Citroen Ax Reviews

Are you tired of being stuck behind an SUV? If can’t beat em, join em. Paris motor show previews the next big thing on four wheels: pint-sized SUVs for the city. The world’s car makers are rushing to release high-riding hatchbacks that have the commanding view of a family-sized SUV -- but fit in the same size parking space as a Toyota Corolla. SUVs are second only to small cars when it comes to new vehicle sales, and the big brands are finding new ways to fill every possible niche. That means we can expect to see a bunch of tiny-tot SUVs designed for the city, even though they will be dressed up with rugged, go-anywhere looks. Indeed, most city SUVs won’t even have a four-wheel-drive system because they’ll never leave the tarmac. So why are car makers so desperate to get their small SUVs into showrooms? Because buyers are happy to pay a premium for them even though they cost only a fraction more to build than a regular hatchback. Japanese car giant Toyota, the world’s biggest automotive brand, will unveil a city-centric SUV inside enemy territory at this week’s Paris motor show. Even though Toyota is one of the biggest sellers of SUVs on the planet, it has completely missed the march to city-sized softroaders, or “faux-wheel-drives”. Toyota’s swoopy looking “C-HR” concept car is a rather large clue as to what the showroom version will look like when it arrives next year, although no-one knows what ‘C-HR” stands for. “Compact High Rider” perhaps? Even the French, which once revolved against the SUV and vandalized them in the street less than a decade ago, has joined the party. Citroen is poised to unveil the oddly but honestly named “C1 Urban Ride”. It’s a version of its smallest car but with bulging bumpers and slightly taller suspension to give it a macho appearance. Maybe that’s why they’re becoming so popular: blokes need peer approval to buy small cars. Is a Bear Grylls bumper bar enough to get them over the line? Then again, Citroen also released a compact SUV called the Cactus, complete with plastic side mouldings so you don’t get door dings in the shopping centre car park. The Cactus might be made for the urban jungle but it’s not exactly the type of name that would make you want to boast about it. Australians have been at the forefront of the swing to super-small softroaders. Already on sale locally are the Suzuki S-Cross, Holden Trax, Ford EcoSport and Nissan Juke, all priced between $20,000 and $30,000 (when the cars on which they are all based start at less than $20,000). Around the corner are the Honda HR-V and Fiat Panda Cross. Next month Mazda is due to unveil a SUV to slot under the top-selling CX-5. South Korean car maker Hyundai is also working on a super-small SUV, which should be in showrooms in 2016. Meanwhile, for those who think motor shows should always be about high performance exotic supercars, fear not, although the definition of supercar has changed slightly. Lamborghini is preparing to unveil its first ever hybrid sports-car, while Porsche is about to unveil its first ever plug-in hybrid SUV. Porsche’s two-tonne luxury SUV sips less fuel than a Prius -- providing it has enough charge to travel the first 50km on electric power alone before the petrol engine takes over. More affordable eye candy, however, will come in the form of the first ever motor show outing for the new Mazda MX-5 (the world’s top-selling two-seater roadster), and Jaguar XE sedan (no relation to the Ford Falcon from the 1980s of the same name).

French people-mover shows it's designed to succeed with Best in Category for automotive.

The Citroen DS5 sits at the top of the top of the French brand’s premium lineup, above the DS3 and DS4 models. It’s not quite a replacement for the old C6 flagship though, being significantly smaller, and about half the price too. Despite its ‘5’ nomenclature, the DS5 borrows its underpinnings from the Citroen C4, not the larger C5, and the uniquely shaped DS5’s nearest rival would be the BMW 3 Series GT, but the Citroen costs significantly less. Unlike the BMW though, there’s no disputing the Citroen’s beauty, with cohesive shapes and lines throughout and exquisite detailing. The DS5’s aesthetic delights continue on the inside, with a luxuriously appointed interior that looks like it’s just rolled off a motor show stand. This automotive artform is also a practical five door hatch, with a useful 465-litre cargo area and folding seats, and it can tow up to 1500kg. There are a couple of design quirks though, including a lack of cupholders in the centre console, and the rear wiper is like watching a finger sweep the glass. On top of the leather and textured aluminium trim, the $51,990 DS5 diesel comes with heated front seats and a massaging driver’s seat, panoramic roof sections with electric blinds, a heads up display and satnav, and Xenon headlights that steer around corners. The PSA Group’s familiar 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine is the default engine choice, but this one’s the optional 2.0-litre turbodiesel which is well worth the extra 3 thousand dollars. With 120kW and 340Nm, it does a great job of moving the 1615kg DS5, and still returns a combined fuel figure of 6.1L/100km. Both engines come with a six-speed auto, which made good use of the diesel’s torque in our tester. The DS5 carries a full five star ANCAP rating, with dual frontal, side and curtain airbags, ABS, EBD and stability control. A reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors are also standard, but the DS5 does without collision alerts or blind-spot monitoring systems. On the road, the DS5 is a quiet and comfortable place to be, as long as the road is reasonably smooth. The ride is harsher than what you’d expect from a Citroen, and the steering is a bit vague and the torsion beam rear end can be skittish over mid-corner bumps. Overall, the DS5’s unique character and unquestionable style helps to mask its compromised chassis, and its relative value and load-lugging practicality score it more points again. The Citroen DS5 is an alternative choice in the premium mid-size segment, but it’s not a bad one, and it’s definitely a good looking one.

enter the Citroen DS3 hatch, a sweet little car out of France with plenty of kit and a totally different look.

Citroen has been making passenger-car-based vans for decades and the latest Berlingo benefits from this as it's on the same platform as a Citroen people mover.

Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the Citroen DS3 Cabrio DSport with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

The DS3 goes for $29,740 and that includes plenty of standard kit like climate control air, full Bluetooth connectivity, satnav, power ancillaries and gorgeous alloy wheels.

They took back our 'long term' Citroen DS3 cabrio and gave us a three-door DS3 D Sport hatch instead.

Trust the French to insist that a sensible, functional people mover doesn’t have to be boring.

A car that comes with a drone to see what’s causing the traffic snarl ahead, another that accepts deliveries while you’re at work, and a self driving car with seats that face backwards.