Citroen C5 2.0-Litre 16V Range : FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY, FOR A REASONABLE FEE

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Cheap, Comfortable And Packed With Gadgets, Citroens C5 Is An Adept Long Distance Cruiser And It Has A Willing Partner In The 2.0-Litre 16v Petrol Engine. Steve Walker Reports

Most medium range cars are designed to be all-rounders but Citroen have taken a rather different approach with their C5. Whereas the Mondeo and Vectra crowd indulge in their endless marketing one-upmanship over who has the best engine, handling, safety provision, prices, cup holders, or whatever else is the flavour of that particular month, Citroen have, to a certain extent, opted out. The C5 ploughs its own furrow largely inert to the fleeting trends of the mainstream. Its not sporty in any meaningful way, theres no headline-grabbing performance model and the design favours function over form but with a C5 you know what youre going to get.

Its a comfortable, spacious, refined car featuring some genuinely innovative technology. Here we take a closer look at the 2.0-litre petrol models.

The C5s six engines are evenly split between petrol and diesel with the 2.0-litre 16-valve petrol unit slotting in between a 1.8-litre 16-valve and the 3.0-litre V6 in the petrol half of the draw.

Its a 143bhp engine and that peak power is marshalled at 6,000rpm, so you have to rev the engine quite fiercely to extract its full potential. The 60mph barrier is a respectable 9.1 seconds away and the top speed is 131mph. Drive in a manner more befitting the C5s relaxed character and an average fuel economy of 35.

3mpg is possible, which is just about what youd expect from a 2.0-litre engine in a medium range family car. Its a fairly average showing all round really, the 2.0-litre is a solid performer but doesnt set the world on fire, the C5 makes more of an impact in areas other than its engine bay.

Equipment provision, for example, is extremely good given the prices that Citroen are asking for the C5. Youll pay from £17,395 to £20,695 for a 2.0-litre C5 and, like every C5, it comes with a big bundle of gadgets. Variable power-assisted steering, automatic air-conditioning, electric front windows, ABS with EBD, brake assist, ESP with traction control, seven airbags and a CD player with a speed sensitive volume control are all included, even on entry-level models.

Theres loads of other stuff too as you climb the trim level ladder.

"Its a comfortable, spacious, refined car featuring some genuinely innovative technology."

The 2.0-litre engine is available in VTR or Exclusive trim which both raise the game above that of basic LX models but anyone wanting to go Exclusive should be aware that it lives up to its name. This range-topping package is only available with a four-speed automatic gearbox and in the hatchback bodystyle (theres no estate). The C5 and this automatic transmission are actually a pretty good match.

The car is definitely more cruiser than bruiser, so as you glide around on that syrupy suspension, you might as well let it make the gear changes itself. The VTR is about as sporty as the C5 gets, which is about as sporty as John Prescott wearing a shell suit. It makes a vague effort to try and look the part but you always suspect that the underlying ability isnt quite there. There are 16" Hungaro alloy wheels body-coloured bumpers, body-coloured rubbing strips and front fog lamps. The Exclusive is a classier affair altogether. There is a set of Suzuka 16" alloys, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, aluminium-effect sill finishers, a tyre pressure sensor, parking sensors, retractable door mirrors, electric front seats and a 6-CD autochanger. The technology available with the C5 really will raise some eyebrows. You probably never knew you needed a Lane Departure Warning System but if you order a VTR or an Exclusive model and you have an extra £300 to spend, you can discover whether you did or not. This innovation from Citroen is designed to prevent drivers losing concentration and drifting across lanes at high speed.

Six sensors under the bumper detect when the car crosses white lines on the carriageway. Should the car cross one, without indicating and at a speed in excess of 50mph, the system will cause the left or right side of the drivers seat to vibrate depending on which side the transgression has occurred. Its a nice idea and a potential lifesaver in the event that the C5s feather bed suspension causes you to drop off at the wheel. Standard on the Exclusive and a £750 option on the VTR are Citroens Dual Functional Directional Headlamps.

An idea that first saw the light of day on the 1960s Citroen DS has been developed for todays C5. The lights actually swivel as much as 15 degrees with the angle of the steering wheel to illuminate the corner youre turning into. The system works with full or dipped beam and it greatly improves your field of vision during nighttime driving. Further to this, theres a speed limiter incorporated into the cruise control system which allows drivers to set a maximum speed that the car will then not exceed.

These Citroen innovations are all very well but they impact only on small parts of the C5 driving experience. The piece of technology that has the biggest influence on the C5s overall character is the Hydractive 3 Suspension system. Theres no denying that this unconventional self-levelling set-up provides class-leading levels of ride comfort and thats down to the way that Hydractive 3 adapts to the different road surfaces it encounters. At motorway speeds, the car adopts a lower stance with the front end dipped for improved aero-dynamics and stability.

Take a detour along a bumpy B-road and ground clearance is automatically increased while the influence of a heavy load on handling dynamics is lessened by the self-levelling function. What Hydractive 3 doesnt do it transform the C5 into an enjoyable drivers car. The set up is very much comfort-orientated and even a press of the optimistically titled Sport button does little to liven-up the experience. The C5 is an affordable car with a nice line in technological gadgetry.

Equipment levels are high and ride quality is top class but the styling remains uninspiring and the handling isnt the most involving youll find. The 2.0-litre unit is a good powerplant but the C5s heart is not located under its bonnet. The character of the car is determined more by that suspension system than by any engine you care to specify with it.

Theres nothing quite like the C5. It does what it sets out to do and while some buyers wont see the point, others will love it precisely because its so different.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

CAR: Citroen C5 2.0-litre 16v range
PRICES: £17,395-£20,695 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 8
CO2 EMISSIONS: 190g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 131mph / 0-60mph 9.1s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 25.4mpg / (extra urban) 44.8mpg /(combined) 35.3mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin Front and side airbags / ABS / ESP
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [5dr] Length/Width/Height 4618/1770/1476mm