Citroen C5 X Blue

The all-petrol engine line-up for the C5 X is pretty simple and is based around a PureTech 130 three-cylinder or 180 four-cylinder, the numbers corresponding to the horsepower each delivers. An eight-speed automatic gearbox is standard on all models. We started out in the 130 and, while it sounds like a small engine for a car of this size, it does a decent job and punches above its weight, though it’s a little unrefined at lower speeds and under hard acceleration. The plug-in hybrid – or PHEV – pairs the PureTech 180 engine with an electric motor that can power the car on its own for just over 30 miles on a full charge. Unlike some PHEVs it feels powerful enough on electric power to keep up with urban traffic so you could feasibly drive it day to day on this and save the petrol engine for longer journeys or faster roads. When both are working together there’s an impressively effortless power delivery and much better refinement than the three-cylinder petrol – if you can stretch to it the hybrid would therefore seem the one to go for.