Citroen – France v Germany
11/07/08 13:31 Filed in: Road tests
We have been here before. From time to time manufacturers cast an envious eye at the reputation of Germany's finest prestige car manufacturers – Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz – and think to themselves 'we would like a slice of that'.
I remember Subaru a few years ago trying to compare their Legacy with the BMW 5 Series, apparently oblivious to the gulf that there was in terms of quality – particularly in the interior. Now Citroen – in rather more tongue in cheek style – are seeking a slice of the German cake with their new C5.
Citroen C5 wants to be the German car from France
It's the German car that is made in France, they would have us believe.
Behind the humorous adverts you can tell that Citroen are serious about this. Where the previous C5 was a hatchback, the new car is a saloon, because that's what the Audis, BMWs and Mercedes produce in their larger car sector.
While it doesn't look the slightest bit German, the C5 have sleek and attractive lines befitting a car with prestige aspirations, while displaying all the latest Citroen design cues. Part of its presence is its size. This is quite a substantial car and that translates into a spacious and superbly comfortable interior.
My test car was the Citroen C5 2.7 HDi V6 Exclusive which comes with Citroen's legendary liquid-and-gas suspension, which is now dubbed Hydractive 3+ (lesser models come with more conventional suspension).
With the Hydractive system the ride of the C5 is every bit as amazing as similarly-equipped Citroens I have driven in the past. Even a rutted farm track was uncannily smoothed to almost a glide.
The downside is that the fluid-suspended Citroen can feel a bit "floaty" in corners. This is not helped by the very light steering which also lacks a little in feedback. The result is that the driver feels rather remote from the driving experience.
Pressing the sport button does firm the suspension a little, which still leaves an uncannily smooth ride quality, but injects a little more tautness into the set up. For the rest of the test the 'sport' button remained firmly 'on'!
Even with that set, the C5 remains refined, comfortable and effortless. That may suit many owners. But, rewarding it is not. Driver feedback is quite simply lacking. It may seem unimportant for many drivers, but my point is that one of the attributes that attracts people to the German marques (that the C5 seeks to emulate), is driver enjoyment.
The gearbox offers both snow and sport options to adjust the settings to give more urge, or better traction.
Economy seemed a little disappointing for a diesel. On my daily drives I averaged just over 27 mpg even though most of my driving was out of town. Again, I have no doubt that the diesel would pay dividends on longer motorway journeys.
Citroen has clearly tried hard to satisfy the technological desires of prestige German car buyers. Indeed, in some aspects they have maybe tried too hard. The C5 is undeniably generously equipped, even without lots of options. Parking sensors, hydropneumatic suspension, automatic lights, wipers and climate control are all standard on the Exclusive specification.
But the steering wheel is a case in point. The central boss is – as on most modern Citroens – fixed, rather than rotating with the steering wheel. But that seems to have encouraged Citroen to cover it with too many switches and controls. The result is that it is simply too complex.
The interior has a real aura of quality, but the minor controls are overly complex
On a similar note, I am not a fan of the dashboard dials which seem over fussy with needles that rotate around the outside of the dial. One of the ways that a driver can quickly assess speed, or revs, at a glance is the angle of the dial. Not so easy when only a small section of needle is visible.
Final gripe is that the C5 seems to have more warning gongs, chimes, beeps and whistles than even Japanese manufacturers.
If Citroen could take the classic looks of this C5, try a little less hard with the bells and whistles, and squeeze a little bit more feedback from the steering and the suspension then they could be onto a real winner.
At the moment they may not set the pulses of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz customers racing. But for less-demanding drivers who look primarily for comfort, refinement and value-for-money £24,395 for the top of the range Citroen C5 2.7HDi Exclusive has to be a pretty tempting proposition. This is a lot of car for the money.
I remember Subaru a few years ago trying to compare their Legacy with the BMW 5 Series, apparently oblivious to the gulf that there was in terms of quality – particularly in the interior. Now Citroen – in rather more tongue in cheek style – are seeking a slice of the German cake with their new C5.
Citroen C5 wants to be the German car from France
It's the German car that is made in France, they would have us believe.
Behind the humorous adverts you can tell that Citroen are serious about this. Where the previous C5 was a hatchback, the new car is a saloon, because that's what the Audis, BMWs and Mercedes produce in their larger car sector.
While it doesn't look the slightest bit German, the C5 have sleek and attractive lines befitting a car with prestige aspirations, while displaying all the latest Citroen design cues. Part of its presence is its size. This is quite a substantial car and that translates into a spacious and superbly comfortable interior.
My test car was the Citroen C5 2.7 HDi V6 Exclusive which comes with Citroen's legendary liquid-and-gas suspension, which is now dubbed Hydractive 3+ (lesser models come with more conventional suspension).
With the Hydractive system the ride of the C5 is every bit as amazing as similarly-equipped Citroens I have driven in the past. Even a rutted farm track was uncannily smoothed to almost a glide.
The downside is that the fluid-suspended Citroen can feel a bit "floaty" in corners. This is not helped by the very light steering which also lacks a little in feedback. The result is that the driver feels rather remote from the driving experience.
Pressing the sport button does firm the suspension a little, which still leaves an uncannily smooth ride quality, but injects a little more tautness into the set up. For the rest of the test the 'sport' button remained firmly 'on'!
Even with that set, the C5 remains refined, comfortable and effortless. That may suit many owners. But, rewarding it is not. Driver feedback is quite simply lacking. It may seem unimportant for many drivers, but my point is that one of the attributes that attracts people to the German marques (that the C5 seeks to emulate), is driver enjoyment.
The gearbox offers both snow and sport options to adjust the settings to give more urge, or better traction.
Economy seemed a little disappointing for a diesel. On my daily drives I averaged just over 27 mpg even though most of my driving was out of town. Again, I have no doubt that the diesel would pay dividends on longer motorway journeys.
Citroen has clearly tried hard to satisfy the technological desires of prestige German car buyers. Indeed, in some aspects they have maybe tried too hard. The C5 is undeniably generously equipped, even without lots of options. Parking sensors, hydropneumatic suspension, automatic lights, wipers and climate control are all standard on the Exclusive specification.
But the steering wheel is a case in point. The central boss is – as on most modern Citroens – fixed, rather than rotating with the steering wheel. But that seems to have encouraged Citroen to cover it with too many switches and controls. The result is that it is simply too complex.
The interior has a real aura of quality, but the minor controls are overly complex
On a similar note, I am not a fan of the dashboard dials which seem over fussy with needles that rotate around the outside of the dial. One of the ways that a driver can quickly assess speed, or revs, at a glance is the angle of the dial. Not so easy when only a small section of needle is visible.
Final gripe is that the C5 seems to have more warning gongs, chimes, beeps and whistles than even Japanese manufacturers.
If Citroen could take the classic looks of this C5, try a little less hard with the bells and whistles, and squeeze a little bit more feedback from the steering and the suspension then they could be onto a real winner.
At the moment they may not set the pulses of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz customers racing. But for less-demanding drivers who look primarily for comfort, refinement and value-for-money £24,395 for the top of the range Citroen C5 2.7HDi Exclusive has to be a pretty tempting proposition. This is a lot of car for the money.
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