Home - Automobile Reviews - French Carmaker Citroen Breathes New Life into Midsize C5


French Carmaker Citroen Breathes New Life into Midsize C5



The C5 is an important car to the Citroen, not because midsize sedans are its passion, but because it's a segment that the brand has yet to crack. While the outgoing C5 improved on its predecessor, the Xantia, in different ways, it wasn't the success that Citroen wanted it to be. It didn't sell like the Opel Vauxhall or the Ford Mondeo. In fact, in its latter days, it sort of became a fleet specialty. A nice-ish car, but one you wouldn't necessarily want to call your own.

As Ford has proven with the new generation of Mondeo, despite the odds against the dying European, non-premium midsize sedan market, creative and appealing design combined with solid engineering can turn the tables. Since Citroen doesn't want to be remembered in the history books by the outgoing C5, design is precisely where Citroen has started with the new C5. You can see that the C5 mimics a lot of the design elements of the shocking C6 ultra-luxury sedan, specifically the shape of the roof and the beltline. Otherwise, the car shares a lot of its design with the C-Airscape Concept that was shown recently at Frankfurt, complete with the wraparound headlamps and dual chevron extended grille. It might not be the car you picture when beauty is mentioned, but it's sophisticated and rather smart looking.

As usual, Citroen has been its usual inventive self and has stuck to its guns regarding its Hydractive hydropneumatic suspension on upper level models. This third-generation setup keeps the body flat during cornering and offers various levels of stiffness according to the road's surface and speed. Distinctive body and fancy suspension aside, it shares the engine range with its genetic partner, the Peugeot 407. Admittedly, there really isn't a motor offered that might cause the heart of a car enthusiast to throb. Entry level cars come with power ratings we're more used to seeing on compact and subcompact cars, ranging from lowly 1.8 liters to the range-topping 3.0-liter V6 with 211 horsepower. The diesel range is slightly more exciting, with the range-topping twin-turbocharged 2.7-liter V6 diesel capping things off with 204 horsepower and 330 lb-ft of torque.

The interior reveals that the C5 is a highly advanced and technologically chocked machine. Take a look at the steering wheel and the center console, which are just jammed with all sorts of buttons switches and knobs. It might not possess the same shockingly beautiful cabin as the C6, but you can't argue that it isn't interesting. In terms of space, Citroen sedans are fairly generous and the C5 is no exception to this rule.
Page:  1  2

ADD TO:
Digg
Del.icio.us
Google
Blink
Furl
Simpy
Spurl
Y! MyWeb

Add to Technorati Favorites

Your Comments
Enter review title
 Choose a star rating
 Type in your review
Your Name (optional)
 Your Email (optional)


Relatd Vehicle Listings
User Tools
Discuss in our Forums
Photos of Citroen C5
Print this Auto News
Email this Auto News
NEW Citroen PRICE QUOTE
Get a FREE, No-Obligation Internet Price Quote for Citroen !
Find Citroen Dealer | Search Auto Listings for Citroen



Acura   Audi   Bentley   BMW   Buick   Cadillac   Chevrolet   Chrysler   Daewoo   Dodge   Eagle   Ferrari   Ford   Geo   GMC   Honda   Hummer   Hyundai   Infiniti   Isuzu   Jaguar   Jeep   Kia   Lamborghini   Lexus   Lincoln   Lotus   Maserati   Mazda   Mercedes-Benz   Mercury   MINI   Mitsubishi   Nissan   Oldsmobile   Plymouth   Pontiac   Porsche   Saab   Saturn   Scion   Subaru   Suzuki   Toyota   Volkswagen   Volvo