1977 Citroen GS Reviews

The three brands are all gearing-up for a major attack on next year's new-age world championship, which will be open to smaller cars with smaller 1.6-litre turbocharged engines.Downsizing in the series means Citroen is switching to its C3, Ford is moving from the Focus to the Fiesta, and Mini is coming back to rallying for the first time since the 1960s with its Countryman.Ford already knows it has a winner in the Fiesta, which claimed the Monte Carlo Rally this year without a turbocharged engine. It is shown in Paris just a week before Ford begins testing for next year's championship, when it will try to snap Sebastian Loeb's six-year run as world championship with Citroen."Countless hours have gone into the Fiesta RS WRC to reach this point, and for the car to be unveiled in public for the first time is a proud moment for us.  We are right on track with our development and the team is delighted with testing to date," says Ford's rally boss, Malcolm Wilson.Its Citroen rival is already testing and picks up the basic mechanical package from the successful C4, with aero tweaking to the DS3 body including wider guards, a giant rear wing and cooling vents in the body.  But the rally star in Paris is the Mini, which is unveiled by FIA president and former rally co-driver Jean Todt.“The response to our announcement that Mini will return to the world of rallying next year was very positive. The FIA World Rally Championship is the pinnacle of rallying, making it the ideal platform for demonstrating the competitive spirit of our brand," says Mini's global marketing boss, Ian Robertson.The Countryman is massively tweaked for rallying and is displayed in Paris with giant front and rear wings, a bank of bonnet-mounted spotlights and a stripped-out cabin.The car is developed by Prodrive, the British motorsport operation that also runs Ford Performance Racing in the V8 Supercar championship, and has already run well in testing.  But Mini is unlikely to challenge Citroen and Ford in the early events of the 2011 WRC, which begins in Sweden in February.

Due to arrive here in the third quarter of 2011 – along with its youth-targeting DS4 sibling – the C4 noses in with the new family chevron grille and rear gate, and redesigned bumpers and light clusters, with the interior getting a trim makeover and new technology in the entertainment and communications departments, including the ‘eTouch’ emergency assistance system. A second-generation stop-start system and brake energy recovery combine to make all the new C4s micro-hybrids, allied to either the 120kW and 155kW petrol engines or the 110kw and 150kW turbodiesels.

