Citroen C5 X: which version to buy
The Citroen C5 X has one generation (from 2021-04-01, still in production) and three versions, all Liftback, all FWD, all Automatic with 8 gears, all Euro 6. The buying choice is not generation versus generation. It is 1.2 Puretech AT (131 hp) versus 1.6 Puretech AT (181 hp) versus 1.6 Puretech AT (224 hp Plug-in).
The Citroen C5 X has one generation (from 2021-04-01, still in production) and three versions, all Liftback, all FWD, all Automatic with 8 gears, all Euro 6. The buying choice is not generation versus generation. It is 1.2 Puretech AT (131 hp) versus 1.6 Puretech AT (181 hp) versus 1.6 Puretech AT (224 hp Plug-in). The extra money, in this catalogue, buys displacement, peak power, torque, and — on the Plug-in — a different fuel type and a much lower listed CO2 figure, paid for in kerb weight and a smaller tank.
Citroen C5 X specs: what is the same on every version
Every C5 X in this dataset is a Liftback. Every engine is Front, transverse, Turbo, Direct injection (direct), compression 10.5. Every gearbox is Automatic, 8 gears. Every driveline is FWD. Front suspension is Independent, spring; rear suspension is Independent, spring. Front brakes are Ventilated disc; rear brakes are Disc. Ground clearance is not measured. Wheel sizes are not measured.
That sameness is the point of the comparison: you are not choosing a different body, a different generation, or a different drive layout. You are choosing how much engine, how much mass, and which fuel system.
Citroen C5 X engine: three versions, two names
Two versions share the name 1.6 Puretech AT. Distinguish them by power: 181 hp versus 224 hp. The 224 hp car is Plug-in; the 181 hp car is Gasoline.
1.2 Puretech AT — 131 hp
1.2 Puretech AT is the smallest engine: 1199 cm³, 3 Inline cylinders, 4 valves per cylinder, 75 × 90.5 mm bore × stroke. Peak is 131 hp (95 kW) at 5500 rpm and 230 Nm at 1750 rpm. Fuel is 95. Specific output is 131 hp / 1.199 L ≈ 109.3 hp per litre. Kerb weight is 1493 kg, so mass per horsepower is 1493 / 131 ≈ 11.40 kg/hp. Gross weight is 1905 kg (payload window 1905 − 1493 = 412 kg). Tank is 53 L — the largest in the range.
1.6 Puretech AT — 181 hp
1.6 Puretech AT (181 hp) steps to 1598 cm³, 4 Inline cylinders, 77 × 85.8 mm. Peak is 181 hp (133 kW) at 5500 rpm and 300 Nm at 1900 rpm. Fuel type is Gasoline; fuel grade is 95. Specific output is 181 / 1.598 ≈ 113.3 hp per litre — 4.0 hp/L above the 1.2. Kerb weight is 1505 kg, only 12 kg more than 1.2 Puretech AT, so mass per horsepower falls to 1505 / 181 ≈ 8.31 kg/hp. That is 3.09 kg/hp less mass per horsepower than the 1.2. Gross weight is not measured. Tank is 51 L, 2 L smaller than the 1.2.
Versus 1.2 Puretech AT, the 181 hp 1.6 Puretech AT adds 50 hp and 70 Nm, one extra cylinder, and 399 cm³, for 12 kg of kerb weight. Displacement per extra horsepower is 399 / 50 ≈ 8.0 cm³ per extra hp.
1.6 Puretech AT — 224 hp Plug-in
The second 1.6 Puretech AT uses the same 1598 cm³, 4 Inline, 77 × 85.8 mm block numbers as the 181 hp car, but the fuel type is Plug-in. Peak is 224 hp (164 kW) at 6000 rpm and 360 Nm at 1750 rpm. Specific output is 224 / 1.598 ≈ 140.2 hp per litre — 26.9 hp/L above the 181 hp 1.6 Puretech AT and 30.9 hp/L above 1.2 Puretech AT. Kerb weight is 1859 kg: 354 kg above the 181 hp 1.6 Puretech AT and 366 kg above 1.2 Puretech AT. Mass per horsepower is 1859 / 224 ≈ 8.30 kg/hp — almost the same as the 181 hp car (8.31 kg/hp), because the extra 43 hp and the extra 354 kg cancel. Gross weight is 2185 kg (payload window 2185 − 1859 = 326 kg, 86 kg narrower than the 1.2’s 412 kg). Tank is 40 L: 11 L smaller than the 181 hp 1.6 Puretech AT and 13 L smaller than 1.2 Puretech AT.
