Citroen E-Dispatch Reviews

BROOKE Tatnell has done it again, claiming his eight World Series Sprintcar championship in Perth last weekend. It is his fourth with   the Perth-based Krikke Motorsport team and comes after the second - generation racer, who is still looking for his big breakthrough on the   World of Outlaws circuit in the USA, led the summer sprintcar season from the start.JAMES Moffat is a factory-backed Ford racer and will compete in this year's Fujitsu Championship series driving a Falcon under the Ford Rising Stars banner. The son of four-time Bathurst winner Allan Moffat was a regular Fujitsu race winner in 2009 but is aiming for this year's championship to springboard him into the main game in 2011.MARCOS Ambrose qualified 14th for the start of this year's Nascar season in the Daytona 500 in Florida. He qualified comfortably for the   biggest race of the season, although his exact spot for the big one will not decided until a pair of qualifying races is run.SEBASTIAN Loeb begins his hunt for another World Rally Championship in Sweden this weekend with Citroen. The six-time champion is expecting   tough opposition on the snow from last year's runner-up Mikko Hirvonen in a Ford Focus, as well as former world champion Marcus Gronholm and F1 refugee Kimi Raikkonen, who is having his WRC start in a Citroen C4.V8 Supercar safety has been boosted with new regulations that require a new upright stiffening beam to the rollcage inside the driver's   door, as well as extra gusseting around the A and B-pillars in all cars. The change is compulsory from the Phillip Island 500 in September and comes after Todd Kelly's big side-impact crash last year in Perth.JOHN Bowe is back to his favourite number, 18, for this year's Touring Car Masters Series. The Bathurst and touring car championship winner  has snagged the number, which he wore for 11 years as Dick Johnson's team mate in the touring car series, for the Ford Mustang hewill own and race in this year's booming historic racing championship.FORMER Formula Ford champion Tim Blanchard is moving into V8 Supercars after a failed attempt to move up the motorsport ladder in Europe.  After competing in the 2008 British Formula Ford series, and scoring lots of wins, he spent 2009 rebuilding at home and has now signed with Sonic Motor Racing Services - which ran his Formula Ford in Australia - for the Fujitsu Series races this year, partnered with Rod Jane.

A widely varied field from the soft-roader Audi Q5 to the baby Volkswagen Polo is competing for the biggest prize in world motoring

If it looks familiar that is because the all-electric C-Zero is based on the micro-electric Mitsubishi i-MIEV as well as sister company Peugeot's iOn.  It goes on sale in Europe later this year and is destined for Australia in mid-2011. A spokesman for Citroen importer, Ateco Automotive Ltd, Edward Rowe, says the pioneering homologation work that Mitsubishi Australia went through for the i-MIEV could mean a relatively easy path to launch for the Citroen.  "The small car market here is obviously very fluid," Rowe says. "Because of the joint-venture with Mitsubishi, the C-Zero has some obvious appeal for us and it's something we will keep an eye on."  Rowe is not talking price but he is confident the car will attract strong interest.Mitsubishi has already flagged a $60,000 pricepoint for its micro car but Rowe does not believe a high price is a hurdle. "I expect that early adopters, who are less price-sensitive, will look at the C-Zero," Rowe says.  "It will attract people who want to make a definitive statement about the environment." Citroen already has a lot of experience with electric vehicles in Europe.  It already builds commercial electric-powered Berlingos for France and the UK and has built more than 10,000 electric vehicles since 1995.  "Electric vehicles also make a lot of sense in France because most of the power generation is nuclear or hydro electric," Rowe says. Rowe says the C-Zero will also appeal to the Citroen heartland.  "Most of our sales are in the metro areas, which makes it ideal for that market," he says.  "A our traditional customer base is also concerned about the environment and aware of new technology." Citroen and Peugeot pioneered diesel-engined passenger cars in Australia long before they became fashionable.  Like the i-MIEV, the C-Zero's permanent magnet synchronous motor is powered by a latest-generation lithium-ion batteries. The electric motor delivers 47kW and 180Nm, giving the car a top speed of 130km/h and range of more than 130km.  The batteries can be charged by plugging into a conventional household power outlet or via a fast-charging system that gives the car an 80 per cent charge in 30 minutes. The C-Zero made its global debut at this week's Brussels motor show, along with 25 other new Citroens.

