Does the crunch of a French baguette resonate with you? Perhaps not this time — the Citroen C5 X snaps more like a brick of instant noodles, because it is, after all, a Chinese car. Its name promises innovation, and innovation is a hard thing to sell in this market. The bottom line is simpler: be as convenient as a Skoda, and the customers will follow. The C5 X has not turned into an Octavia. But has it kept anything of what made a Citroen a Citroen?
What Happened to the Citroen We Remember
On the one hand, I have never driven the Citroens that built the brand’s reputation — the DS, the SM. On the other, I have been lucky enough to miss the recent mass-market ones, the C4 hatchback among them. The last Citroens I actually remember, the Xantia Activa and the proper C5 with Hydractive suspension, had green spheres, magical hydraulic fluid, valve blocks and accumulators, all of it playing together like a good orchestra to produce sensations you did not forget — provided the conductor kept up.
That engineering symphony has been out of favour for seven years. Towards the end of its life the Citroen C5 was finding only 13-14 thousand buyers a year. What do you do when a high-tech saloon will not sell? You turn it into a pseudo-crossover with ordinary hardware. Hydropneumatic suspension? The C5 X makes do with passive dampers. Multi-link rear axle? Here is the cheaper EMP2 platform with a torsion beam instead. And honestly, for an average buyer like me that is fine — simple and dependable. French engineers know perfectly well how to tune a basic chassis; remember the Peugeot RCZ.
A French Car Built in Chengdu
But the C5 X is Chinese, and there is no getting round it. The only factory building these cars is in Chengdu and belongs to the Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroen joint venture. Even the C5s sold officially in Europe are made in China, adapted for that market. You will find Citroens on Russian forecourts built to Chinese specification as well.
Outside
From the outside its origins are hard to place: a substantial liftback with high sills and a plastic strip along the bottom of the body. Do not read that as off-road intent — ground clearance is only 161 mm and it is front-wheel drive only. What is reassuring is that this Citroen still offers something to look at, the oddly concave roof above all, which recalls the indented rear window of the last C5 saloon. There is no rear wiper or washer, and the glass somehow stays clean anyway, much like a Moskvich 401.
Opening the huge tailgate takes a while, thanks to a slow servo, and tall owners will have to duck. The boot is generous and properly rectangular, and it holds up well even against the benchmark Octavia. The obvious difference is the Skoda’s much lower floor, which also has room for a spare wheel — something the Citroen does not carry at all. And for all that the Citroen is longer, at 4805 mm against the Octavia’s 4689 mm, it does not feel much roomier.
The C5 X does beat the Octavia by ten centimetres of wheelbase, and rear passengers get the benefit in space and comfort. The amenities are thinner on the ground, though. There is no seat heating back there.
Inside the C5 X
Broadly, the C5 X tries to look premium and is fundamentally simple underneath. The engine is a turbocharged 1.6-litre of the Prince series, reworked, with 175 hp, and it drives through a compact eight-speed Aisin automatic.
The steering wheel appeared at first not to adjust at all, the mechanism being sticky; pull harder and it moves. Even after climbing over the high sill and settling into a comfortable seat, you still find yourself reaching for the wheel.
The interior is genuinely interesting, with unusual trim — the pale inserts on the doors look like fabric at first glance and turn out to be plastic. The stitching, shaped into double chevrons, is another nice touch.
The tiny instrument screen, flanked by more eye-catching graphics, is a curious decision. Citroen has always experimented with instrument layouts, but this one feels like a beta rather than a finished product. The head-up display, on the other hand, presents its information clearly and attractively.
And the thing on the centre tunnel that looks like an electric razor? That is the transmission control, much as you would find in a Skoda.
The Octavia Starts Scoring Points
The two liftbacks differ substantially in size, and you only really notice it in the back: the Skoda feels less roomy, though there is plenty of space by any normal standard. From there on, the Octavia begins to accumulate points methodically. The driver’s environment scores well, with a much wider range of steering wheel adjustment. The instruments do their job, and the media system is smarter and pairs with a phone more readily.
