Citroen C5 2.0 HDi SX Hatch Review

Good Points
Spacious, economical, reliable, comfortable and cheap to buy and run.

Bad Points
No wash wipe for the rear tailgate which was a definite oversight by Citroen accountants. The interior is wearing a bit in places and the suspension height buttons should be located somewhere they can't be knocked by accident (or by small fingers).

General Comments
I have been watching and waiting for HDi SX Citroen C5's to drop to the £3000 mark and my 01 plate car (2001) cost me a shade over that on Ebay. It had done 97k miles and this was August 2005.



I know Citroens inside out and have run them (11 in all) since 1991 including BX (4), ZX(1), Xantias (5) and now the C5. Prior to that I had 40 cars from Land Rovers to MGs and I have always worked on my own cars, including nut and bolt rebuilds of classics. I currently own two Xantias (a 1995 - 200k miles and still A1, and a 2001 estate - 136k miles and perfect) and the C5.



The C5 is the smoothest Citroen I've owned - in fact the smoothest car I've owned or ridden in (including Jensen, Bentley, Mercedes and Rolls Royce cars). This is a passengers friend and despite being a high mileage cheapy car it performs very well all round and looks much more modern than German cars who's designers appear to be stuck in the 1990s.



All of the gadgets and gizzmos work properly (as they have in every Citroen I have owned, apart from the ZX which lost its rear demister) and the car rides quietly and without any drama.



The rain sensing wipers and lights work fine and as far as I can see the only thing that is going to bug me in the future is changing the headlamp bulbs as everything else is pretty much the same as the Xantia.



The car is much bigger on the inside than the Xantia and the screen is further away. In the back the kids have much more leg room - I would estimate that an extra 30 cms of knee space has been freed up over the Xantia, more like the XM in size. The fabrics are comfortable and the car has loads of useful cubby holes and trays (e.g. under the seats).



The ceiling is also much higher and with the sunroof (a work of genius with 20 different settings plus autoclosure) it is a bright and family friendly interior, almost as big as an MPV I would say. The digital aircon is very good and allows you to split between left and right (different temperatures).



The dash and controls are very well laid out although the steering wheel should adjust for reach as well as rake and I haven't found a lever for that yet. The one interior bug bear is the height control buttons that are easy to knock or drop things onto



Eight air bags and thicker A and C pillars make the C5 feels much safer than the Xantia. With ESP and a bigger, stronger shell it actually is much safer too according to NCAP. In fact it is rated as safer than any other car if you take into account pedestrian safety too!



Performance is what you expect from a diesel with slightly more pep than my Xantia HDi in the mid range but slightly less go from the standing start. This is probably just down to a difference in gearing although the wheels are the same size on both cars and the drive train identical.



Pushing on the car does not feel as competent around the corners as the Xantia Estate - there is no 'sport' button on my car - but it still sticks like glue and just rolls slightly more mid corner, probably due to the slightly softer suspension.



It always inspires confidence and it is only when you 'explore the envelope' you feel as though there is a slight yaw half way through a corner. Suffice to say the C5 is not designed to be driven like a TVR. If you want a track day car get a Caterham, if you want a passenger car, get a C5. These cars are so cheap you should have enough change for that R500!



Driving hard drops the economy down to a 22mpg average (yes I know, but that is going quite fast at peak revs and keeping pace with much 'sportier' vehicles) and if I cruise for an hour at 1200 rpm in top I can get that out to 75 mpg.



Using the torque of the engine and not exceeding 2000 rpm means you can easily keep up with the traffic and still get 65 mpg - such is the flexibility of the HDi engine.



I like almost everything about this car and even the looks, which I hated in 2001 when I first saw them rolling round Slough, have mellowed. All manufacturers in this sector now seem to have gone for the high swept lamps and sharp back end.



Inside the car is wearing a little. Specifically the door handles have a nasty plastic coating that is peeling off and the carpet attached to the back seats (load space when folded) has completely detatched with one panel of carpet missing. Apart from that the seats are perfect and all the other plastics are fine, even those that have a painted finish (silver effect) are not worn.



There are a couple of rub marks on the headlining, probably where boxes have been shoved in - but this is a family hack, not a concours queen and it will last us five years and provide cheap, comfortable and safe motoring. My wife finds the car easy to drive and is also impressed with the whole vehicle.



Externally the car has few stone chips despite the mileage and my only criticism is the black rubber surrounding the door window frame has ruptured and is showing rusty metal.



It may have been split at some time but the steel beneath should have been treated at the factory. This is a minor issue and can probably be fixed for a fiver when more of these cars start to hit the scrap yard.



The alloys are easy to clean although easily kerbed and I may fit a wider section tyre than the 195s that are currently fitted to see if the handling improves.



I've marked the car reliability high because I have confidence it and it's technology. I know people who have had them from new with zero faults and I know that Citroens that are cared for properly are 100% reliable.



Be aware though that I have only owned the car for two months. I will update my review with any problems I encounter along the way.