Test drive Citroen C5 Estate 2001 - 2004 station wagon

Chameleon

Parallel measurement? Judging by the appearance of the black C5, it has all the rights to exist. What an intriguing, what an ambiguous object! You begin to study it in details - it seems to be everydayly andurably, but a provocative look is born from their magical mixture. An extreme degree of individualism with a minimum of damage to the feeling of beauty!

 

The perception of this car is in full depending on the angle from which you look at it: C5 may seem elegant and awkward, both attractive and repulsive. What about the idea itself to mask the hatchback under the sedan? And the Hydractive III suspension, playing the clearance in the range from 90 to 230 mm? Yes, this is a real chameleon, a transformer car! Swallow more cubic meter of cargo, drive along the rut after the SUV? No problem! Well, today C5 will swing to the title of athlete: he brought with him a 210-horsepower V6 paired with mechanics. Intellectual in the image of an action movie? Let's see!

 

The level of equipment of the machine is shocking. Such a set can only be found on German cars with a double digit on the price tag! Impressive safety complex: ESP, emergency braking systems, anti -locks and anti -wings, eight pillows. Hydropneumatics and xenon. A leather salon with wood trim, complete electrification of the front seats, including heating. Separate climate control, CD-resort with a chainer and acoustics JBL. Cruise control, tire pressure sensors, parking, rain. Plus, folding mirrors automatically reconfigure when reversing. The dashboard is dotted with arrows and indicators, displays are visible everywhere, and there are already four switches under the wheel! High technologies, however. Twenty first century! And surprisingly, at this level of technological saturation, C5 manages to be very friendly, homely and comfortable.

 

Now is the question of the day. Will the Citroen Chevron really be a double harpoon, ready to hit opponents? By car with a two -liter engine, we know that C5 is a delicate and graceful car. In everything - in dynamics, in controllability, in smoothness. This is already a generic sign: there is not even a drop of anger, continuous style and elegance! Equally muffled the most powerful Citroeon, or is the primitive instincts not alien to him?

 

At first glance, branded traditions are observed. Long pedals and long gears endow the reaction of the machine with smoothness. An engine with a gas distribution phase change system and the indemnous ignition coils for each cylinder is not impressed by the torque on the bottom, but it spins cheerfully and mischievously, infecting with enthusiasm when traveling abroad of 4,500 rpm. As a result, the car does not tear from the place, imprinting passengers into the seats - the wave of excitement covers later, when the car begins with an incredible desire to respond to each movement of the gas pedal. And the sound of the engine is good!

 

At high speeds, his hoarse baritone causes in memory the famous episode from the film Ronin, in which the six -cylinder XM desperately repelled the attacks of Audi S8. But the handling, which so pleased on a two -liter machine, does not correspond to the temperament of the motor. A steering with a hydraulic power control of a variable action, which is characterized by a sharply progressive return force (the steering wheel seems to twist the spring), no longer provides the desired accuracy of reactions. Yes, and in the turns the car's wagging interferes. However, the Citroenovites would not be Citroenovites, they do not prepare countermeasures - this time in the form of a Sport button on the suspension control unit. With its press, a fair amount of smoothness of the course disappears, and in return, the coveted muscles and composure appear. The rolls are reduced, responses are becoming more clear, confidence in the car is growing, and it becomes much more comfortable to control it in stressful modes.

 

In steep turns, C5 is defiantly stable, its rotation is close to neutral. In many ways, this is the merit of ESP, whose work is completely invisible, because, having turned it off, I immediately received a fair amount of insufficient rotation in the form of a decent demolition of the front axle. I only emphasize that all these nuances are manifested with a strict driving manner, and in more calm modes the Sport button is not observed. And it is difficult to make a claim to the control of the car. Damn it, he knows everything!

 

It’s beautiful to speak, move beautifully, beautifully care for guests. But it is unlikely that C5, even with a six under the hood, can be called a sports sedan sedan, hatchback. With all his skills and skills, he can not be shooting. Sophistication and courtesy are characteristic of him much more than gross power. Therefore, it seems to me that there is no particular need for mechanics. Moreover, the proposed machine has a manual switch mode. So, just in case, if you suddenly want rough power.

 
 

Source: Wheel magazine [No. 66/2003]