WHEN Volkswagen wanted to reinvent the Beetle, it designed something that evoked the bug but looked modern: the New Beetle. It was the same story when BMW made over the Mini and Fiat updated the 500.In each case, it's all about the look. You don't get 1950s engineering or comfort, and they're not chasing mass market appeal. Yesterday's poverty pack is today's fashion statement.Retro design has been a boon for those carmakers lucky enough to have a suitable model in their back catalogue because it solves two problems at once.First, it attracts young buyers who reject everyday wheels but who lack the petrol-head gene; people for whom every purchase is a lifestyle decision, who agonise over a party outfit, or the accessories for a Mini.Second, retro allows car companies to charge premium prices for small cars, which to the industry is akin to alchemy. In the past, small cars meant small margins. Large cars were where money was.But led by Europe, everybody is downsizing madly to avoid fuel bills, congestion headaches and punitive taxation. Pretty soon, if you can't make money out of small cars you won't be in business.If you don't have a candidate for rebirth you're going to have to do it the hard way. Before long, there will be a wave of new small cars from the German luxury brands aiming to stretch their appeal, and price resilience, lower in the market than ever. Next year's Audi A1 will lead the charge.Meanwhile, Citroen has got there first. The DS3, Citroen says without the hint of a smile, is anti-retro. It looks like nothing that has gone before. European TV adverts for the DS3 use clips of John Lennon and Marilyn Monroe wondering why people "live in the past''. Retro is sooo yesterday.It's a bold stance for a bold car and it has been well received in Europe. It's a verdict I'd echo after a test drive via the scenic route from Sydney to the Hunter Valley last week.The DS3 is entertaining from behind the wheel. It feels solid and secure on the road, tips eagerly into corners and can carry a fair bit of speed before running wide. For a short car with standard hatchback underpinnings, it also rides fairly well, certainly better than a Mini. Although with quite a lot of wind and tyre noise entering the cabin, it doesn't set a new benchmark for small car refinement.The steering, brakes and gearshift all get pass marks or better.  The test fleet were all Dsport models, which run a similiar turbocharged 1.6-litre to the Mini - it was a co-development between Peugeot-Citroen and BMW - and it's a fiesty unit with enough low-down torque to propel the car with conviction.With this engine, the DS3 is a similar weight to a Mini Cooper S and about as fast. The automatic, with just 88kW and four speeds, may not be as convincing but does have a similar equipment level.The DS3 is slightly bigger all around than a Mini and makes use of the extra space to offer better accommodation in the rear and a much larger boot.  But it has borrowed some of the successful bits of the Mini design, despite its disdain for retro.The four-square stance of the Mini, with the wheels at the extremity of each corner, is echoed here, and so is the "floating roof". As with the Mini, the roof can be specified in a contrasting colour to the body, and the DS3 offers similarly high levels of personalisation and options.Citroen will be only too aware they are a boon to the financial bottom line.  The DS3 does have some original moves, though. The B-pillar is an unusual shark's fin shape that works well with the wraparound look of the rear glass.It's a less upright shape than a Mini and the DS3 face, with a vertical cascade of LED lights and distinctively kinked Citroen chrome, is appealing.  The cabin continues the theme, with seats, vents and dials that are unique to this car and at least as funky as the exterior.Only the audio controls and wands are off-the-shelf Citroen. On price, it's line ball with a Mini so you're paying Commodore money for something less than 4m long. Citroen has modest targets of 35 buyers a month, about one-fifth of Mini's.Citroen sales have been in the doldrums here and the DS3 should help. This car also heralds a new strategy for the brand, with a premium line-up badged DS that will parallel its mainstream offerings and share engineering.A new C3, the poor relation of the DS3, arrives soon and late next year the next generation C4 arrives with its rich cousin, the DS4, alongside. The DS moniker will be familiar to Citroen aficionados as the badge on its groundbreaking car from 1950s.Read more about prestige motoring at The Australian.

