoid injury in a side collision.

On the road, some of the driver aids need improving.

The seatbelt warning is annoying, beeping loudly until you put your belt on. I could not find a way to change that in the settings.

The driver attention alert pops up every so often with a coffee icon and audible alert. The alert stays on for way too long and is annoying.

Adaptive cruise is pretty smooth, slowing and speeding up at just the right time and speed.

The lane keeping aid is twitchy and tugs at the wheel too much. It’s not as bad as systems from some other carmakers but it needs further calibration.

There’s no self-steering function, just the lane keep and you can’t alter the level of that system. You can turn it off and just use the lane departure warning which is what I did.

Buy a Citroen and you get a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, as well as five years roadside assist and a five-year capped price servicing plan.

The C5 X isn’t cheap to maintain, with the average service cost sitting at more than $560 - that’s based on service intervals of 12 months/15,000 kilometres. 

KGM covers the Torres with its seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty and the high-voltage battery is backed by seven-year, 150,000km cover.

Servicing is recommended every 12 months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first. The category standard is every 15,000km. KGM's service pricing is available for the first seven years with prices ranging from $349 to $454. Over that seven years it should cost $2758, which is not bad.

KGM’s dealer network consists of 65 sales and service outlets across the country, with a number in regional and rural Australia.