2005 Citroen C5 Reviews

Citroen's hallmark air suspension is everything it's hyped up to be ... a few notches below bouncing on a blow-up castle.You may sniff that this car is simply the French Falcon, mais oui, but your average frog is tres chic, demanding rear cup holders that cater for stemmed glasses.Of course, there is the old-school de rigueur front ashtray for those Gitanes as well – not so elegant. Driving needn't be a chore when you've got windscreen wipers which wave at the first sight of rain and headlights which sense when it's the darker side of twilight.I'd recommend upgrading your handbag to a tote, however, to cater for the enormous Citroen key. While it looks like a tennis racquet, it has an extra handy feature which turns the headlights on or off at a distance.Crash test dummies love Citroen C5, too, with its safety record a cut above the rest. In February, it was voted safest car ever by Euro NCAP – an independent testing agency – with almost full protection for drivers, and dummies, on front and side collisions.There are airbags aplenty – six in total on front, side and rear, plus front and rear curtain airbags – a fuel line that cuts out on impact, remote central locking that kicks in when the car takes off and an overspeed warning alarm.Safe as houses.Speaking of houses, I would gladly rip out Citroen's seats and cosy armrests and place them in my lounge room. Barring that, it is one of the more comfortable choices for the drive-in, if you are keen for a cruise to Gepps Cross.There's plenty of room in the boot for stowaways, too.Having had the fortune to do a "vertical tasting" of Citroen's C3, C4 and C5 in the past few months, I would place the family-car diesel at the top of the tree for comfort and practicality.But for those pleasure seekers without human or fur families, the C4 is a slicker, sexier option.Either way, the French Falcon is a classy car, even with the ashtray.LOVE IT LEAVE ITCitroen C5 HDi SXFour-cylinder, 2.2-litre automatic dieselPrice: $51,990LOVE ITDreamy suspension.Surprisingly quick acceleration.Leather trim.Pram-friendly boot.LEAVE ITSounds like a tractor at idle.Confusing stereo controls.Seat belt alarm.Tennis-racquet-look key.

A short sprint to the shops? Two of our testers chose the other car in their garages for that work – one was a Datsun 240Z and the other a 1987 Subaru Brumby ute.Does that tell you something?We would love to love the C5, but it is for a select group of people who know what they want. For most, other cars would do the same job a lot better, unless you're planning retirement and the Big Trip.The C5 is beautifully comfortable, with soft front buckets that get better over a distance, and there is no questioning the standard equipment, the efficiency of the air-con, or the way the car can cover kilometres.The Hydractive suspension copes with the worst roads with minimal effort. It can be raised to boost clearance on gnarly gravel and that makes it fine for regular country driving.But the C5 is big and heavy, and even its huge torque cannot make it a city sprinter. You get left behind all the time, and it needs a bit of warning for overtaking work.The payback is excellent economy, averaging 7.2 litres/100km during our test, and we saw less than five litres on the trip computer during highway cruising. At that rate, it will cover 800km between stops and could be coaxed beyond 1000km on a relaxed Outback run.But, still, we also found ourselves thinking more about rivals – and other cars we would prefer to drive – during a lot of our time with the C5. At one point there was a Toyota Avalon alongside and it seemed a nicer choice.Considering what we think of the Avalon, which is ideal as a taxi, you can see what we think of the Citroen.Still, it proves Citroen has stayed faithful to its core values and that is good news for the latest generation of small and medium-sized cars. They have more style and perk, but are still good for tough roads and easy on fuel.In the same price and size range as the Citroen we'd be looking at the latest Peugeot 407 diesels and the Renault Laguna. All three are from France, but the 407 and Laguna would rate higher with most shoppers.Then there are the Volkswagen Passat and even the Saab 9-3, which would be better for many buyers.