Versus the 181 hp 1.6 Puretech AT, the Plug-in adds 43 hp and 60 Nm, raises peak rpm from 5500 to 6000, and drops peak-torque rpm from 1900 to 1750. Versus 1.2 Puretech AT, it adds 93 hp and 130 Nm.
Citroen C5 X specifications table
| Version | hp | Nm | cm³ | Fuel | Cylinders | Layout | Boost | Gearbox | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2 Puretech AT | 131 | 230 | 1199 | Gasoline | 3 | Inline | Turbo | Automatic | FWD |
| 1.6 Puretech AT (181 hp) | 181 | 300 | 1598 | Gasoline | 4 | Inline | Turbo | Automatic | FWD |
| 1.6 Puretech AT (224 hp) | 224 | 360 | 1598 | Plug-in | 4 | Inline | Turbo | Automatic | FWD |
Citroen C5 X horsepower and motor: what the extra power buys in kg
Power ranking is 131 → 181 → 224 hp. Torque ranking is 230 → 300 → 360 Nm. Kerb-weight ranking is 1493 → 1505 → 1859 kg.
The cheap mass step is the first one: 12 kg for 50 hp. The expensive mass step is the Plug-in: 354 kg for 43 hp over the 181 hp 1.6 Puretech AT. Extra kg per extra hp:
- 181 hp 1.6 Puretech AT vs 1.2 Puretech AT: 12 / 50 = 0.24 kg per extra hp
- 224 hp 1.6 Puretech AT vs 181 hp 1.6 Puretech AT: 354 / 43 ≈ 8.23 kg per extra hp
- 224 hp 1.6 Puretech AT vs 1.2 Puretech AT: 366 / 93 ≈ 3.94 kg per extra hp
If the buying question is “how little extra mass for how much extra gasoline power,” 1.6 Puretech AT (181 hp) is the outlier. If the question is “highest listed power and Plug-in fuel type,” 1.6 Puretech AT (224 hp) wins on hp and Nm, not on mass.
Performance: 0-100, top speed — and what is not measured
1.2 Puretech AT: 0–100 in 11.3 s, top speed 210 km/h.
1.6 Puretech AT (181 hp): 0–100 is not measured. Top speed is not measured. Do not treat the missing sprint as “this version has no acceleration figure in real life”; it is not measured in this dataset.
1.6 Puretech AT (224 hp Plug-in): 0–100 in 7.9 s, top speed 233 km/h.
The only measured sprint gap is Plug-in versus 1.2: 11.3 − 7.9 = 3.4 s quicker, 233 − 210 = 23 km/h higher top speed. You cannot rank the 181 hp 1.6 Puretech AT on 0–100 or top speed from these numbers.
Citroen C5 X mpg and fuel: city, highway, mixed, tank, CO2
1.2 Puretech AT: city 7.8, highway 6, mixed 5.1; tank 53 L; CO2 136. Highway is 1.8 below city; mixed is 2.7 below city. This is the only version with a complete three-cycle set.
1.6 Puretech AT (181 hp): city 5.8; highway not measured; mixed not measured; tank 51 L; CO2 not measured. The one measured cycle, city 5.8, is 2.0 below the 1.2’s city 7.8. That is the opposite of “bigger engine always uses more in town” in this table — but highway and mixed are not measured, so you cannot close the mpg argument on this version.
1.6 Puretech AT (224 hp Plug-in): city not measured; highway 1.3; mixed not measured; tank 40 L; CO2 30. Highway 1.3 versus the 1.2’s highway 6 is 4.7 lower on the listed cycle. CO2 30 versus 136 is 106 lower. City and mixed for the Plug-in are not measured.
