New C5

[Guest Colin Hunter]

Hi Guys! (& Gals!)

 

Was down at my local dealers last night and spied the NEW C5 parked outside. Had a wee looky and all I can say is WOW! It's GORGEOUS! Almost everything that the old C5 was NOT. This one is going to give the ratbags at BMW and Merc a run for the money! Let's hope it turns out to be as good as it looks! I WANT ONE! SOMEBODY LET ME WIN THE LOTTERY!

[Johndouglas]

Whyever did they drop the xenon lights from the executive model. And add £1400 if you want them.

[72dudes]

Hi Guys! (& Gals!)

 

Was down at my local dealers last night and spied the NEW C5 parked outside. Had a wee looky and all I can say is WOW! It's GORGEOUS! Almost everything that the old C5 was NOT. This one is going to give the ratbags at BMW and Merc a run for the money! Let's hope it turns out to be as good as it looks! I WANT ONE! SOMEBODY LET ME WIN THE LOTTERY!

 

Me too, I haven't been to see one yet, but I've read all about them in Autocar, What Car and Auto Express. They all like it and say it's up there with the best. Best for comfort and refinement, not bad on handling and good build quality and interior.

 

I reckon that for a sub £20k car, this is the one to have and it looks great! Best of the bunch seems to be the VTR+ (£18595 for the 138 bhp 2.0 HDi or £20k for the 173 bhp 2.2HDi).

[Guest CE05LDB]

I went to my Dealer Thomas & Davies yesterday to see my New C2 VTR and whilst I was there I took a picture of a New C5 Exclusive. Here it is.

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/CE05LDB/Citroen/CK08MMA.jpg

[seefive]

Me too, I haven't been to see one yet, but I've read all about them in Autocar, What Car and Auto Express. They all like it and say it's up there with the best. Best for comfort and refinement, not bad on handling and good build quality and interior.

 

I reckon that for a sub £20k car, this is the one to have and it looks great! Best of the bunch seems to be the VTR+ (£18595 for the 138 bhp 2.0 HDi or £20k for the 173 bhp 2.2HDi).

 

I also went to see the Citroen-Audi-Toyota C5, (yes it is a mongrel) and was less impressed.

 

Inside, the roof line is lower and the windows smaller, making it feel less spacious. Gone are the adjustable armrests which are so supportive (especially for me - the old C5 is the only car I can drive without getting neck and shoulder pains, a legacy of whiplash sustained in a car accident). Gone too is the distinctive styling that separates true Citroens from the crowd. This could be a Mondeo, Vectra, Passat, whatever. It just doesn't register as a Citroen should do. Sticking plasti-chrome chevrons on the front of a bland design doesn't cut it, IMO. And why no hatchback?

 

Citroen are obviously pandering to fashion and chasing sales by making the car as conventional/boring as possible. Even the defining hydraulic supension has been taken away in the lower and mid-range cars in an obvious attempt to woo the fleet buyers. The engines are mainly carried over from the old model, so we can't expect anything exciting there.

 

It's a real shame that a quirky, individual company like Citroen is being dumbed down in this way. It's becoming increasingly difficult to work out what's behind a badge - Vauxhalls built in Korea, Audi's built badly in Hungary etc. Citroen are now following the globalisation model - and losing their character in the process...

[Guest CE05LDB]

I like it if my numbers came up on the Lottory Wednesday id buy one.

[72dudes]

Citroen are obviously pandering to fashion and chasing sales by making the car as conventional/boring as possible. Even the defining hydraulic supension has been taken away in the lower and mid-range cars in an obvious attempt to woo the fleet buyers. The engines are mainly carried over from the old model, so we can't expect anything exciting there.

 

It's a real shame that a quirky, individual company like Citroen is being dumbed down in this way. It's becoming increasingly difficult to work out what's behind a badge - Vauxhalls built in Korea, Audi's built badly in Hungary etc. Citroen are now following the globalisation model - and losing their character in the process...

 

I have to disagree seefive, but I do understand your points.

From my point of view, the C5 is a big step forward. Citroen have recognised that in Europe, people prefer saloons to large hatches. In this country, probably 65% of the car market is made up of either company car purchases or PCLs to people who are opting out of company cars. To tap into this market currently dominated by Mondeo, Vectra and increasingly A4, 3 Series and Accord, Citroen needed a higher quality strikingly designed car which would fight it's corner. I reckon the new C5 provides that. Yes, it is a bit more mainstream, but there are still plenty of quirks to appeal to us Citroenites (fixed hub steering wheel, Hydractive suspension option, parking space calculator etc) and keep those all-important Fleet Managers happy. I remember when the ZX first came out and everybody lamented the passing of gallic charm, but 16 years on the ZX is regarded as quirky and French! Give the new C5 a chance, I believe it's got a lot of character, and hopefully it won't go wrong as often as our C5s.