Nobody at Citroen is singing ‘we don’t need another hero’ when it comes to the little DS3. They do, and they know it. While the brand is happy that their customer satisfaction is above 90 per cent, they admit their profile needs raising.“We know awareness is extremely low,” Citroen general manager Miles Williams says. “But it will take significant investment to lift to a point where we have a better flow of people through the showrooms.”In the meantime, they hope to get a profile boost from the arrival of the lDS3, the first of a trio of cars – the DS4 just unveiled overseas, and DS5 in the works –they hope to position as a separate brand line, targeting the young, chic and reasonably well-off.Despite the name, which suggests the 1950s DS of famed frog-mouth styling, Citroen has resisted the recent vogue for retro cues. Instead, the DS3 is all cute, clipped curves and appealing face – although a nip and tuck might have removed the resemblance to the Fiat 500 around the rear.Limitless customisation of roof, wheel and trim colour is possible in Europe, but Australia is for the moment stocking just the main six most popular combinations. Buyers will be able to add more choices later if they’re happy to wait for them to arrive .Ours was in a lurid yellow that surprisingly looked quite good, especially set off the by the combination of matching yellow-sueded and meshed seat inserts. The sueded surface looking worryingly magnetic for things like ice-cream, dog paws and sticky fingers. But Citroen vows it’s designed to resist and last the distance. Even the digital patter of the ‘carbon fibber’ plastic looks acceptable.Bezels, handle inserts and other features are in swooping lozenge shapes … it’s all very French chic. Which means there are also some oddities, like the perfume diffuser in the dash and the gaps under the instrument binnacle – admittedly the light that comes though doesn’t make the instruments any less readable, but there’s no reason for it to be there.The better small cars these days are packed with features you once only found in large ones. But they won’t come with a small price tag. The base model DStyle is $32,990 and the DSport $3000 more at $35,990, and they come with a fair bit of standard equipment – including ‘mood lighting’. But you can add up to $10,000 more on options, because the extras list for both models includes things like Bluetooth/USB connection and automatic lights. And there’s no satnav at all. The extra $3000 for the Sport gives you 17-in alloys, rear spoiler, better upholstery and a lot of chrome trim, but the main reason for spending the extra will be the more powerful engine.However, the DS3 has landed in the midst of the crowd of its fellow little Eurochic rivals, with prices ranging from $28,990 for the Fiat 500, while the Alfa Romeo MiTo is $29,990, VW’s Beetle is $30,361and Mini is from $31,100 – while the incoming Audi A1 is tipped to be around the $32,000 mark. So you have to weigh up the fresh French style against the features offered by some of the the competition.There will be a 88kW/160Nm 1.6-litre coming soon with a four-speed automatic, but the first cars to arrive are the 115kW/320Nm turbocharged 1.6-litre – also used by the BMW Mini and the new Peugeot RCZ—but with only a six-speed manual in the Citroen. Both versions get sports-tuned pseudo Macpherson strut front suspension and flexible beam rear and variable electric power-assisted steering. But the DStyle gets only 16-in wheels – and both get only a space saver spare. That’s to prevent a full-sized one swallowing the luggage space, which is a very capable (against its rivals) 285 litres, growing to 980 litres with the rear seat down.Disc brakes with ventilation on the front are standard, as are the anti-skid, brakeforce distribution and brake-boost technology, and stability and traction control. Crash protection includes six airbags, side impact protection and seatbelt pretensioners, while rear park assist can be added as a factory optionOur car was kitted out with a host of engines, and the first one we would have crossed off the list was the centre armrest, which you have to flip up and out of the way to comfortably use the manual shifter. But you get over that annoyance pretty quickly, once you kick off the line and find that within minutes you’re enjoying yourself.The car connects with you, with plenty of pick-up from the 115kW engine, and the manual’s smooth, precise action making it fun to use – and even bearable in peak hour city traffic. Out of town and through some hills, the steering is responsive and the DS3 simply goes where you point it. Slightly firm suspension helps it around corners, but manages to take care of most bumps without it skittering around. However nothing seems to get rid of the tyre noise.The rear seat is easy to get into, but there’s little legroom when you’re there – despite the recesses in the seat backs – and it’s best left for the petites. The luggage area is necessarily small, but the rear folds easily into flat, offering a great load space.The question will be how the auto goes. The manual transmission is easy enough to use around town, but a lot of people will prefer not to shift for themselves in heavy traffic. On paper, the 88kW engine will be far less responsive and perhaps too asthmatic for enthusiastic overtaking or hill-tackling. More a city mouse, then, with its bigger brother the choice for those who look forward to weekends away.

