The outgoing C5 and its predecessor Xantia never matched the sale success of the brilliant BX of 1980s. During these two decades Citroen forgot how to make its mid-size cars attractive to customers. If we remember anything of Xantia and C5, that would be probably their notorious reliability record. A real French large car should have the following ingredients: distinctive styling, cossetting ride, quiet cabin and light controls. The C6 has met all these requirements, therefore no matter how boring it appears to keen drivers it still it wins our admiration. Now its little brother is to undergo the same test. You might ask why we judge the new C5 according to the standard of large French cars - isn't it a mid-sized family car ? To get the answer, you need to look no further than the spec sheet. The new C5 is some 160 mm longer and 90 mm wider than the old car. Its 2820 mm wheelbase enters the same league as E-segment (executive cars) and is considerably longer than any of its D-segment rivals bar Ford Mondeo (which is 2850 mm). A 2.0-liter petrol C5 weighs 1521 kg while the range-topping 2.7 V6 diesel even tips the scale at 1766 kg ! If we don't judge it according to large car standard, what else can we do ? We have more reasons to assume it a large car. For example, the styling is really upmarket. The double-chevron nose, irregular-shape headlamps and convex rear window are trademarks of Citroen, but the body profile with high shoulder line suggests a German car. Its side profile looks similar to Volkswagen Passat while the tail is simply Audi clone.
Inside, the cabin is also pretty upmarket. The quality plastics, solidity, tight assembly and soft padding wash out our memory of the old C5. It still falls short of Volkswagen's quality standard a little (especially when you press the buttons), but it is compensated with the trademark fixed-hub steering wheel (which means easy access to controls like audio, phone, trip computer and cruise control) and the most effective sound insulation in the class. Space-wise, the cabin isn't as huge as the exterior dimensions suggested. It isn't as spacious as Ford Mondeo at the back, but unless you are over 6 ft tall you won't find the rear head and leg room tight. The new C5 is built on the same platform as C6 and Peugeot 407, therefore all three cars are produced in the Rennes plant in France. Thanks to this relationship, it has a choice of conventional steel spring suspensions (from Peugeot 407) and Citroen's traditional hydropneumatic adaptive suspensions called Hydractive 3 Plus. If you have followed AutoZine since the days of XM and Xantia, I suppose you won't need more explanation on how the Hydractive suspension works. If not, you may find more info from AutoZine Technical School. In short, the Hydractive suspension replaces conventional springs and dampers with a sphere containing both air and fluid. The flow of fluid can be adjusted to alter damping hardness. Citroen C5 is unique in the industry to offer two very different suspensions. The steel spring suspension is standard on mainstream models and especially destined to company car market. The Hydractive suspension is reserved for the more expensive models (from 2.2HDI up). This should satisfy both new customers and traditional Citroen supporters.
Comparatively, the powerplants are more conventional. There are 3 petrol engines (125hp 1.8, 140hp 2.0 and 211hp 3.0 V6), but considering the weight of the car you had better to choose the excellent diesel engines instead - 110 hp 1.6HDI, 136hp 2.0HDI, 170hp 2.2HDI and 204hp 2.7 V6 HDI. Regardless of price, the twin-turbo diesel V6 is of course the first choice, as it is ultra-refined, but pairing with a mandatory 6-speed automatic gearbox reduces its performance edge over the manual-gearbox 2.2HDI, whose sequential twin-turbo delivers linear and responsive boost coupling with strong performance. However, both 1.6HDI and 2.0HDI are also satisfyingly gusty, thus they will be the choices of the majority. On the road, the new C5 displays a handling markedly improved from the old car, although it cannot match Ford Mondeo and Mazda 6 as a driver's car. No, Citroen has no intention to do that - that role has been fulfilled by Peugeot 407. Instead, it is designed to be a near-luxury car. Cruising on highway, you will be amazed by its luxury-car quietness, the supple ride and excellent general refinement. Yes, no other cars in this class have ever achieved this level of comfort and refinement, Mondeo included. The isolation from road textures is especially amazing on the Hydractive suspension car, which could be called "magic carpet". But keen drivers will prefer the more direct feel of the steel-sprung car. The latter is also a little sharper in handling. However, even the steel-sprung car betters Mondeo and others in ride suppleness. So the new C5 not only has all the ingredients of a real French large car, but also German quality. Better still, it asks for bread-and-butter price. It certainly deserves bigger success than the last two predecessors. If its reliability match its visual quality, Citroen will find no difficulties to sell 150,000 units of this car annually as it planned. |
||||||
| The above report was last updated on 29 Mar 2008. All Rights Reserved. |
