Citroen C5 Tourer test drive since 2008

Cosmopolitan or German Bifstek from French cooks

To lose the battle in order to win the war such tactics has long become a textbook. Citroen decided, it seems, to do the opposite: to lose the war between the original French and conservative German approach to design and the consumer properties of the car in order to try to win a specific battle for strong positions, if not leadership in the D. segment.
 
Nobody expected this. In the midst of the redistribution of the segment D (in terms of mass models) between the new Ford Mondeo, Mazda6 and Renault Laguna its rights to the role, if not a leader, then an equal opponent, unexpectedly presented Citroen C5. Venerable order. And with all her appearance, as if to say: Guten Morgen, Mine Libe Damen Und Herren! Yes, in the purest German, only with a slight French accent.
 
And I am not at all by chance and by no means because of creative exhaustion turned in the subtitle all to the same culinary topic that I used in the last motor number in relation to the new Renault Laguna. This time is still more serious. A visual confirmation of this is the advertising video removed for the Western European market: in it, in the direction of the movement of a car, typical Aryans, alps, typical locks and villages, various Teutonic symbols, puffy Froilyain, beer with fried sausages, a trail pointer with the inscription Berlin, Brandenburg Gate and the inscription Only at the very end, a close -up of a double chevron, decorating the nose of a car, follow in a close -up, followed by the credits: the new Citroen C5. Made in France. Unmistakably German.
What happened? Citroen secretly captured the Germans? No, everything is much simpler: the French after many years of rather barren struggle for stylistic identity found the courage to give up principles and start playing according to the rules that the closest competitors dictate. And these rules, in turn, are based on the tastes and requirements of customers, according to which the Class D car should have an attractive, but conservative design. The former C5 was too extravagant. Having producing a stunning first impression, his design, upon subsequent consideration, seemed more controversial, and his bizarre was quickly bored, which further exacerbated the reduction in the cost of this car when selling in the secondary market. As a result, out of approximately 300 thousand of the class D cars, only 10 thousand were sold in Europe annually in Europe. I myself at one time, carried away at first by his appearance, nevertheless cooled very quickly, changed my mind and acquired another, less extravagant German, again a car
 
The French have learned this lesson tightly: when you see a new C5 in front of them, it is only Citroen in front of it is accurately recognized, but the side, depending on the perspective, is the Audi, then BMW, of course, is not about direct borrowings and quotes, but the desire of designers It is obvious to make this car among strangers, and it does not hide at the official level and, if you return to culinary comparisons, it is by no means just a solid, but an ordinary beiftex, which are served in the beer on the corner of the two fines. This is an excellent German beiftex with an exquisite taste, prepared by the best French cooks according to all the rules of high kitchen! What is only the branded Citroenoval seasoning in the form of a concave rear window, familiar from the classic CX and recent C6. The design of the new C5 generally successfully used stylistics, tested by a couple of years earlier on the flagship C6, and the platform is the same, but the younger brother is more proportional, it looks more organic and not so much a throw as really beautiful.
 
As well as competing cars listed at the beginning of the material, the new C5 is seriously advancing on the heels of the premium models, therefore, not only more solid on the outside, but also is perceived more likely as a slightly shortened C6 than an elongated classmate, a suboplatform and a direct relative PEUGEOT 407. In comparison with the previous model, the car became 40 mm longer, 30 mm lower, and its base increased by 60 mm, which made the interior noticeably more spacious. And at the same time, contrary to the current trend (which was reflected in the same new Renault Laguna) turned from a hatchback into a classic sedan.
The salon of the new C5 without much exaggeration can be called a kingdom, if not luxury, then precisely excellent German quality. There is no place for cheap hard plastic, all panels are noble in appearance and soft to the touch. The high-tech-style decorative decoration also looks no less beautiful and solid than elements made of natural matte wood, decorating the Laguna salon, and even more attractive and appropriately cheaply imitation of wood in the top version of Mondeo. One of the most annoying in the previous version of the car was a bizarre two -humpal front panel, reprising arched lines. The front panel of the new C5, on the contrary, makes the most favorable impression, and a strict and well -readable combination of devices with perimetric arrows again causes associations with the products of the German automobile industry this time, perhaps, Mercedes brand.
 