Our reader Valery bought this liftback last summer for 3.7 million rubles, which throws the contrast into relief: the “official” Citroen costs a million more. Grey-market dealers will sell you the same C5 for three and a half million — much the same as a Chinese-built Skoda Octavia. Valery’s car is one of the last assembled in Russia, in 2022, and it spent some time waiting for its ERA-GLONASS system to be fitted.
Valery is fortunate in another way: his Octavia has the 190 hp two-litre turbo and the multi-link rear suspension. The road package — better described as a low-speed package than a bad-roads one — does change its character. Over rough surfaces this Octavia rides harder than its European equivalents. The extra clearance, up from 134 to 149 mm, does keep the plastic mudguard off the snowy ruts. But the dampers occasionally clunk on rebound, which is a small thing and a noticeable one.
Ride: Soft French, Firm Czech
In an era of stiff, short-travel struts, the Citroen’s suspension — built for rough roads — is a relief. It does not thump or shove; it carries you over the obstacle. Nor is there much that can go wrong: there is nothing in the C5 X’s suspension to break. The gentle rocking has a soothing effect, particularly if you are contemplating the loan still outstanding on the car. And the cabin is quiet enough, thanks to double glazing and generally decent acoustics, that you can work out the ratio of interest to principal in peace.
The Skoda, by contrast, is noticeably louder. What you hear most is budget tyre roar and grit rattling into the wheel arches. As a passenger I would take the Citroen for its quiet alone. From the driver’s seat the argument is less clear cut.
Pace and Gearboxes
Because the Octavia is livelier in every respect. Its two-litre turbo and seven-speed DSG take it to 100 km/h in 7.5 seconds against the Citroen’s nine, and the Skoda’s responses are sharper throughout. Sport mode keeps the revs up, and for anyone who wants urgency and a throttle that answers, the Octavia is the obvious choice. This generation of Octavia does not yet take kindly to chip tuning, mind — a certain nostalgia for the “Skoda on stage” days lingers — so you make do with what is there.
| Parameter | Citroen C5 X 1.6 THP | Skoda Octavia 2.0 TSI |
|---|---|---|
| 0—50 km/h (s) | 4.1 | 3.0 |
| 0—100 km/h (s) | 9.0 | 7.5 |
| 0—150 km/h (s) | 19.4 | 15.5 |
| 400 m time (s) | 16.2 | 15.5 |
| 60—100 km/h (s) | 5.1 | 4.1 |
| 80—120 km/h (s) | 6.4 | 4.8 |
In ordinary driving, and particularly in town, the Skoda shows real turbo lag up to about 3000 rpm and then surges. Otherwise it is logical and enjoyable, with none of the usual robotised-gearbox jerkiness at a standstill: the DQ381 and its control software bring the car to a remarkably smooth halt. The Citroen’s conventional Aisin automatic is not as polished.
Brakes, Throttle and Handling
The Citroen’s brake pedal is soft and oversensitive and demands your attention, and pulling away smoothly is next to impossible: the lightest touch on the accelerator makes the car twitch. In town that grows irritating, all the more so given how modest the performance is otherwise. Perhaps the C5 X is trying to inject some liveliness this way. Even in sport mode, though, the throttle responses stay measured and calm.
Take that initial twitch away and the car’s otherwise sophisticated manner would be complete. The Citroen handles pleasantly enough in spite of leisurely steering and obvious roll, neither of which stops it feeling like a hot hatch once it is moving. The torsion beam causes no trouble in a corner; the C5 X holds its line confidently and plays along on a lifted throttle. The one place the semi-independent rear shows itself is on an uneven fast straight, where a single bump can nudge the tail off course.
The Skoda, meanwhile, is constantly shuffling left and right, partly because of wheels 15 mm wider than standard — worth knowing if you own one. Its steering rack is noticeably sharper than the Citroen’s, lighter but clearer and quicker with it. Mostly that improves the atmosphere and the sensation rather than the outcome: in a tight corner the two behave much alike. If only it had the original European springs. That might have lifted the handling scores.
