Citroen C5 RANGE
Citroens New Look C5 Aims To Register Its Existence With British Buyers. Andy Enright Reports
Will Citroens New Look C5 be the car that finally ends the curse British motorists seem to have put on big French cars? Its doubtful.
Citroen, however, arent unduly worried. As long as the C5 can wipe its own nose in the Mondeo-dominated medium range sector, they seem happy. Taken on its merits, the latest version looks to be more than capable of that.
This facelifted car, priced from £14,995, certainly isnt shy of high tech features but that has long been the way with big Citroens. Weve come to expect a degree of innovation as some sort of recompense for the so-so residual values and the lack of image. Its strangely comforting to wallow in technical wizardry safe in the knowledge that, yes, its a bit of overkill but its a whole lot of fun. The C5 is the car that will keep even the most exigent button-jabber happy.
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The latest version offers the same five-door hatch or estate bodystyle choice and sits in the same £15,000 to £22,000 price bracket as the original version. It incorporates the companys current front-end design, with the narrow aperture of the double chevron grille running the width of the cars nose. The boomerang rear lights look like those from the old
Maserati 3200GT blown up to 200% on a photocopier. The front lamps are also a good deal more sculpted than the rather handsome teardrop lamps of this cars predecessor.
Xenon dual function lamps turn as the car corners a throwback to the legendary DS. This being
Citroen, we can take a whole host of safety features for granted and the C5 doesnt disappoint. An involuntary lane departure warning system has been developed that aims to prevent drivers from losing concentration or dozing off at the wheel. If the car detects a steady lane change without an indication, it can sound a buzzer in the cabin.
Safety is enhanced with the fitment of no fewer than seven airbags, including one to protect the knee area as well as a speed limiter and the latest generation ESP stability control package.
"This car will ride and corner differently to anything youve ever driven"
Building in features more often seen on luxury cars is an ongoing theme, the C5 featuring laminated side window glass. Not only does this aid safety in the result of an accident, it also provides enhanced protection against crime and even boosts the cabins acoustic qualities. Manufacturers of car stereos have long lamented the fact that with a high proportion of echoing surfaces, the cars interior is one of the most acoustically challenging environments in which to create great sounding music reproduction. It has been found that the insulating layer of clear plastic inside a laminated windscreen produced less acoustic scatter than the harsher echoes that rebounded off a more brittle toughened screen.
Some aspects are carried over from its predecessor, Citroen reasoning that theres no point messing with things that work well already. This hatch or estate will ride and corner differently to anything youve ever driven. The credit for this goes to Citroens unique Hydractive suspension. Devotees of the marque who owned an XM or a Xantia will know what were talking about here, for both of these cars featured early versions of this system.
In its latest form, the advantages of this fluid-sprung set-up over conventional steel springs are almost impossible to ignore. Thus equipped, this C5 can read the road and adapt its ride set-up accordingly, depending on the ground surface, the speed and the way that youre driving. Sensors strategically located around the car feed information to a central control system that can then change both spring and damper rates as necessary. Comfort then, is this cars number one priority.
Its not seeking to deliver as sharp a driving experience as you could expect in a Mondeo or a 407 its looking at the high mileage driver who wants to arrive unruffled. Certainly, the engines are up to the job. These are sourced from the
Peugeot/Citroen empire and include some familiar favourites. A choice of six powerplants is offered, with petrol engines from 117 to a hefty 210bhp as well as the acclaimed HDi common rail diesels developing between 110bhp and 138bhp.
Revised six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes are also available as well as Citroens award-winning particulate filter. Go for the estate version and youll find that the load floor is wide and flat, giving a capacity of 563 litres which is the largest in class. More importantly, its possible to exploit that space without significant intrusion from the rear suspension turrets, the Hydractive 3 system being tucked away beneath the floor. This means that the available width of 1176, measured at the narrowest point between the rear tail lights, is still the widest in class.
As long as you factor in depreciation, the Citroen C5 could represent a reasonable buy for the high-mileage buyer looking for space, refinement, comfort and an easy exit from the junior executive rat race. The estate version is probably the one to go for, with, as before, the 138bhp diesel being the engine of choice. Will this package of improvements be enough to put Citroen back in the limelight in the medium range sector? In all likelihood, no. But if the C5 does fit your requirements, you probably wont regret the purchase.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Citroen C5 range
PRICES: £14,995-£22,695 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 8-14
CO2 EMISSIONS: 142-238g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.2 HDi] Max Speed 127mph / 0-60mph 10.9s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.2 HDi] (urban) 32.1mpg / (extra urban) 57.6mpg / (combined) 44.1mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin Front, side and curtain airbags / ABS / ESP
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [hatchback] Length/Width/Height 4618/1770/1476mm
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