Tank range arithmetic (litres only, not km — consumption cycles are incomplete on two versions): 53 L vs 51 L vs 40 L. The Plug-in gives up 24.5% of the 1.2’s tank volume (13 / 53) and 21.6% of the 181 hp tank (11 / 51).
Citroen C5 X weight, dimensions, kerb weight
Length, boot dimensions, and 2024 dimensions are not measured in this dataset. Ground clearance is not measured. Wheel sizes are not measured.
What is measured:
| Version | Kerb, kg | Gross, kg | Clearance | Wheels | Tank, L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2 Puretech AT | 1493 | 1905 | not measured | not measured | 53 |
| 1.6 Puretech AT (181 hp) | 1505 | not measured | not measured | not measured | 51 |
| 1.6 Puretech AT (224 hp) | 1859 | 2185 | not measured | not measured | 40 |
Gross is not measured on the 181 hp 1.6 Puretech AT, so payload cannot be calculated for that version. On the two versions with both masses, payload is 412 kg (1.2 Puretech AT) versus 326 kg (224 hp 1.6 Puretech AT). The Plug-in is the heaviest C5 X here and the one with the smaller payload window.
Citroen C5 X hybrid / PHEV: is the Plug-in the default buy?
Search interest in Citroen C5 X hybrid and PHEV maps onto one row: 1.6 Puretech AT at 224 hp, fuel type Plug-in. It is the only version with CO2 30, highway 1.3, 7.9 s to 100, 233 km/h, 360 Nm, and 1859 kg.
It is not a different generation and not a different body. Same Liftback, same FWD, same Automatic 8, same Independent, spring suspension, same Ventilated disc / Disc brakes. What changes is fuel type, peak output, mass, tank, and which economy cells are filled.
Buy the Plug-in 1.6 Puretech AT if the numbers you care about are 224 hp, 360 Nm, 7.9 s, 233 km/h, and CO2 30. Do not buy it if you need the lightest kerb (1493 kg is 1.2 Puretech AT), the largest tank (53 L is 1.2 Puretech AT), or the widest measured payload (412 kg is 1.2 Puretech AT). City mpg and mixed mpg for this Plug-in are not measured.
Which Citroen C5 X version to choose
There is no second generation to wait for in this catalogue: one generation, three versions, all from 2021-04-01 with stop not set.
Choose 1.2 Puretech AT when the arithmetic that matters is mass, tank, and complete economy figures. It is the lightest (1493 kg), the largest tank (53 L), the only version with city + highway + mixed all measured (7.8 / 6 / 5.1), and the only Gasoline version with CO2 measured (136). You accept 131 hp, 230 Nm, 3 Inline cylinders, 11.3 s, 210 km/h, and 11.40 kg/hp.
Choose 1.6 Puretech AT (181 hp) when the arithmetic that matters is gasoline power without Plug-in mass. For 12 kg you get +50 hp and +70 Nm, 4 Inline cylinders, 113.3 hp/L, and 8.31 kg/hp. City consumption is listed at 5.8, 2.0 below the 1.2’s city figure. You accept that 0–100, top speed, highway mpg, mixed mpg, CO2, and gross weight are not measured. That is the version with the most holes in the spec sheet, not the version with “no performance.”
Choose 1.6 Puretech AT (224 hp) when the arithmetic that matters is peak power, Plug-in fuel type, and the only measured sprint faster than the 1.2. You get 224 hp, 360 Nm, 140.2 hp/L, 7.9 s, 233 km/h, CO2 30, highway 1.3. You pay 1859 kg, 40 L tank, 326 kg payload window, and city/mixed not measured. Mass per hp (8.30) is not better than the 181 hp 1.6 Puretech AT (8.31); the Plug-in does not win the kg/hp contest, only the hp, Nm, and CO2 contest among measured cells.
Citroen C5 X versus C5 Aircross, Peugeot 508, or Peugeot 408 is not a comparison this dataset can score: those models are not in these numbers. Price, price in India, and for-sale listings are not in these numbers. Reliability is not in these numbers. Interior, fuse-box diagrams, and C5 X7 are not in these numbers. The buying decision that is in the data is 131 hp Gasoline versus 181 hp Gasoline versus 224 hp Plug-in, on one Liftback generation.