If there was just one feature of the new Citroen C5 I drove on its Irish launch day which would be top of my ‘I want it’ list, it would have to be the rain-sensing wipers.

The weather over the hour or so ranged from sunshine through spitting showers to a little bit of the torrential. And the system coped fabulously, even doing whatever was needed when the ‘rain’ was just spray thrown up by other vehicles. Very quickly, I learned to forget about wipers altogether and took it for granted that they’d do their thing.

Along with the automatic headlights feature which puts the lights on in lowering light levels (or during rain too ... in France it is commendably mandatory for drivers to put on their lights in rain), the C5 shows Citroen’s determination to give a little more than the opposition, even if these nice bits only come with the higher-spec versions.

To my view, the C5 is giving a little more in the looks department too. There’s nothing as sleek in the segment, and there’s an overall uncluttered look that gives this French offering a chic comparable to that of the most fashionable Parisian mademoiselle.

The C5 is big, bigger than the Xantia it replaces. This a trend in the segment, of course: Mondeo has done the same, so too will the next-generation Primera, and the Laguna II has perceptively greater dimensions than its predecessor.

It all makes for more room and more comfort. And the C5 is no exception in most departments. The 2-litre petrol model I drove was outfitted in a two-tone velour material significantly more luxurious than most. Quite posh in fact.

The front seats were thickly bolstered, though not to the point where one feels uncomfortably hemmed in. Just nice. The velour was continued along the doors, as was the wood effect from the centre console. The wheel is a decent handful, and the column adjusts for both rake and reach.

The scuttle line is high, but there is good seat height adjustment which can take care of that. The car I drove had wood effect on the centre console area, but a metal finish is available instead of this in other specifications, which could be a bit more cheerful looking.

The ambience of the dash area IS luxury, though, including the use of two colours of plastic trim in the dashboard. Which is just as well, because otherwise the sheer amount of dark material in the ‘cab forward’ style might be oppressive. A pale grey along the roof also helped to brighten.

On the passenger side, the same dashboard is rather plain for longterm looking at. Perhaps they could have sculpted it a little more, or included a couple of storage areas. From the driver’s perspective, the instruments end of things is pleasingly straightforward - the speedometer is dead centre and comes with white numbers on a black background which is very easy to read. Instrument needles provide a splash of nice red contrast.

To their left is another cluster, which provides radio station information, a clock, outside temperature, and the usual trip computer stuff. It is neatly executed stylewise too.

There’s stacks of headroom in both front and back to suit most sizes.
Another definite plus was the dotted area on the windscreen around the centre mirror which acts as an extra sunscreen between the flaps. Some cars do include this little extra and it certainly does help when the sun comes out. I also liked the neat coin area in front of the gear shift, handy for the tolls on the M50! As far as luggage capacity is concerned the C5 will meet any need for its passengers ... it’s a hatchback and will take quite a few big suitcases, along with the essential-for-some golf clubs!

The hour-long spin from the launchpad in Finglas up to Navan and back was not really enough time to become properly acquainted with the C5. However it did make a very solid early impression. The feel of the car, the sense of wellbeing, the uniquely Citroën ride and handling, were quickly apparent. The clutch was light to use and the gearshift, while not the most precise around, was accurate enough.

The 2-litre HPi petrol engine, a brand new unit, has a very flat torque curve which translates when driving into very easy pulling power from as low as 1500rpm, which makes it a very quiet car to drive.

I’m looking forward to spending some real quality time with this real quality car.