The successor to the Xsara is best know as the unbeaten World Rally Championship mount for fantastically fast Frenchman Sebastian Loeb, although most C4 deliveries in Australia are nothing like his $1.2 million hand-built turbo coupe.Now the C4 is heading for a complete re-make, although it's hard to see anything at all in these Carparazzi scoop pictures from rural France.  The bodywork is completely covered in black-plastic drapery to disguise any sign of the C4's shape, even though it is expected to be an evolution of the current chic look.The headlamps, at least, are partly visible and so is the general look. The car will continue as a four or five-door hatch, but there is a surprise in the C4's future ...Just like the latest development of the baby C3, the funky DS model, there will be a design driven DS4 sidekick for the regular C4.The DS4 is likely to be shown as early as the Geneva Motor Show in March, giving enough space before the official preview of the C4 on the Citroen stand at the Paris auto show in September ahead of sales in 2011. Then again, Citroen could easily delay the DS4 so it does not take too much attention away from the C4.Apart from the bodywork, Carparazzi in Europe reports the upcoming C4 could be fitted with the diesel-electric hybrid power pack which is expected to be fitted to the company's leading-edge RCZ performance coupe.

Somewhere under all this black plastic is the next C4, and while Citroen has tried to make sure there’s little to see under the camouflage, it’s easy to identify the car from its signature sharply raked windscreen and rounded rear.But this test car, caught out and about by spy-snappers Carparazzi, also shows new tail-light clusters and changes to the headlight components – although it’s unlikely Citroen will do away completely with the cluster’s current claw-like shape.The next Citroen C4, tipped to debut at the Paris motor show in September next year and be  launched at the end of 2010, will be lighter and more efficient than the current car, the company’s product boss Vincent Besson has revealed. Speaking at the recent Frankfurt motor show, Besson also said that the new hatchback is likely to be offered with three cylinder engines and, possibly, petrol-electric hybrid power during its lifetime, although not from launch. Besson also laid out the company’s strategy for hybrid and electric vehicles, saying that petrol-electric power is not necessary or economically viable in small city cars, and only for high-end versions of the next C4.  The smaller cars are likely to be developed from a model based on the Mitsubishi i-Miev.However, he expects that ‘a large part of a future C5 range’ will have hybrid power.

"It goes back to when we were kids," says Phoon, now the proud owner of a pair of the sleek French cars. "There was a family friend who had them and when we went out to dinner or somewhere else when it came time to leave we all used to want to go home in their car."To be honest, I think it was just that they were so different. They were like nothing we had ever seen before."There was to be a considerable hiatus between Phoon's childhood infatuation with the DS and actually getting one into his garage, but when push came to shove there was really only one car fate was going to send the way of the 43-year-old accountant."It was really quite a strange thing. In 2005 I decided I needed a hobby and I actually started looking for a Mini as that is what I learned to drive in. While cruising the net the Citroens started popping up ... that was that. I never actually went to look at a Mini."The car Phoon settled on was a 1974 DS23 non-Pallas automatic with airconditioning. "It is pretty asthmatic, to say the least, especially when you put the air-conditioning on, but the really funny thing is that if I had been buying it in 1974 it is probably exactly the specification I would have wanted."Phoon says that after finding the car it became a full-on obsession. "Within six months of getting the first car I had just gone completely nuts," Phoon says. "I went to Paris with a load of other Australian Citroen owners, joined the 50th birthday celebrations (for the DS in 2005), took part in the rally ... it was just fantastic."Having paid $15,000 for the car and spent, by his own estimation, a further $25,000 on lavishing anything on it that it needed, there came a point when there was nothing left to improve."I had done everything I could on the Blue car ... everything it needed it got. There was nothing left to fiddle with and I needed a project. That is when I got the second car in May."This time it was a 1972 DS21 Pallas fuel injected 5-speed manual.The DS was the result of an 18-year development program that culminated with the unveiling of the DS19 at the 1955 Paris Motor Show. On the first day more than 12,000 orders were taken and the DS's place in automotive folklore was assured.What really set the DS apart in its day and for some considerable time after was a raft of innovative safety and comfort features such as the hydropneumatic suspension, directional (swiveling) headlights, the single-spoke steering wheel, front disc brakes and differing front and rear track widths.At its peak, the Citroen DS was made in France, Britain, Australia, South Africa and the former Yugoslavia. A total of almost 1.5 million cars were made during its 20-year life with a peak of 103,633 sales in 1970."They are fascinating cars. Aesthetically, you can just sit and stare at them for hours and technically they have as much to give as you are willing to explore and then some," Phoon says. "They are really a car that rewards somebody who wants to put a lot into it."While there are only about 1000 registered Citroen DS left in Australia, Phoon says restoring and maintaining one is not a difficult task. "That is actually very easy. The Dutch are the biggest enthusiasts in the world and they have factories that reproduce just about anything you could want."It is also a huge advantage to be a member of the Citroen club. That is where you learn things and on the tech days there is always somebody leaning over your shoulder ready to offer advice."Citroen DS Years made: 1955-1975Number made: 1,455,746Price when new: approx $8000 (1974 DS23) Price now: $20-25,000 (concourse) 