It would be so very refreshing to read a review of a French car which eschewed the token use of French. Sadly, this is not going to be that review, because vive la difference embodies perfectly the essence of Citroën's C5.In price, placement and most of all in its cosseting and eventually appealing road manners, the range topping version of the big sedan (it comes as a wagon for three grand more) is predicated on following a path less travelled by Europeans.Whereas sporting pose is the (too) dominant theme in the handling compromise of most Euros, composure and poise is the C5's raison d'etre (sorry) an attitude that arguably better suits Australian roads.VALUEVexed question this. Depends if you think the Citroën overpriced next to the Passats, 159s and 407s of this word, or if like Volvo it undercuts the German prestige trio.Less equivocally, the range-topper’s 3.0-litre V6 twin turbo diesel sets it apart. Nothing in price proximity offers an equivalent engine - they're all either one or two cylinders short, or overpriced and underdone by comparison.Recently upgraded over the 2.7-litre unit, with which the second generation C5 launched two years ago, it's a less potent version of the PSA engine found in Jaguar's $113,000 XF.Against that, the $12,000 premium over the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel C5 is slightly mad, given the latter is almost as useful in urban use. Options, not least the $5000 demanded for the "NaviDrive" GPS set up, are enough to make you choke on your croissant. Wheel arch filling 18-inch alloys are standard.TECHNOLOGYHydractive III+ suspension is a good chunk of the Citroën’s appeal, derived and developed from the original "magic carpet ride" concept of the iconic DS. At speed, the C5 automatically lowers. On poor surfaces, it automatically sets for increased clearance and comfort. Thanks to the self-levelling feature you are also guaranteed a constant ride height, regardless of the load or number of passengers. In practice, it remains slightly soufflé even in "sport" mode. This is no bad thing.DESIGNIf the previous C5 (a liftback, not a true four-door) was the preserve of Francophiles, this one is altogether more visually appealing, within and without. As is almost always the Euro way, the wagon is the most resolved looker, but the four door with its massive front overhang and sculptured derriere (looking more than a little Audi A4) is distinctive enough even without that chevron badge.In the event of a big impact, the steering wheel's fixed hub permits unimpeded deployment of the airbag. The plethora of controls attached work audio and cruise functions – it’s a neater solution than Peugeot's array of wands, though the Citroën’s centre console buttons are equally fiddly.SAFETYThe full five stars in NCAP crash testing and seven airbags, with the full armoury of active acronyms. The spare is full size. Are you listening BMW? No, didn't think so...DRIVINGTo be perfectly Francois, the C5 initially feels unwieldy and even alien, wafting weirdly, with most of the that massive kerb weight (near enough 1800kg) forward of your feet. Yet by week’s end it feels like a favoured and comfortable coat.Sudden jolts will send it rocking like a boat that's struck a wave, but this tendency is largely controlled by selecting and sticking with Hydractive's sport mode. The transmission's sport mode, by contrast, simply muddies gear selection, which can be performed manually but is best left to its own devices.From noticeable lag off the mark, the digital speedo is soon blurring, but not only is there little sense of how quickly you're accruing speed, there's no sound of it. Refinement is remarkable you could be driving a hybrid rather than a big torqueing diesel.Some seem to be criticising the C5 for not being a 5 Series. If you want to slice up the twisties look elsewhere; if you want to effortlessly dispatch cruising kilometres, step this way. Tout de suite.VERDICT: Composure and poise beats sporting poseCITROËN C5 3.0 HDI EXCLUSIVE SEDANPrice: From $69,990Engine: 3L V6 bi-turbo diesel; 177kW/450NmTransmission: 6-speed autoThirst: 7.4L/100km combined

It will be revealed at the Paris Motor Show less than three weeks after the first of the breed, the DS3, goes on sale in Australia.The DS4 will be followed in 2011 by the DS5, which sits above the C5 range and is rumoured in Europe to contain Citroen's first diesel hybrid drivetrain.The DS4, like the DS3, takes the mechanical package of an existing Citroen model and gives it a major style tweak to create a sub-brand for fashionista around the world.Citroen describes the DS4 as a blend of creativity, dynamism, exclusivity and versatility. It sits slightly higher than the C4 with a premium cabin treatment including top-quality leather seats inside a giant panoramic windscreen.Although the car looks like a coupe it is actually a four-door that Citroen says can carry five adults."Reinterpreting cues opened up new possibilities, bringing practical and surprising solutions to automotive mobility," says the car's designer, Marc Pinson.It is already set for Australia, although Citroen is not talking about pricing beyond admitting it will cost more than the C4."The car will be coming here, in the third quarter of next year," says Citroen spokesman, Edward Rowe. "It's based on the C4, which will probably be in the second quarter. We're launching C3 and DS3 almost back-to-back this year, and the same with C4 and DS4 next year.""The cars the DS4 will be pitched against are the Audi A3, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta and BMW 1 Series. It's in the premium end of the category, where the C4 is up against the Golf and Focus."

OWEN Kelly and Dale Wood will partner Rick and Todd Kelly in this year's V8 Supercar endurance events at Phillip Island and Bathurst.   Wood is the Jack Daniel's team's final signing, and comes after top-15 finishes in his first two starts at Mount Panorama.SEBASTIAN Loeb continued his unbeaten run in Rally Germany with his eighth straight win last weekend at the head of a Citroen sweep. Loeb was never headed and beat home his team mates Dani Sordo and Sebastian Ogier in Citroen C4s.Bryan Staring is on track to win the Australian Superbike Championship after sweeping both events at Queensland Raceway last weekend for Honda. The victories stretched his winning streak to four straight and gives him an 18.5-point lead in the series with two rounds to run.Scott Pye is pushing hard for the British Formula Ford Championship with a 1-2-4 record in the latest Brands Hatch triple-header. Pye is in second place in the series and the Triple Eight junior driver is also aiming to score a record number of individual race wins in a single season in the UK nursery series.KYLE Busch swept all three Nascar categories - Truck, Nationwide and Sprint Cup - in a record run on the high banks of Bristol speedway   last weekend. Marcos Ambrose was only 20th in the Nascar feature race after starting 22nd in his Toyota Camry.NICK Heidfeld will lead the test team bringing Pirelli into Formula One as the sole tyre supplier from the 2011 season. The former BMW F1   racer has been released from his test contract with Mercedes GP to take up the spot as chief test driver for Pirelli.TOP Fuel drag racer 'Aussie' Dave Grubnic (Subs: Correct) has taken the final place in the NHRA's 'Countdown to 1' field for 2010 in the USA. He made the cut by racing to the semi-finals of the most recent event in Minnesota, behind leader Larry Dixon, with the points now re-set for the final six races of the year.

