Citroen C5 shows the Germans a thing or two

Introduction

Citroen's tongue-in-cheek advertising for the C5 will no doubt give students of semiotics plenty to ponder. For the rest of us, forget the allusions to German build and reliability and just enjoy the fact that Citroen is back building super-cushy saloons. In 2.0 HDi Exclusive trim, the C5 is making a bid for company car drivers' attention in one of the most hotly contested, talent-laden markets in years; can cut the corporate mustard?

What are its rivals?

After years of declining sales, the family car sector is suddenly a hot spot in car sales again. Not for a decade have we seen so much talent crowded together and the Ford Mondeo heads the pack. Great to drive, refined and spacious, the only criticism some have with the Mondeo is that it is just too big. Then there's the Mazda6, majoring on style, space and driving manners, with the Honda Accord giving both the Mazda and Ford a run for their money. Skoda's second generation Superb offers masses of space and even outdoes Audi for build quality. Throw in the forthcoming Vauxhall Insignia and lower level machines from Alfa, Audi, BMW and Mercedes and the C5 has its hands full.

How does it drive?

Citroen has long been associated with cars that ride on gossamer wings, oblivious of any imperfections in the road's surface. The C5 is from that school of thinking. In Exclusive trim, the C5 comes with Citroen's Hydractive 3+ suspension that uses oil and gas to isolate any bumps from the cabin while on the motorway. It makes the C5 a superbly refined cruiser, with the 138bhp 2.0-litre turbodiesel pulling the car along with loping ease - though we'd prefer a more positive shift in the six-speed manual gearbox. Around town, the C5 is just as impressively smooth, while on twisting roads there's ample grip for safe, rapid progress. The only insect in the ointment is that the steering doesn't have as much feel as a Mondeo's.

What's impressive?

In a word: refinement. There are several cars in the family class that now offer levels of quietness that were previously the preserve of much larger, more expensive machines. However, the C5 has come along and made them all seem a bit, well, coarse. Citroen has made a remarkable job of sealing out wind, road and engine noise from every section of the interior. The driver sits in a wonderfully relaxed, comfortable cocoon of peace. Even when the 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine is called upon to increase the velocity, the C5's interior remains unruffled. It's this sort of calm that delivers the C5's occupants to journey's end in relaxed style rather than reaching for the headache tablets. Add in large, supportive front seats that have just the right mix of padded give and plenty of adjustment, and you have a recipe for lifelong satisfaction.

What's not?

The C5 shares much of its dash with the Peugeot 407 and that, sadly, means a confusion of small buttons on the centre console. The buttons work the stereo and its various functions, while a couple of rotary dials above operate the ventilation. All of this should be much simpler to understand and use at glance. The only saving grace is that the stereo can be worked from the fixed centre steering wheel boss. Another area where Citroen could improve the C5 is the information display set into the speedo. Its orange-on-black screen is not as easy to read as it might be and the various pages of information available for the driver to scroll through are needlessly detailed.

Should I buy one?

Every Citroen C5 comes well equipped with luxury, safety and security gear to make it a good value machine. Much improved residual values make it a better bet for private buyers, while the excellent economy and carbon dioxide emissions should see company drivers save a few bob compared to most of the C5's rivals. The centre console may be cluttered with too many buttons, but the excellent refinement and comfort more than compensate in our book. At last, a big French saloon that makes sense.

Alisdair Suttie

Specs