The French carmaker, Citroen, has entered the market with a chic premium crossover in the shape of the C5 Aircross. Banking on strengths like its smoothness, refinement and space, the C5 makes a strong case for itself. Its price ranges from Rs 30.80-32.30 lakh (ex-showroom), so it is positioned higher than rivals like the Jeep Compass and Hyundai Tucson. In this story, we focus on the Citroen C5 Aircross’ real-world fuel consumption.
- Single diesel-automatic version on offer
- Auto engine start/stop aids fuel consumption
- City fuel efficiency is impressive
What is the real-world fuel efficiency of Citroen C5 Aircross?
Citroen’s sole engine offering in India is the 177hp 2.0-litre diesel engine that comes mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. We put it through our exhaustive real-world fuel efficiency tests and in the city cycle, this crossover returned an impressive 10.3kpl, while on the highway it managed 12.6kpl.
Analysis of Citroen C5 Aircross’ fuel efficiency
One of the key factors that affects the Citroen C5’s fuel consumption is its heavy 1,685kg kerb weight. But due to its engine-transmission combo’s impressive responsiveness, you will seldom need aggressive throttle inputs to make quick overtakes or dart into gaps in traffic. Aiding city efficiency further is an automatic engine start-stop function. This function is seamless, responsive and vibration-free in its operation, so you won’t mind leaving it on while the car is stuck for a long duration at a traffic light.
The story is a bit different when it comes to the highway fuel economy, at 12.6kpl. Now with eight gear ratios, you’d imagine a figure much higher, especially after the tall city efficiency, however that isn’t the case. The good news is that this automatic is spinning at a lazy 1,500rpm in eighth gear while cruising at 100kph, but what’s interesting to note is that only the seventh and eighth gears are overdrive ratios. So, in a scenario when you are cruising at a steady pace, the C5’s efficiency will be higher, but on two-lane highways where speeds aren’t constant, the C5 will often be in lower gears to make quick progress, and that takes a toll on its fuel efficiency.
Autocar India’s fuel efficiency testing process
Before our real-world fuel efficiency test, we fill the tanks of our test cars till the brim and maintain tyre pressures based on the manufacturer’s recommendation. These cars are driven in fixed city and highway loops and we maintain certain average speeds. To keep a check on any untoward variation, we always have a reference car driving along, one that we’ve already tested in the past; periodic driver swaps further neutralise variations in driver patterns. At the end of each cycle, we calculate efficiency by tanking them up till the brim. Throughout our test there is only one person in each car, running the air-con and other electrical like the audio system, indicators and wipers when required, just like how a regular user would. We take pride in our testing data which isn’t merely consistent, but also gives users an accurate indication of what they can expect in the real world.
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