But Citroen intends it to signify modern activism, which is apparently symbolised by a plush velvet sofa curving around from front passenger seat to rear row area, lurid colours and finishes intentionally mimicking make-up. The little city-car also has a practical side, with the three-seater layout allowing a rear-facing child seat, the bonnet covered in photovoltaic cells that power airconditioning and other creature comforts. And the bank of batteries that tie in with its small-capacity petrol engine are hidden under that expanse of red velvet couching, which is itself accessed by rear-hinged doors. Both are able to drive the car, although being a concept there are no real figures available on outputs or range. Citroen refers to the Revolte as being inspired by the iconic little 2CV, but ‘adopting a heretic stance’. It’s clearly just intended to attract show attention, but it does highlight the French carmaker’s move into the electric arena, with an electric city car in the starting blocks for 2010 – and one of the first modern diesel-electric hybrids to follow some time later using the C5.

Without saying so, the French are clearly eyeing the Mini as the main rival for its newest hatch. Its quirky styling, floating roof, `shark fin' B-pillar and inset LED lights in the front bumper scream the type of individuality made popular by BMW when it launched the new Mini. Like the Mini, DS3 buyers will also be able to personalise their cars with different exterior, roof and rearview mirror colours, as well as painted alloy wheels. This customization continues on the inside where buyers will be able to choose various interior trims and colours. Citroen says the DS3 is not only good looking but versatile. The dashboard is set high up to increase leg room and it says the slim-back seats and wagon-style rear free up room in the back. The car has a 285-litre boot with a 60/40 split-fold rear seat. Compared to the Mini, the DS3 is 251mm longer, 27mm wider and 53mm higher but shares the British car's engaging looks. The DS3 makes its world debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show and arrives here in the second half of next year. Pricing and specifications are yet to be finalized, but buyers can expect it land close to the Mini's $33,000 price point. Like the Mini, DS3 buyers will have a choice of turbo-diesel, as well as petrol four cylinder engines, driving the front wheels. In Europe the car will be available with two HDi turbo-diesels and three petrol engines that meet Euro V emission rules. The HDi engines develop 68kW and 82kW while the petrol models include a 70kW and 90kW VTi four, as well as a 112kW turbo petrol. The engines will be mated to five-speed and six-speed manuals with automatics to follow. The DS3 will also spawn a range of up-market models and will be followed by the DS4 and DS5. In a veiled poke at the Mini, Citroen Australia general manager, Miles Williams says the DS3 represents a fresh new approach to small cars. “Existing models in this new prestige sub-sector have put the emphasis on performance and lack that flexibility and versatility that DS3 provides,” he says.

