Citroen C5

First impressions

Click images to enlarge, more below
Ugh, I thought, when I first saw the old C5. What a missed opportunity. Seven years on, no such mistakes with this one. Hitting showrooms in April, Citroen's big new Mondeo challenger is yet another design highlight in the burgeoning large family car sector. Who said it was dead? So it was me, oohing, when I first saw the slim windowline capping gently contoured side panels, the charismatic long front overhang that's so classically Citroen, the delicious concave rear screen with mere hints of flying buttresses. Soft, organic creases abound, contrasting with the sector's identikit German sharpness. This is a luxurious-looking saloon of status. Just like Citroens of yore. Wow supplants ugh.
Performance

The engines are as for the old C5. Forgettable petrol units, which will be replaced by units joint-developed with BMW before long, plus 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre HDi diesels that will sell best. There is also a 2.2-litre HDi, and the Jaguar XF's sexy twin-turbo 2.7-litre V6 diesel that will be a hen's-teeth indulgence. We preferred the smoother 1.6 HDi, which was less throbby than the 2.0 and offered fewer vibrations as you explored the rev range. And with 110bhp against 136bhp it felt negligibly slower too, the hefty tonne and half-plus of weight dulling the vigour of both. Both intruded more than you'd expect ... simply because the rest is so quiet.
Ride and handling

This is where the C5 differs from any rival. If Peugeot's 407 is sporty, the C5, which shares key underpinnings, is its smooth-riding nemesis. That much is apparent in the first 100 yards, where the Citroen's far more relaxed suspension settings waft and glide, rather than chatter about everything the road surface is doing. This is the case even with the standard 'steel-sprung' car. Remarkably, Citroen has tuned conventional suspension to offer the same fluid, relaxed gait as the hydraulic machine, certainly at first. Where it can't quite compare is in isolating occasional harshness from potholes, expansion joints and the like. The wheels can thud and bosh on pot-marked surfaces.

The hydraulic car does this too. Where it differs is in its unique 'floating on air' feel not entirely dissimilar to an old Rolls-Royce. Not everyone likes it but it's worth tuning into it for a totally unique approach that infuses lusciousness like waves. Meanwhile the steering is very light, and very light on feel, but fairly chatty on the limit. If you intelligently compensate for initial roll, double wishbones and multi-link rear systems plant the C5 reassuringly and summon ample grip and bite. Remember, this uses the Peugeot 407's clever front hub, with resulting strong front-end grip. It's not a sporty car but stable, reassuring and easy, just as you'd expect.
Interior

Who says the French can't do tactility? The C5's interior is a fest of quality, intrigue and interest - that is (engines apart) hushed at most speeds like few rivals are. Huge, indulgent seats cosset you from a regally high position, the soft-touch, low-sheen dash pleases the eye and delights the brain with all its many tricks and quirks. Dials, for instance, have floating needles and are set in a cowl like a classic Citroen DS; that fixed-hub steering wheel is delightfully weird, the stack of buttons everywhere surely perfectly intuitive once you've applied the brainwork to learn them. SX, VTR and Exclusive trim lines won't be short of kit, either.