With its new C5, Citroën has made quite a comeback in style and pulling power. However, will these pluses (and a few others) be enough to beat off the competition, says Michael McAleer, Motoring editor
MUCH HAS already been said about the rather perverse C5 campaign that pays homage to German engineering. Yet the car itself does warrant praise of the sort you would reserve for mainstream German models.
It has the panache one would expect of a French car, and it's a world apart from its predecessor. There is the elliptical rear window line, taken from the larger flagship C6. There is the smart sweeping bonnet line and lighting clusters. These are all evidence of a degree of attention that was sadly missing on the outgoing utilitarian model. That was a car that was out of its depth for several years when up against the likes of the VW Passat and Ford Mondeo. Some years ago car firms noted that in the rush towards small SUVs and people carriers, the family saloon market was starting to fall off.
In their efforts to save some of this lucrative market, a split occurred within the industry. Some marques turned their models into more premium offerings, while others went for the value-for-money approach. Needless to say, the premium end has done well, while the value end has taken a beating. Citroën's outgoing C5 was in the latter category. It could never hope to compete with the likes of a well-specced VW Passat.
This time things seem to have changed. Instead you have a car here that actually feels as if you are not accepting lesser standards simply because you are spending less money. For a start, this is a return to the sort of flair last seen from the brand in the days of the BX and its ilk. It's got character, and that's not something you could say about Citroën in the dull days of the late 1990s.
Certainly Citroën has earned kudos within the industry - if not yet in the general populace - for its styling. The design team (one of whom is Irish) deserve great credit for reinventing what could otherwise have been a dying brand. Undoubtedly working under tight budget constraints, they have given the C5 a distinctive look and character that turned a few heads during our time with the car.
Inside, and the new C5 offering is more of a mixed bag. The plastics are to be commended, particularly the dashboard cover, a softer, more classy affair than some rivals. Where the car falls down is in the rather outdated central console, littered with fiddly buttons and features we've already seen in the Peugeot equivalent, the 407.
While other firms are introducing versions of click and dial control systems, where motorists work through menus to control systems, Citroën has opted for buttons. That may well be a boon for some, but when there are 17 unique controls offered on the steering wheel - and some are offered via a button on either side, thereby increasing the buttonmania on the wheel - surely it's time for a rethink.
Citroën made much of its uniquely immobile steering wheel centre some time ago. It was to be a defining feature, where the wheel rim moves, but the centre of the wheel remains static. On this the idea was to locate key functions that drivers like to have on hand. As expected you have the horn, then radio controls like volume, station, a mute button. Then they have added features like scrolling turners that allow you to access information on the screen in the middle of the dash, between the speedometer and rev counter.
At the design meeting it must have sounded very impressive. The first time you encounter it, you are impressed. But once you set about living with it, you start to see some of the limitations. For a start, it's hard to always remember the locations of all these buttons, so you do spend time looking down to find your way. One other minor point worthy of a mention is the seatbelt warning alert. Unlike other cars that offer an incredibly annoying bleep, Citroën's actually plays a tune.
The good news in performance terms is that the 1.6-litre diesel engine is surprisingly perky in this car, despite its ample size. Glorious bank holiday weather meant the car was transformed from family saloon to garden van more than once, with the boot swallowing 100 litre bags of compost, the rear seats nestling pot plants and passengers, while the floor bore the burden of a weekly shop.
Nearly six trips back and forth to the car and it was then we realised just what a load it had been carrying. Throughout that time we never felt the engine offered up a complaint or any sign of strain. Add in the fact that it has an emissions level of 149g/km and you start to see that the Citroën family have a cracking good engine on their books. It might only be 110bhp, but it has plenty of that all important diesel torque, or pulling power.
Surprisingly for a Citroën, the ride actually helped the car's handling. As always, there is the compromise between comfort and agility. Previously the firm opted firmly for comfort, giving a smooth silky ride that soaks up the worst of the road, while offering rather woolly cornering and handling.
This time, with standard metallic suspension fitted rather than any hydraulic system (though it is on offer on the larger engined versions), there's a regular family saloon feel to the car. It's well able to cushion the blows but the handling is far better than we've come to expect from Citroën. It's a reassuring drive that doesn't leave you rolling about in corners.
On the issue of money, a five per cent fall in Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) and nearly €300 a year saved on road tax awaits those who hold out until July 1st to buy this diesel version.
So the new C5 has several positives: nice design, spaciousness, decent handling, particularly for a large Citroën, and a promise in terms of reliability. There's also a promise from the brand that they will not repeat the madcap discounting policies of previous launches, which left customers uncertain of the true value of their cars, which in turn has a detrimental impact on residual values.
It should be a winner then? Well, that's less clear-cut. The problem it faces is the incredibly stiff competition. This car is up against the likes of the Ford Mondeo, Mazda6 and the "soon to arrive" Opel Insignia. These are all far more exciting cars to drive.
Then we have the ever-popular Toyota Avensis, the affordable Skoda Octavia and Superb, the VW Passat, and even its sibling Peugeot 407. And that's just a handful of them.
To stand out from this crowd takes something really special. Ford does it with its handling prowess, and to a certain extent the smart styling of the new Mondeo. Toyota does it with reliability.
What does Citroën do it with? Styling? Yes, it's beautiful, but we're not sure that's enough to tempt you away from all the rivals? What about its on-road ability? Yes again, this 1.6-litre diesel is a real cracker, but there are rivals of equal ability. Roominess? Few cars in this class are that much smaller.
Overall, the C5 is a really competent and composed contender. It's much better than the also-ran model that carried the moniker previously. It's so much better than the old car and it's as good as many of the competitors, but we're not persuaded that it's altogether better than them.
Factfile
ENGINE:1560cc four cylinder in-line common rail
turbo diesel engine putting out 110bhp @ 4,000rpm and 240Nm of
torque @ 1,750rpm. Five-speed manual transmission
SPECIFICATION:ABS with traction control and ESP
stability control; Electronic brake assist; cruise control; front,
side, curtain and driver knee airbags (rear lateral airbags
optional); air-con (dualzone on Dynamique and Exclusive versions);
pollen filter; halogen headlights (xenon optional); 16" steel on
entry model but 17" alloys on higher spec versions; radio/CD;
remote central locking
L/100km (mpg)Urban: 7.3 (38.7) Extra urban: 4.7
(60.1) Combined: 5.6 (50.4)
CO2 emissions:149 g/km
TAX:Pre-July 1st - VRT is 25 per cent and annual
road tax is €428; From July 1st - VRT is 20 per cent and
annual road tax will be €150
PRICE:€31,895