Australians Will Power and Ryan Briscoe had a tough time in the   classic Indianapolis 500 last weekend, although Power battled with eventual race winner Dario Franchitti in the early laps from second on   the starting grid and came home eighth. Briscoe, his Penske Racing team mate, crashed on cold tyres after a pitstop and was classified   24th after starting fourth.Garth Tander and Will Davison have all-new Holden Commodores for the next round of the V8 Supercar championship in Darwin. The new cars are   chassis numbers WR012 and WR013, replacing the Holden Racing Team Commodores which have run for more than three years, and Davison's is his first new car since coming into the championship.Sebastian Loeb is finally under threat in the World Rally Championship after being beaten by his Citroen junior protege Sebastian Ogier in the Portugal Rally last weekend. Ogier is the standout youngster in the championship and, after threatening to unseat Loeb in New Zealand last month, finally delivered a 7.9-second win in Portugal in an identical Citroen C4, with the third of the French factory cars in third with Dani Sordo driving.The deal for the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island has just been extended until 2016, with future options which could see the race at the Victorian track until 2026. The Australian GP Corporation confirmed the extension as it named truck company Iveco as naming rights sponsor for the MotoGP races in 2010 and 2011.Porsche driver David Wall dominated the third round of the Australian GT Championship last weekend at Eastern Creek, qualifying second and winning both mini-endurance events relatively easily. Mark Eddy had his best finish yet in his exotic Audi R8, finishing second ahead of Tony Quinn in a Mosler, after twin one-hour events at the Sydney track.FORMER V8 Supercar racer Darren Hossack was the big winner in the Sports Sedan feature event on the Shannons Nationals' program at Mallala in South Australia last weekend, driving from the rear of the field for one memorable win as he swept three starts in his V8 Audi.  Series leader Matt Kingsley was the winner in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge and Ben Barker emerged as a serious Formula 3 title contender after beating young New Zealand ace Mitch Evans.

And in traditional French fashion, the newest Citroen is designed to pamper its occupants.  Among some of its gimmicks is an in-car choice of different colours for the instrument display and a function that allows the driver to select their own polyphonic sound alerts.Some models will even be available with a massage function on the front seats.  Like other new European cars the C4 gets a host of new technologies, including a blind-spot monitoring system, a cornering light system, cruise control and speed-limiter with road speed memory settings and an innovative new service called eTouch.eTouch enables drivers to monitor their driving patterns and fuel consumption and receive advice on how to improve their fuel economy.  The system also constantly monitors the car's technical status and remind drivers of any maintenance or servicing requirements.The French newcomer ditches the quirky design of the current car, including the fix-centre steering wheel, opting for a more conventional look and a more upmarket cabin.  The hatch is 50mm longer, 20mm wider and 30mm taller than the current car and will be available in Europe with a range of new micro-hybrid e-HDI engines.These have the latest generation stop/start ignitions and C02 emissions as low as 109g/km.  Michelin Energy Saver tyres are also specified to help achieve these low emissions and to boost fuel economy.The latest C4 gains a 408-litre boot, which Citroen says is the biggest in its class, with square dimensions and a lower sill to make loading even easier.  The C4 also uses 15 per cent green materials to enhance its environmental credentials.The hatch will be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in September and is expected on sale here next year.

Just a brief look into any junior sports club shows fewer people now do more to keep such clubs and teams afloat.