Like many things French, we have mixed emotions about the Citroen C5 Tourer. Love the looks, space, equipment, technology, six-speed automatic and effortless cruising pace of the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel but the driving experience leaves us indifferent.It all comes down to the car's hi-tech Hydractive III suspension. It is sensational when the roads are billiard-ball smooth and when you do happen to encounter some gravel roads, the Roll-Royce-like plushness and refinement is something you don't get for the price of a European family wagon.However, sharp bumps like bridge expansion joints will catch it out regardless of whether you're in normal or sports mode. And speaking of sports mode, it doesn't feel particularly sporty, just harsher.Perhaps it’s about taste. It takes a while to get used to the culinary delights of snails and frogs’ legs, so we suspect driving the C5 falls into the same category. There's is plenty to like about the big French wagon though. The cabin is plush, with heated front seats that have good support and the ambient lighting at night is a real touch of class.The door pockets have motion sensor lights that turn on when you're rummaging around for gear and the luggage bay light that doubles as a torch is a neat touch.An acoustic windscreen and laminated side windows do a great job of isolating the cabin from road and wind noise and the rear side window blinds are handy for keeping the sun off small children.The 100kW/320Nm 2.0-litre diesel is quiet, smooth and reasonably frugal but feels a bit underdone in this cavernous wagon. Citroen quotes 7.2 l/100km and we came close to bettering that in a mix of highway and city driving.Apart from the spongy ride, the C5's fixed-hub steering wheel - like the C4 - takes a while to get use to. Some of the minor switchgear and radio controls are not intuitive and storage space around the cabin is plentiful but practically useless because the nooks and crannies are so small.But that's the French for you. You should not expect a country that gives you great food, architecture, fashion and style to execute cars with the same caustic efficiency as the Germans.At $60,990 the C5 wagon is for those confident folk who embrace individuality and French flare.As the name says, it's Exclusive. 

Like the fact that in 1934 it was the first front-wheel drive car (traction avant is French for front-wheel drive), its engine had overhead valves not side valves like most at the time, it had torsion bar suspension and a monocoque chassis and in 1937 was the first with rack-and-pinion steering. "I like things that are a bit different," he says. Wade's obsession with Citroens started "by accident". His first restored car was a 1930s Mercedes-Benz 150 S which he sold when he was offered "a fair price". He was on the lookout for another old car to restore when his father stumbled on an old Citroen Traction Avant. Believing it was a rare 1937 model, they bought it only to be told later by a Citroen Car Club historian that it was a French-made 1951 "Light 15" (15 horsepower). They paid $1000 for it, sold it in 1984 for $3500 and bought it back again 10 years ago for $6000. "I've since spent about $10,000 on it and have a fair bit to go," he says. His restoration has included "de-modernising" the car by replacing blinker lights with pop-up indicators, removing seat belts and restoring the single taillight. It's not the only Traction Avant in his garage. The other is a rare gem. "We were looking around for bits and pieces to restore the '51 and ended up buying a restored '48 and '40s wreck," he says. The wreck turned out to be a very rare Avant Light 15 1940 model that was built in October 1939. "Because of the war, parts were scarce, so only 400 were built," he says. They were divided up into several models: Roadsters, Light 12, Light 15, Big 15 (wider and longer) and Big 6 (six cylinder). "There are only two Light 15s left in the world. The other one is owned by an Argentinian pilot who I speak with occasionally," he says. "I didn't realise it was so rare when I bought it." The car is insured for $25,000, but Wade believes it could be worth a lot more. Traction Avants were made in Paris and in Slough, England, from where Australia got most of its models. Wade explains that the English models were better equipped but cheaper because they had more than 50 per cent parts from the UK, such as all Lucas electrics, which meant they qualified for lower Commonwealth import tariffs into Australia. Of the 750,000 Traction Avants built, only 26,000 were made in England, making them rarer. Wade said the UK cars had leather upholstery, chrome headlights, carpets and wood trim while the French-made cars had rubber mats on the floor, plastic trim and cloth seats. Wade's passion for the French marque extends throughout his backyard shed which also houses a 1977 GS Pallas, 2007 C5, 1996 Xantia, 1978 GS Pallas and 1980 Visa. Wade claims the Visa is also a rarity as one of only two left in Australia; the other being in Melbourne. His Visa was owned by rally legend Jim Reddiex and features a two-cylinder, 650cc engine like in the 2CV. "The trouble is there are too many cars here to choose from," he says. "That is what you tend to do with Citroens." Wade will show his Traction Avants at a 75th anniversary celebration at Cleveland Park in Brisbane on September 27. Among the 20-odd cars expected is one that ran in the 1954 Redex Trial.