The Verdict, and the Price
As things stand the handling gap is small, and so is the overall gap between these two cars. The Citroen C5 X turns out to have real soul. Chinese-built though it is, it keeps a trace of the French company’s old flair; its character is grown-up and its style recognisable. Sort out the initial throttle response and it would be very nearly right. What is not right is the price: 4.6 million rubles at the very least, which is not competitive.
The new Octavia A8 generation is available too. It is not the same liftback as Valery’s: the Chinese Octavia Pro has its own bumpers, almost RS-like, a 1.4-litre turbo of 150 hp with a DSG, and — importantly — a wheelbase stretched by 44 mm. Prices start at 3.3 million rubles, though the cars are rare on the road and the supply is thin.
A wave of Chinese crossovers, all flashing lights, screens and illumination, has taken over the Octavia’s niche completely. And even if Skoda were to return to the market with a warranty and a full range, it is far from certain that buyers would come back from the various Xs and Changan models to a liftback. Noodles, after all, are nourishing and take no effort to prepare.
Trunk Space
Both boots are roomy and usable. The Skoda makes you lift the load higher, and pays you back with pockets, hooks and a spare wheel under the floor.
Citroen C5 X
Skoda Octavia
Visibility
It looks as though the mirror designer moved from Skoda to Citroen: the same shape, and the same problems, too little surface area and a taper towards the outer edge. The Citroen’s camera focuses more clearly, and the bigger screen shows more of what is around you.
Citroen C5 X
Skoda Octavia
Dimensions, Weight and Axle Distribution
Manufacturers’ data are highlighted in blue/Autoreview measurements are highlighted in black. Dimensions are in millimeters.
*Actual vehicle weight without driver, with full fuel tank and full process fluids
**For right rear seat
**Interior width at shoulder level in the first/second row of seats.
Full Specifications
The detailed specification comparison for the Citroen C5 X and Skoda Octavia:
| Specification | Citroen C5 X | Skoda Octavia |
|---|---|---|
| Curb Weight (kg) | 1505 | 1340 |
| Gross Weight (kg) | 1915 | 1840 |
| Trunk Volume (L) | 545—1640* | 578—1533* |
| Engine Type | Gasoline, direct injection, turbocharged | Gasoline, combined injection, turbocharged |
| Engine Placement | Front, transverse | Front, transverse |
| Cylinders | 4, inline | 4, inline |
| Displacement (cc) | 1598 | 1984 |
| Max Power (hp/kW/rpm) | 175/129/5500 | 190/140/4200—6000 |
| Max Torque (Nm/rpm) | 250/1750—4500 | 320/1500—4200 |
| Transmission | Automatic, 8-speed | Automated, dual-clutch, 7-speed |
| Drive Type | Front-wheel drive | Front-wheel drive |
| Front Suspension | Independent, spring, McPherson | Independent, spring, McPherson |
| Rear Suspension | Semi-independent, spring | Independent, spring, multi-link |
| Front Brakes | Disc, ventilated | Disc, ventilated |
| Rear Brakes | Disc | Disc |
| Standard Tire Size | 205/55 R19 | 205/55 R17 |
| Top Speed (km/h) | 221 | 229 |
| Acceleration 0—100 km/h (s) | 8.9 | 7.5 |
| Fuel Consumption (L/100 km) | City: 7.6, Highway: 5.3, Combined: 6.4 | City: 7.8, Highway: 4.9, Combined: 6.0 |
| Fuel Tank Capacity (L) | 51 | 45 |
| Fuel Type | Gasoline AI-95 | Gasoline AI-95—98 |
*With rear seats folded
Photo: Dmitry Piterskiy | Skoda
Expert group: Yaroslav Tsyplenkov
This is a translation. You can read the original article here: Лапша или булки? Сравниваем лифтбеки Citroen C5 X и Skoda Octavia
Published November 14, 2024 • 10m to read