It presumes that the driver is having 40 winks and is designed to bring him/her back to reality.It is pertinent that it is Citroen that is the developer of this potentially life-saving device.This is because one drive of the Citroen C5 — the biggest of the French car maker's range to be sold here — is like cuddling up for a few hours with the world's softest doona.I'll add quickly that the vibrating seat is on the latest C4, and is yet to be fitted to the bigger C5.Few cars, actually probably none, have such a long-sprung, fluid progress that is the envy of every mattress-maker in the land.In becoming the benchmark for Beds Plus, the new C5 gets an even better hydraulic suspension, which now has a sport-mode for (slightly) flatter cornering stance, and a level ride regardless of load.Drive over speed humps and there's no clanging, banging, bump or, indeed, any jolt to the occupants' bodies.Fascinating stuff.On the freeway, the ride is so comfy and the floating sensation so close to bedtime after a hot Milo, that things could become too relaxed.The first corner puts everything back into perspective.The suspension is so compliant that the C5 is ready to lean quite quickly into the corners, with only its tenacious front-wheel-drive grip left to maintain dignity.It's actually a good handler, but the car's large size and the long-travel suspension make it feel less poised than a conventional sedan.The fantastic ride enjoyed by passengers is matched only by the cavernous room within this car.It's as big as a Statesman in the rear seat, with a huge boot accessed easily via an oversized hatch.The version tested had all the fruit, with soft leather and lots of electrically operated equipment. More noticeable was the higher standard of build quality than the previous model.All the fruit and the high standard of finish arrive for good reason — at about $52,000, this car is no cheapie.Its up against the likes of the Statesman and Fairlane, so it has to be good.It's rather tame, 2.2-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine at first appears to be a deficiency.In the land where the V8 is king, it's a big ask to find converts.But appearances are deceptive. The Hdi common-rail turbocharged, intercooled diesel engine — new for 2005 and with an extra 200cc — is a burster, with truckloads of torque arriving low down in the rev range, and only some initial hesitation there to thwart any performance urges.It's matched to a four-speed automatic which is an absolute treat, boasting sequential change for those who like to play manual gearboxes.That lovely ride impacts a bit on the steering system, which is as vague as a teenage soapie star and requires concentration to keep on an accurate line.The C5 comes standard with leather, electric seats, premium sound system, alloy wheels, one of the highest safety ratings around, electric windows and mirrors, auto wipers and headlights, cruise control, and so on.It is simply a nice piece of work, made all the more impressive by the new grille and boomerang tail lights.

Citroens in general are not everyone's cup of tea, although local importers have high hopes for the compact C4 to lift numbers to 3500 by Christmas next year.But the Citroen marque and its rich and wonderful heritage remain an enigma to many. Add a diesel engine option and there's more mystery.Yet there is much to be admired and used in a Citroen across Australia, best appreciated on long drives over indifferent roads.For a C5 diesel Citroen is a great tourer with its own, albeit small, cult following.The hydraulic suspension offers excellent ride comfort, the diesel engine offers good fuel economy and there is the style to stand out from the herd. This C5 is also "the safest car" yet tested by EuroNCAP, scoring 36 out of a possible 37 in the crash tests.This year's diesel model arrives in the reworked body with its clean, simple and distinctive nose and hippy profile which leads to a fair amount of passenger and cargo space under the rear hatch opening.The $51,990 C5 diesel is kitted out with leather and automatic climate control airconditioning, stereo and trip computer plus lots of electric helpers from seats to windows.It is a nice machine to be trekking from one end of the Gold Coast for early morning triathlons to the other end of the Sunshine Coast for football matters on a sunny Sunday.It fires up with the hint of an old Magna with a couple of tappets out of whack, just a faint clatter.This is smoothed out and away with a few revs on board and the C5 surfs through the traffic.The Citroen is effortless out on the highway, engine revs sitting just above 2000rpm at 110km/h and trip computer reckoning on 6 to 8 litres per 100km on a gentle road.Give the turbocharged 2.2 litre engine a tickle with the boot, or flick back from fourth to third, and there's an easy and smooth surge of reassuring, if not neck-breaking, acceleration.There are 98kW at 4000rpm, 314Nm of torque at 4000rpm.So the first couple of starts from the traffic lights needs a touch more throttle application than a V6 Commodore but the C5 is smart enough.Using the gearbox manually helps but the shift from first to second is pretty short.There is a Sport setting for the suspension but in the main best to let it get on with its own business. It loafs over speed bumps, keeps little lumps and bumps at bay on the open road.It is not a sports tourer. There is decent feel to the steering and good road holding but the handling is on the softer side of sharp.There is never any drama with the C5's road manners, it just prefers the long-distance runs rather than a sprint up a mountainside.Back and around the city streets the C5 is flexible and family friendly.There is an easy charm to the cabin and good visibility in most directions although that driver's exterior mirror with split screen takes some adjustment.It is gentle, comfortable and safe. There are seven airbags around the cabin, including a knee bag for the driver.The Citroen C5 diesel is a safe, comfortable and cosseting machine with good accommodation for people and luggage (through that big rear hatch) plus good economy.It is not cheap but offers value. It will not appeal to a huge crowd but those who drive any distance in style will be much appreciative.