This is my third Citroen, the other two being a BX TD Estate, and a Xantia TD estate. I have no hesitation at all in saying that this is the best car I have ever owned. There is something about it which just shouts 'Drive ME!'. As soon as you get in, you feel at home. The further you travel, the more comfortable it seems. We take our holidays in the South of France, and tow a trailer camper. In my last car (Xantia), the towing was pretty good until you came to a hill (and there are some hills in the middle of France, believe me). Then, the car would climb any hill, but slowly. The TD has plenty of torque but not much raw power. The C5 2.2 HDi is completely different. Set the cruise control at 75, and just sit back and steer. When it comes to a hill, it will accelerate to 75 and stay there. I have not yet found a hill where I couldn't accelerate up whilst towing the trailer - Fantastic. Fuel consumption when towing is around 30 - 33 depending on the speed you set. Stick below 70 and you'll get 33+. Over 70 and it will drop, but rarely below 30. Without the trailer, it will return 40 - 47. It's a very comfortable car to drive. I mostly do short journeys, but on holiday have driven from the South of France to southern UK in a day, and still felt comfortable - tired, but comfortable. The boot is HUGE, and will take most of the family's luggage (well, I have 2 girls and a wife so you'd never expect to get it all in). The suspension will cope with most loads. Last night I loaded it with around 200Kg of goods from the cash and carry, and then couldn't even tell they were in there when driving home. I like the way you can raise/lower the rear suspension to facilitate connecting to the trailer - really neat. Niggles? Well, I have had a supension sphere seal go, but that is the only fault so far (3 years). What I would like to see Citroen fix, is the air dynamics around the rear of the car. As soon as it starts raining, the rear wheels kick up a lot of spray which lands on the rear window, and unfortunately, the wipe time of the rear wiper is very slow, you rear visibility is poor in the wet. Funny, because on the Citroen BX it was the opposite. The rear window stayed dry in the rain, so the airflow must have been different. Anyhow, in summary, I am thoroughly pleased with my car, and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone. Happy motoring.
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Sounds liek a good car. Welcome to Ciao, I hope you enjoy it here!
mr.blue.sky 21.12.2004 22:29
Hello , welcome to Ciao , good review on this vehicle, ...but dont ever put the wrong fuel in it , cos the dealer will stich you out of a fortune !!.... T.
ray52 21.12.2004 21:51
Hi and a warm welcome to ciao. A good first review. I hope you enjoy the ciao experience. Ray
Advantages: Fast, huge carrying capacity, comfortable long range cruiser Disadvantages: Has a recurring dangerous sensor fault that no one knows how to fix
ITS_IN_THE_DETAIL 01.04.2008 (01.04.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Citroen C5 2.2 HDi
Advantages: Gorgeous to drive and travel in. Comfortable, practical and capacious and dripping with gadgets. Disadvantages: Not a car for the DIYer. No Haynes manual. Expensive to service and rear brakes dreadfully designed.
Dec 21st, 2004
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