Citroen C5 - let the games commence

Citroen’s new C5 is a complete change from the Xantia it replaces. The predecessor car was futuristic from the outset, and remained so right up to the present day. But that look was so distinctive that in itself it may have contributed to a perception (true) that it has been around for a long time.

So we have the C5, replacing not just the Xantia, but also trying to fill in the tyreprints of the long-finished XM big car until the C6 successor rolls out at the end of next year. This means bread-and-butter versions and luxury spec at the other end, a hard thing to make work.

But the immediate visual impact of the C5 scores well to this target, because it looks big enough to do the job. It also looks high quality, with styling that is more complete than ever was the Xantia. Part of this view is no doubt due to the use of cues from the Xsara, particularly the large teardrop headlights which characterise the main changes to the recent Xsara upgrade.

The C5 is a hatchback which has the look of a saloon, but with a short rear deck. In side view it is exceptionally smooth and rounded, and in particular there is a really gentle curve between the end-bonnet and windscreen. The car is actually taller than the average in the segment, which also allows an overall better aerodynamic without compromising visibility.

At the back there are very pleasing but simple light clusters, and the rear door lifts from very close to cargo floor level. It will be an easy car to hump the heavy stuff in and out of.

The interior is a big leap forward from the predecessor, with a smooth dashboard design in plastic and wood effect (in the higher-spec car at any rate) that smacks of high quality. A central hooded screen on top of the dashboard houses radio info, temperature, clock and where available, the navigation and communications information. The main instruments in front of the driver are simple and clear, in traditional analogue form.

The seats in the cars we drove at the launch were top spec leather, but the underlying feeling was of very good comfort in the front. And both I and my co-driver at the event felt immediately at home behind the wheel, which is a good test of anyone’s ergonomics. There was a good range of height adjustment.

From a personal viewpoint, I had to point out a problem in the rear (below), where the head restraints stored low in the interest of visibility were deliberately made uncomfortable so that a passenger would have to raise them ... but there’s not enough raising possible for a 6’2” occupant like myself, and I found that the restraint hit the top of my spine instead of the back of my head. Some re-engineering is needed here, guys.

And putting three people across the back seat might be imposing a little too much intimacy, perhaps. But this is not unusual in the class.

There are a lot of really interesting technologies available in the new C5, many of them thanks to extensive use of multiplexing in the wiring, a system which allows 30% less wiring than normal and also permits much more and diverse information to be sent across the system.

So there are sthings like automatic switching on of headlights when hitting darkness, such as a tunnel. And automatic rain-sensing that triggers the wipers. Not to mention the automatic folding of side mirrors when the blip-lock is pressed. In addition, rear parking sensors and automatic checking of tyre pressures are features available in the C5.

But not all of the above are available on all models, particularly in Ireland. Partly for cost reasons, and partly to differentiate different versions of a car which has to appeal to a wide range of driver classes.

And for Ireland too, there has to be a different range of engines, at the smaller level, than appear to be available for the rest of Europe. Because our VRT rates militate badly against anything over 2-litre power units.

So the base engine when the C5 comes into Ireland in April will be a 1.8-litre outputting 117bhp. Some of the standard specifications include ABS, Emergency Brake Assist, speed-sensitive intermittent front wipers, a rear screen wiper and an audio system with steering wheel controls.

The 90bhp 2-litre HDi diesel has a similar specification. The 2-litre 136bhp petrol, 2-litre 110bhp HDi and 2.2-litre 136bhp HDi versions add such nice bits as windows that close automatically in the event of rain, automatic windcreen wipers, deadlocking and an audio system with its volume indexed to speed.

The top of the range 3-litre V6 has larger wheels, the aforementioned tyre pressure sensors, and the automatic switching on of lights at night, in tunnels or in rain.

All of this in a price range yet to be agreed, but at the time of writing we believe the entry level 1.8 will cost around £18,500. A 1.6-litre coming online early in 2002 will have power approaching the 1.8-litre, but we have no further information. There is also a very advanced new 2-litre gasoline direct injection unit, but that’s not yet being made available in Ireland.

The underpinning technology of any Citroen in this size is the suspension, and the car is the first to show the latest version of the marque’s unique hydraulic system, the Hydractive 3. There are major improvements to this, and the company is so confident about its reliabilty that it says service intervals are in excess of 200,000km or five years, which is about twice the performance of a standard suspension system which will need component replacement around 100,000 km.

Brief driving impressions of the C5 were excellent, with the suspension coping beautifully with a mixture of fast motorway and slow twisty mountain road work. I’ll give you more when I’ve had a chance to evaluate the car properly, but on first blush it will certainly give Citroen real competition against the new Mondeo, the Renault Laguna II and the upgraded Passat.

Which is the reason for the exercise. Let the games commence.