[Guest Colin Hunter]

I have to agree that I am disappointed that there is no hatchback option. Ford have managed to provide both on the Mondeo so it can't be that hard, can it? On the other hand the boot is much more accessible due to the (Almost) unique concave rear window which really does make a huge difference. My mates Passat needs speliologist techniques to reach the hidden depths!

 

On the "mongrel" front, most Citroens have been such for years now, sharing much of their development with the equivalent Peugeot models, and many parts besides. The question begs to be asked. Are there ANY cars out there now that don't have some influence from other manufacturers in these days of shared development and cross marque platforms?

 

The deletion of the Hydraulic suspension on some models will be seen as no bad thing by many, perhaps even including myself, as anyone who has run an elderly Xantia will know, the car's used value is very little compared to the Peugeot 406 equivalent, and you can spend hours (AND money) chasing hydraulic leaks and faults. On the other hand, when it all works as it should it is superb! It will be interesting to see how used values hold up on hydraulic and non hydraulic cars.

 

I disagree that it's being "dumbed down" or that it is bland and characterless, There is just no WAY you'd walk past one and not know it was a Citroen. Not like the first Ford Mondeo which was so bland it was almost invisible!

 

Cheers!

[seefive]

On the "mongrel" front, most Citroens have been such for years now, sharing much of their development with the equivalent Peugeot models, and many parts besides. The question begs to be asked. Are there ANY cars out there now that don't have some influence from other manufacturers in these days of shared development and cross marque platforms?

 

Citroens have of course been Peugeot influenced ever since the merger, but this is the first mid-range car to have Japanes blood ( following C1 and C-Crosser), and the first Citroen to be part (unmistakably?) German.

 

I think it looks like a cross between a Peugeot 407 and an Audi A4. Surely there are enough samey saloons on the market already?

[Guest Colin Hunter]

A clone of two of the nicest looking saloons around! Well, some people would say that was no bad thing! Unlike the last C5 which was a bit of an ugly duckling compared to the (in my opinion) very attractive Xantia it replaced. If the last C5 had been anywhere as nice to look at I might have bought one!

[BarbsC1]

I also went to see the Citroen-Audi-Toyota C5, (yes it is a mongrel) and was less impressed.

 

Inside, the roof line is lower and the windows smaller, making it feel less spacious. Gone are the adjustable armrests which are so supportive (especially for me - the old C5 is the only car I can drive without getting neck and shoulder pains, a legacy of whiplash sustained in a car accident). Gone too is the distinctive styling that separates true Citroens from the crowd. This could be a Mondeo, Vectra, Passat, whatever. It just doesn't register as a Citroen should do. Sticking plasti-chrome chevrons on the front of a bland design doesn't cut it, IMO. And why no hatchback?

 

Citroen are obviously pandering to fashion and chasing sales by making the car as conventional/boring as possible. Even the defining hydraulic supension has been taken away in the lower and mid-range cars in an obvious attempt to woo the fleet buyers. The engines are mainly carried over from the old model, so we can't expect anything exciting there.

 

It's a real shame that a quirky, individual company like Citroen is being dumbed down in this way. It's becoming increasingly difficult to work out what's behind a badge - Vauxhalls built in Korea, Audi's built badly in Hungary etc. Citroen are now following the globalisation model - and losing their character in the process...

Go and get a life it's a great car there is already 3 month waiting lists for this car so it can't be all bad

[72dudes]

On Saturday I went to see the new C5 at the local dealer. I didn't have a test drive as I didn't want to waste his time. The model in the showroom was a 2.0 HDi VTR+ (£18595), which will be the big seller. I then went to other garages to compare it with a Mondeo 2.0 Zetec (same price), the new Mazda 6 TS2 (£18420) and the new A4 2.0 TDi SE (£24000).

 

OK, so for image, you'd probably have the Audi, but apart from that, I reckon the C5 is now the best of the bunch. That's big news because the new Mondeo is very impressive.

 

The Citroen dealer had an unregistered old shape C5 VTR right next to the new model, it's in a different league! (and I like the old C5 as a used buy). Incidentally, anyone wanting the old shape car can have this 2.0 HDi for £12995 - bit of a bargain!

[Guest Colin Hunter]

I was talking to the manager of our local dealers over the weekend about the new C5 and the changes to the suspension specs. He confirmed that the conventional suspension is basically the same as the 407. No surprises there then! Nor any nasty secrets!

 

He agreed that it would indeed be interesting to compare the used values, particularly when the hydraulic cars started coming to the "leaky" time of life, which is when Xantia values bomb.

 

I suppose that anyone who cares about "image" would maybe be tempted by an Audi or BMW. I personally think they're too "common" a sight on our roads and are rather bland and non-descript. I mean, the whole idea is to have something a bit different and stand out from the crowd, not vanish without trace into German "sameness". Have to say they're nicely put together though, but so is the C5.

