The Citroen C5 is a large car on a 2815 mm wheelbase, putting it comfortably into the executive sector. The test car was powered by a 1560 cc diesel engine, linked to an electronically controlled six speed automatic/manual gearbox. Automatic Stop/Start was a standard feature in the interests of fuel economy. Talking of economy, by the EU testing standard, it delivers 51 mpg (5.5 lt/100 km) on the Urban cycle, 68 mpg (4.1 lt/100 km) on the Extra urban cycle and an average of 61 mpg (4.6 lt/100 km) on the Combined cycle. This does not come at the expense of performance, as top speed is said to be 190 kph (118 mph), with 0-100 kph acceleration in 12.6 seconds. So far so good.
I have driven Citroens with the electronically controlled transmission before and found them to be perfectly satisfactory. However, in this car the operation of the transmission was very unsatisfactory. In slow moving traffic, it was like having a learner driver in control, with very jerky changes. The car would move off from standstill and almost immediately, as soon as 2,000 rpm was reached, it would make a very jerky change into second gear. Then as 2,000 rpm was reached again, the same jerky procedure operated as third gear was selected. If you have a clear road ahead of you and you apply slightly more pressure to the accelerator pedal, things are a lot smoother, as the gear changes take place at around 2,750 rpm. They are still not silky smooth, as we have come to expect from the best automatics, but they are acceptable. However, do be careful, as if you are in a stop lights grand prix and you apply too much pressure, the front wheels loose traction and slip very audibly, bouncing the suspension up and down, so that you may be forgiven for thinking that you have encountered at least ten speed ramps in quick succession. Perhaps an electric gremlin had taken up residence in this particular car’s transmission management system and the system in other C5s will not be affected by this annoyance.
In the Citroen tradition the ride was smooth and comfortable, the roadholding was good and reassuring, while the variable ratio, power assisted steering, required a comfort orientated 2.95 turns from lock to lock. The servo assisted brakes included anti-lock with emergency brake assist and electronic brakeforce distribution. They worked in conjunction with the electronic stability programme, that included traction control. Large ventilated discs were fitted at the front with large plain discs at the back.
The rear seat is divided 60/40 in both the cushion and the backrest. Normal luggage space, when all seats are in use is 0.439 cubic metres. If you needed even more luggage space for things like family holidays, or weekend breaks, the C5 will carry up to 80 kg in a suitable container on the roof. If towing is a requirement, it will tow unbraked trailers of up to 750 kg, or braked trailers/caravans up to 1340 kg. If towing is on the agenda, you can relax confident in the knowledge that a full size spare wheel and tyre is provided.

Perhaps it is because I am in the latter stages of a driver’s life cycle, but increasingly I am finding the plethora of electronic applications and gadgets crammed into modern cars to be both annoying and dangerously distracting from a safe driving point of view. It is not all that long ago that I rejoiced in the simple clear digital speedometer in a Citroen C3. This latest C5 provided both an analogue and a digital indication of the speed, with an analogue tachometer, plus analogue fuel level and engine temperature gauges. The hub of the steering wheel was fixed in position, so it did not revolve with the steering wheel and contained controls for the Bluetooth telephone facilities on the left and the audio system on the right. Underneath the wheel between the horizontal spokes and the lower spokes, there were paddles to manually operate the transmission, when the gear lever was pushed over to the left. This fixed hub also housed the hooter switches and the driver’s airbag.

In the centre of the facia, there is a screen for the satellite navigation, with the controls for the dual range climate control immediately below. This screen also showed the time in the top right hand corner and the outside air temperature in the lower right hand corner. I like the location of the heating/ventilating controls, as they are something I tend to use frequently whilst driving and being higher up they are easier to see and locate, without having to take your eyes off the road for too long. The radio/CD/audio unit was below the air-conditioning unit.

The main interior colours were black and grey, which does tend to give a dark and sombre ambience, but it was relieved by silver trimmings on the doors, facia, centre tunnel and the steering wheel. The two front seats were well bolstered and adjusted for reach, height and backrest angle. The steering wheel also adjusted for both reach and height. One of the difficulties in this dark interior, especially at night or early in the morning, is that the slot for the ignition key, cannot be seen from the driver’s seat, so you have to try to find it by feel alone, which is very difficult indeed. It is directly under the stalk for the wipers, but is hidden by that large steering wheel hub and the paddle for the manual gear changing. The car will only start in neutral and you must have your foot on the brake pedal. The driver’s door armrest has buttons for the four electric windows, as well as the adjustment control for the two exterior rear view mirrors. The mirrors fold inwards automatically when the ignition is switched off and out again when it is switched on.

The rear seat has a folding centre armrest. The top lifts up to reveal a shallow storage tray. There is also a fold away structure for two cupholders in its forward section. In the normal manner the two outer positions have ISOfix fittings for two child safety seats. From a seating point of view, the firmly padded centre section is reasonably comfortable and has an acceptable amount of headroom for average sized adults. Kneeroom and foot room is adequate for three adult passengers.
If you need to accommodate both passengers and long or awkward items of luggage, the 60/40 divided seat cushion lifts in sections into a vertical position behind the front seat and the seat backrest then drops down horizontally into the place vacated by the seat cushion.

Considering its size, performance and fuel consumption, one of the best things about the C5 is its remarkably reasonable price of Euro 29,740. It comes with a two years unlimited mileage warranty, two years roadside assistance, three years paint cover and twelve years anti-perforation warranty. Its exhaust emissions of just 120 gm/km, place it in Irish road tax band A, with a current annual charge of 160 euro.

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