PARIS MOTOR SHOW: Citroen C5 Aircross green-lit for Australia

The all-new Citroen C5 Aircross has been confirmed for release in Australia in the third quarter of 2019.

Originally unveiled back in 2017 at the Shanghai motor show, the French mid-size SUV will go head-to-head with the top-selling Mazda CX-5 and Nissan QASHQAI.

Measuring in at 4.5m long, 1.84m wide and standing 1.67m tall, the Citroen C5 Aircross has a generous 2.73m wheelbase. That, claims the car maker, should ensure the five-seat SUV will provide both best-in-class interior space and a large boot that expands from 580 to 720 litres courtesy of a sliding second row of seats.

Not only can the three individual rear seats slide, fold and incline individually, they also all incorporate ISOfix seat mounts, helping the C5 Aircross offer similar levels of practicality to a people-mover.

The C5 Aircross rides on the PSA Group's modular EMP2 platform, which also underpins both the Peugeot 3008 and 5008.

Unlike its closely-related siblings, the C5 Aircross gets Citroen's latest Progressive Hydraulic Cushion suspension technology that combines soft springs with hydraulic bump stops for both rebound and compression – the result, claims the car-maker, is class-leading ride quality.

Combined with the firm's 'Advanced Comfort' seats, Citroen claims the C5 Aircross is the most comfortable SUV in its class.

Other key features that the car-maker hopes will tempt buyers away from its more established Japanese rivals include a standard 12.3-inch TFT digital instrument panel and an 8.0-inch infotainment system.

The C5 Aircross also gets the firm's now-trademark Airbump panels.

Under the bonnet, in Europe, there's the choice of two 1.2-litre PureTech petrol engines that produce 95 and 132kW and three 1.6-litre BlueHDI turbo-diesels that match the power outputs of the smaller petrol engines.

Both six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic transmissions are offered in Europe, although it's thought the cars imported to Australia will come only with the latter.

As well as the traditional petrol and diesel engines, the C5 Aircross will be offered with PSA's next-generation plug-in hybrid powertrain.

Despite confirming the C5 Aircross for import here, the PHEV version is still under consideration for Australia.

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Revealed at today's Paris motor show, the new C5 Aircross PHEV combines a small 132kW 1.2-litre PureTech turbo-petrol engine with an 80kW electric motor, a 13.2kWh lithium-ion battery and an eight-speed auto.

Combined, total output is 166kW, and the C5 Aircross PHEV offers a pure-electric range of 50km at speeds of up to 135km/h.

Perhaps most impressive is that Citroen claims the plug-in tech makes the C5 Aircross 40 per cent more efficient compared to its petrol siblings, with the hybrid capable of consuming just 2.0L/100km while emitting less than 50g/km of CO2.

Charging time — the bugbear of plug-in vehicles — has been reduced to just two hours for a full-charge using the car-maker’s new 32A wall box that buyers will be offered to purchase or hire.

Coinciding with the arrival of the C3 Aircross, 2019 is set to be the year the famous French Marque's relaunches Down Under.

It's hoped the product-led rival will help it boost its miniscule sales Down Under.