Citroën

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Citroen C5 Tourer – The Large Lap of Luxury

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Is there something about the French I don’t know? I lived in the Tarn for two years and I thought I had a pretty good idea of their driving habits – so why the heck doesn’t the C5 have a cupholder?

You only discover these things at the last moment, usually when you have just bought a takeaway coffee and suddenly realise there is nowhere to slot it in safely. Hmm, risk holding it between the knees, or will it stay upright in the centre console bin? Probably not…

Hang on, here it is! The cupholder for the C5 is situation inside the console bin, and even then you have to search to find it. A pop up arm is folded down inside and holds my cup beautifully. Just an odd place to put it, don’t you think?

Driving the big Citroen is like taking an armchair for a ride. It’s super comfortable, refined and rather chic. I just wish the French didn’t have to be quite so quirky with their product…

 

 

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Citroen C5 Tourer – Room To Roam

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If your car budget doesn’t stretch to a German estate then the C5 offers an interesting alternative to the everyday Ford Mondeo, VW Passat and Vauxhall Insignia.

While it may not be as much of an all-rounder as those three favourites, the Citroen is a load-lugger that at least looks different and gets kudos points for sleek styling.

Th problem with the top of the range Executive we have on test right now is that costing £30,000, it comes very close to costing as much as premium brand offerings from Mercedes, BMW and Audi.

However, the C5 Tourer is much more roomy inside than any of those rivals, with better leaf and headroom front and rear.

So, you pay your money and make your choice. Personally, I’m loving the C5 Tourer because it is just that little bit different. Would I rather have a Ford Mondeo on the driveway? What do you think!

 

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Citroen C5 Tourer – Driving With Frank Sinatra

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Citroen calls it Hydractive 3+ suspension. It’s not standard in every C5 Tourer but on our Exclusive estate it makes for the most comfortable ride of any car I’ve driven this year.

That’s on a smooth, fast duel carriageway. On winding A-roads, the suspension doesn’t quite live up to expectation. It feels fidgety and doesn’t cope with a rough surface in the same impeccable manner.

The Exclusive is exceptionally well equipped inside the cabin though, with part-leather trim and electric front seats. I still can’t get on with electronic park brakes and I’m not entirely sure interior mood lighting is required. Does it flash red for road rage?

And further extending the unnecessary names for features, the sat nav system is called eMyWay. Or Mancunian for a northern pub singer doing Frank Sinatra…

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Citroen C5 Tourer – An Estate By Any Other Name

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I can’t help it – I like estate cars. They carry stuff around and I like practical, sometimes. Except these days they call them Tourers and Avants, which seems to make no sense at all.

The latest C5 is no exception but at least it now looks the part, with sleek lines and a huge interior that swallows up people and luggage.

It’s true that Citroen secondhand values may not be as good as German marques but you are getting a whole lot of car for your money in the first place.

The C5 is fully equipped, with air suspension, excellent seats and every gizmo going on the Exclusive model.

Are you going to choose a £30,000 French estate over a BMW or an Audi? Let’s see how we get on in the week ahead…

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Thursday – DS5 Verdict

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So, as the Citroen DS5 of life disappears down the road of fashionable items that passed up by, it’s time to give an honest verdict.

Firstly, this is a car that you want to like. From the moment it turned up with us, the Citroen looked massively appealing from both the inside and the out. Definitely different and daringly designed, you have to take your chapeau off to the French for creating a cracking looking car.

The radically styled interior, brilliant dashboard and cool seats suggest it will be a great car to own too. However, all is not what it seems with the DS5 and sadly, the whole driving experience is a frustrating letdown. The car has lifeless steering, feels twitchy on rough roads and is devoid on driver involvement.

So, despite all the kit on our test car – the sat nav that has stars in the night sky, the massaging driver’s seat and a thumpingly good stereo – it’s never going to match up to the competition from Ford and Vauxhall in the family transport department.

And that is, unfortunately, rather a shame…

 

 

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Wednesday – Petanque Anyone?

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It’s taken almost a week but I’ve finally found a road where the DS5 behaves beautifully. Stick this funky looking coupe/MPV on a motorway and it really comes into its own.

I took a long drive down the M5 today to play a man at petanque – it’s a long story but destined to be a feature in the Financial Times. The big Citroen sits on a fast, smooth road beautifully and is also whisper quiet.

So quiet in fact that it is remarkably easy to slip over the speed limit. The speaker system is exceptional, made by Denon and worth every penny, if you fancy an accessory upgrade.

The three automatic blinds that screen off the sunroofs proved worthwhile and I used the seat massage function to prepare my body for my game of petanque. Perfect.

 

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Tuesday – Coupe On Steroids

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There are moments when I’ve really enjoyed the DS5 – it’s usually when I’m passing a shop window and see the reflection in the glass. There are admiring glances because the Citroen looks like a rather outsize coupe on steroids.

I’m desperately trying to resist using the phrase form over function but with the DS, it really does come down to that. The driving experience is best described as average and that’s a huge shame considering how much attention went in to creating a car that looks so darn good. Inside and out!

It is very practical and with the back seats lowered, also swallows up a large amount of anything. The subwoofer in the boot eats into space a little but nothing too intrusive.There are storage spaces everywhere, including a massive bin under the centre armrest.

If the DS5 had been designed by the French but engineered by Germans, I rather feel it would have been a much better car than it is…

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Monday – Head Banger

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I’m a modest 5ft 10ins. The DS5 is a family car, so why do I keep cracking my head on the side of the door opening when I step inside? It’s got to the point now where I duck down when I slip behind the wheel – although today I straightened up afterwards and immediately bumped my head on the centre roof console instead.

The Citroen is unusual in the fact that often, it is the driver who has the best seating position and the passengers miss out. The DS5 is fantastically comfortable for passengers but finding that perfect driving position remains a problem, even after four days of trying.

At least there is masses of space in the rear, with a drop down armrest in the middle of the back seat that helps give armchair-style relaxation. And the luggage space is huge, although you need to remove two parcel shelves to make the most of it.

Like the Hyundai Veloster, rear visibility is lacking. Our test car has a reversing camera and an audible alert but do try a rear parking manoeuvre before you open your wallet!

 

 

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Saturday – Flawed Beauty

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These aren’t the seats from a Bentley – they’re what you will find in top end versions of the Citroen DS5.

The French are notoriously good at putting fine couture into their luxury cars – remember the Citroen CX, Renault Avantime and Vel Satis – but these seats are exceptionally good to look at.

Unfortunately, they are not quite so good to sit on. Despite electric adjustment on the driver’s side with a massaging facility and heat, I’ve found it exceptionally difficult to find a decent driving position.

And it’s also worth pointing out that although the DS5 can carry five people, the centre bolster in the rear bench seat combined with a lack of rear leg room means the Citroen is really more of a stylish 2+2.

Is this going to be a typical French case of form over function – like the three cars mentioned above – or is the DS5 the real deal? Find out how it drives tomorrow…

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Friday – Space Craft

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Is this the coolest looking Citroen ever? Not only does the exterior styling look sensational but the interior is more like the cockpit of a spaceship.

We drove the DS5 to see the new George Clooney film Galaxy last night and the Citroen seemed to have such as many buttons and dials to play with as the International Space Station.

The HDi Sport model is just stuffed with technology and equipment. You need time on the driveway to understand everything that is going on here. I’m sure some technophobes would get in and hop straight back out again.

More on that later in the week but for now, just marvel at the styling of this exceptionally stylish family car. It leaves the Ford S-Max for dead in every department – apart from the lack of two extra seats in the boot, I suppose.

If I ever had to do the school run, this is the car I’d want to turn up in.