 

Got my vote. :blink:

[Guest CE05LDB]

You seem to be a Xantia Fan Colin seeing your history would you ever have a C5 The old shape or the mark 2 (2004)

[Guest Colin Hunter]

Yes I did breifly consider a C5 (Estate) as a replacement for the Xantia, even though I'm not overly struck on the looks, it is a highly practical vehicle. Even though they aren't high on my "good looking" list (407 estate tops that one) there are other considerations. One of which is the need to have a vehicle capable of shifting my son and his clobber to Uni and back, and my hip was making entry and egress from low cars more difficult, which is why I went for the Picasso. NOT because I think it's nice looking, although it does have a certain ugly duckling type charm.

 

I have driven the old model C5 (1.8 petrol, 2.0HDI and 2.2HDI) and found them all a perfectly acceptable drive, although I found the interior trim and materials a bit of a downcome from the Xantia, which surprised me a little. The dash in particular felt shoddy. Not what I expected at all, and rear vision is appalling in the hatch.

 

We are a bit constrained for choice here in Shetland. We have few proper dealerships. Pug and Renault are missing and anyone who buys one has to take their car to the mainland for warranty work or recalls. Rover went long before the Longbridge meltdown. We have Ford, Vauxhall, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Kia and VW/Audi, (Oh, and Landrover!) And of course, Citroen. The Citroen Garage is less than a mile from my house, the rest are 20 to 30 miles away. Add to that the fact that the guys in our dealership are as sound as they come, both knowledgable and helpful and it's no contest really! :blink:

[Pelle 79]

I went to my Dealer Thomas & Davies yesterday to see my New C2 VTR and whilst I was there I took a picture of a New C5 Exclusive. Here it is.

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/CE05LDB/Citroen/CK08MMA.jpg

 

Love C5 its so nice:) And i like the metalic look to:)

But how fast is it does anybody know?

 

Regards Pelle 79

[wozza]

Depends on the engine really but between 12.8 and 9.6 seconds 0-60 fastest one is the 2.7 HDI V6.

 

Not meant to be a fast car though meant to be a comfortable cruiser.

[Guest CE05LDB]

Depends on the engine really but between 12.8 and 9.6 seconds 0-60 fastest one is the 2.7 HDI V6.

 

Not meant to be a fast car though meant to be a comfortable cruiser.

 

Id love one if I won the lottory.lol

 

Autotrader had it under the Road Test Section in the Magazine this week and they gave it a good right up.

 

They said there is a 3.0i V6 version like the last C5s but doubt that it will reach the UK. :)

[wozza]

Rather take the diesel lump and get it remapped more power than the petrol then. Better Fuel economy more torque. Not the type of car you thrash down country lanes so the diesel seems a better alternative.

[Guest Colin Hunter]

The only 3 litre petrol V6 lump worth having these days lives in a FORD CAPRI or Reliant Scimitar! (Pre 1972) so you don't have to pay those ROBB1NG B*%$£$^RDS in Downing Street a PENNY! (not in road tax anyway!)

 

Vive La Revolution! BYE BYE GORDON! :)

[CE08LDB]

id have the 3.0i V6 if I won the lottory.lol

[Guest Colin Hunter]

You CAN still get an Autobox Capri 3.0 or a Scimitar (latter for quite silly money) which will both appreciate in value and live in your Garage as a thing of beauty and a joy forevrermore! Unlike modern tin which just costs a fortune!

 

Still think new C5 is worth taking the HIT for though!

 

 

Bye Chaps! :rolleyes:

[Guest C5KJJ]

You CAN still get an Autobox Capri 3.0 or a Scimitar (latter for quite silly money) which will both appreciate in value and live in your Garage as a thing of beauty and a joy forevrermore! Unlike modern tin which just costs a fortune!

 

Still think new C5 is worth taking the HIT for though!

Bye Chaps! :P

 

 

We bought our C5 new in 2001 after a series of Xantias , which i loved .

 

We have clocked up nearly 80,000 miles now ,a lot of it towing a caravan, which it does with aplomb.

 

Having moved to France in 2004 we have got the old girl registered here and she has been fantastic, we have had a few problems, hey who can have a Citroen and not have problems,LOL,!!.

 

Over the past few months we have thought about replacing her!!, we have looked a a few options, the youngest son has an Audi A3 which he raves about, the eldest son in London has a Renault Megane which he says is good.

I know im going on a bit now but we have come to the decision that we love the C5 we have now as much now as we did when we first bought her so we cant justify spending a whole lot of our savings on replacing something we are happy with.

 

I must confess im a bit taken aback at the Citroen ad having to mention the German bit, i think they should stress its long and proud French heritage. :D

[citroeneddie]

Hi C5KJJ

 

My 3 year old C5 was replaced at 105k miles and I was sad to see her go.

 

If yours is running okay, keep her for a while and see how it goes.

 

Great cars, great heritage.

 

BTW, what part of France are you?

 

Regards

 

Eddie

[seefive]

Has anyone seen a new C5 on the road? Anyone seen more than one?

 

I haven't seen a single one in the 3 months since launch (unless you count the odd demonstrator being paraded around)

 

I drive around 250 miles per week, and have made several 100 mile trips up the M1 in that time. Not a single new C5 have I seen.. Strange.