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NEWS
Citroën heads upmarket with all-diesel C5
An abbreviated all-diesel range and higher equipment levels signals a move upmarket for Citroën's midsizer
The new car is targeting buyers of everything from Audi to Saab, say Citroën insiders. And if the local importer Ateco Automotive achieves its ambitious targets of approaching 100 units per month, the car will be far and away its most successful 'large' car launched Down Under.
The last generation C5 offered hatch and wagon variants. In its move upmarket, Citroën has chosen to pursue a sedan and wagon strategy. In both cases the cars feature strikingly modern and fresh styling. The quirky proportions and lines of the last car are gone.
Powered exclusively by direct-injected turbodiesel engines, two trim levels of C5 will be offered in both body styles -- Comfort and Exclusive. For the first time a V6-engined wagon is part of the local line-up. See below for the full price list.
With pricing stretching into the mid-to-high $60K area, Ateco has not scrimped with the C5's equipment lists.
Even the 'base' model Comfort variants include eight-way electric front seats with heating and driver's seat massager, self-levelling Hydractive 3+ suspension with Sport mode, automatic electric parking brake, Adaptive Front-lighting System, climate control air, cruise and speed limiter and rear park sensors. Alloy wheels are standard (17-inch) and the sole transmission option is a six-speed automatic.
Safety equipment is a standout with the C5 rating five stars in Euro NCAP crash testing and seven airbags (including driver's knee bag) fitted to the Comfort sedan and wagon. Stability control is also standard along with a full up-to-the-minute antilock braking suite (with hill start, emergency brake assist, etc). The cars also feature electric child-safety locks for the rear doors and windows.
Inside the C5's cabin there's a significant upgrade in quality, with new choices for leather and dash finishes.
The trademark French flair has been toned down, but not erased entirely. There's a unique 'balcony' style dash layout and Citroën's now-signature fixed hub steering wheel (complete with a panoply of controls for phone, audio, cruise multifunction display, etc) gives the car its own interior identity.
The main instrumental panel gauges feature rim-mounted telltales (rather than conventional 'watch-face' needles) and "mood lighting" is provided via fibre optics.
Opt for the Exclusive and the equipment levels and airbag count rise -- in the case of the latter, to nine! [Ed: Citroën adds rear side airbags in addition to the full side curtains standard in the Comfort trim level]. In addition, the French marque adds laminated side windows, rear and side window blinds, privacy glass, front park sensors, Xenon headlamps, tyre pressure readout, 18-inch alloys, more chrome and even more mood lighting.
In the Tourer, the Exclusive also features a push-button electric open/close tailgate. Loading the Tourer is made simple, says Citroën "with the ability to raise or lower the rear suspension".
Options across the C5 range include 19-inch wheels, a lane departure warning system, Bluetooth preparation and, in the sedan, a conventional sunroof. Tourer buyers -- expected to make up around 30 per cent of C5 customers -- can specify a fixed glass 'Panorama' roof complete with sliding blind.
Citroën's NaviDrive satnav and entertainment system is also offered as an option at $4000-4500 (depending on whether LCT is applicable). This features a 10cm colour central display screen, integrated telephone, audio system, satellite navigation, 10-gigabyte hard drive and voice activation.
Two turbodiesel engines underpin the front-wheel-drive-only C5 range. Both engines are matched to six-speed automatic transmissions with tiptronic function. There are no steering paddles on either version.
Available in both Comfort and Exclusive variants, the base engine is PSA's proven 2.0-litre DOHC direct-injected and intercooled turbodiesel inline four. Rated at 100kW and 320Nm, the 16-valve HDi engine is used across a range of PSA and Ford vehicles including Citroën's C4, the Ford Mondeo and the Peugeot 407.
In its C5 installation it returns a combined fuel economy of 7.1L/100km in the sedan. The Tourer is 0.1L/100km thirstier.
The C5's flagship engine option -- PSA's twin-turbo 2.7-litre V6 turbodiesel -- is offered in the Exclusive level only. This 24-valve DOHC powerplant features twin variable geometry turbochargers and produces 150kW.
Torque is an impressive 440Nm, but fuel usage remains frugal. Citroën claims 8.5L/100km for the sedan and 8.6 for the wagon.
According to Citroën around 85 per cent of previous C5 sales (around 4000 C5s have been sold Down Under since the model's release in 2001) were turbodiesel. The remaining petrol share was dominated by the 3.0-litre V6 variant. The availability of the 2.7-litre twin-turbo HDi and its performance in the new C5 prompted the all-diesel line-up, says Citroën's Australian General Manager, Miles Williams.
"The advanced diesel engines offered by Citroën in the new C5 offer all the performance, response and refinement required of a car in the prestige category and, at the same time, use significantly less fuel and produces much lower levels of carbon dioxide. Given this combination and the wider range of diesel engines in the new Citroën C5, switching to an all-diesel range was an easy choice," Williams told the Carsales Network.
Williams says the 2.7 HDi Exclusive should account for around 20 per cent of C5 volume. The 2.0 HDI Comfort will be the top seller with 50 per cent.
Our launch drive of the new Citroën C5 included around 400km of varied roads through Sydney to the Hunter Valley and return. We can attest for the civility of the C5's cabin, but also for the fact there remains plenty of quirkiness in the control operations. Hey, it's a Citroën!
Quiet on a variety of road surfaces and at higher speeds on the freeway, the C5's handling and ride err on the side of comfort rather than sportiness. Citroën's hydra-pneumatic suspension system features neither springs nor dampers, thus some characteristics are quite different from 'normal' suspensions.
Both the 2.0-litre and V6 powerplants are torquey and quiet -- as you'd expect from modern diesels. The smaller engine is no tear-away in the midsized body of the C5 -- Citroen quotes a 0-100km/h of almost 13secs. Two-up it's overtaking ability on the open road is better than the sprint time suggests. That said, with a car full of people and luggage, its performance won't satisfy all. Our pick's definitely the V6, even if it isn't quite as wieldy as the four.
It was hard to fault the cabin comfort in the C5 Exclusives we drove. Build quality looks good; there's plenty of adjustability in the driving position and it's roomy upfront. Rear legroom isn't on par with, say, Ford's Mondeo but unless you're intending to seat four six-footers it gets a solid B+.
Our chief concern for the C5 is not its dimensions, nor its all-diesel engine strategy, however. It's the car's move upmarket and its pricing (see below) in what is becoming an increasingly competitive segment.
With top variants solidly into the prestige regions on the plus side of $60,000, and the French marques still struggle for mainstream acceptance Down Under, we think Citroën's 30 dealers around Australia (soon to be 32) will have their work cut out for them competing head-on with better recognized luxury brands. The C5 has the looks to attract new buyers, but will that be enough…
C5 Pricing
C5 2.0 HDi Comfort -- $49,990
C5 2.0 HDi Comfort Tourer -- $52,740
C5 2.0 HDi Exclusive -- $54,990
C5 2.0 HDi Exclusive Tourer -- $57,740
C5 2.7 HDi Exclusive -- $62,990
C5 2.7 HDi Exclusive Tourer -- $65,740
Key Options
Metallic paint -- $750
Rear side airbags (Comfort only) -- $750
Sunroof (sedan) -- $2000
Panorma Glass Roof (Tourer) -- $2000
NaviDrive -- $4000 ($4500 for Exclusive)
Bluetooth -- 450
Lane Departure System -- $1500
19-inch alloys (Exclusive only) -- $1850
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Written byMike Sinclair
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