At the same time, despite all this Germanism, you know for sure that you are sitting at the wheel of a Citroen car: this is precisely the steering wheel of an unusual design, already familiar from the new C4 and C4 Picasso with a motionless hub. The seats, depending on the version, can be either in sytrene familiarly soft or harder. In general, they are good, but aroused the narrowness of the back, which is why the side ribs significantly made themselves felt throughout the trip. This is all the more strange, since comfort is one of the trump cards in the Citroen deck, and these cars are not designed for thin young men, but, as a rule, for mature husbands with fairly wide backs. And here it is not even the joy of the massage function, which is provided for seats with electric drives of adjustments.
The new C5 is offered with a very wide range of engines of three gasoline, from a 1.8-liter 127-horsepower to a 3-liter 215-horsepower, and four diesel, from a 2-liter 110-horsepower to a 2.8-liter capacity of 208 hp . (joint development with Ford, well acquainted with Jaguar and Land Rover), and diesel versions will also be delivered to Russia. But perhaps the most revolutionary (or anti -revolutionary, if you like) a feature of the C5 sample of 2008 is a rejection of the classical hydropneumatic suspension for Citroen, the history of which has already half a century, in favor of a traditional spring! The reason is obvious: with all the remarkable properties of hydropneumatics, the complexity and the high cost of its service also did not contribute to the growth of sales (in particular, in Russia), and the Citroenovites came to a reasonable decision better and better.
 
At all, they did not refuse their classics at all: C5 can be taken with both the new spring and hydropneumatic suspension of the latest generation Hydractive 3 Plus. It is assumed that more expensive versions with hydropneumatics will be in demand by adherents of one of the long -standing admirers of the brand, while more affordable versions on the springs will please owners of corporate parks and rental companies, as well as attract new, oriented to traditional decisions of customers. In a conversation at dinner, the representative of Citroen, who is responsible for the Eastern European market sector, explained that the distribution of demand on the version with a particular suspension is expected about 50:50. Although, if the spring version from Citroen will like the people to their liking, this ratio can quite noticeably change in favor of this particular option, and if the game costs a candle, then in the future a complete rejection of hydropneumatics is possible: profit is more expensive than exotic family values.
 
Nevertheless, paying tribute to these very values, the first to the test I choose a version with a hydraulic suspension and an optimal two -liter power unit with a capacity of 143 hp. In combination with an automatic transmission. The fact that the suspension is hydropneumatic is indicated by a small elegant bracket of automatic parking brake instead of the usual handbrake on the central tunnel. It itself turns on when the engine is turned off, regulates the force required to keep the car in place and turns off at the time the driver presses on the accelerator pedal. He helps to start calmly and confidently on the slope at an angle of more than 3, holding the car in place for 2 seconds. On the move, the hydropneumatic C5 is typically liabaking soft, the habits of the chassis are insinuated, it swallows any irregularities of the coating, and it seems that the car does not drive along the asphalt, but is not floating on the water, even on some kind of sour surface. However, there is also a typical uncertainty in behavior when passing turns, the reaction of the steering wheel with a very adequate effort is sorted out as if all the same jelly. The steering wheel did not seem convenient either. Its innovative design does not cause complaints: it is very convenient when all control keys remain in place with the hub, and do not rotate in one direction or the other. You must admit that few people will be in their heads or desperately need to urgently turn on another radio station or increase the volume of the audio system at the moment when the steering wheel in the bend is only confused with the tips. But when all the buttons are constantly on the spot, this is much more convenient. But here is the diameter of the steering wheel, probably dictated, just with a fixed hub with a fixed hub, so that the fingers when rotating behind its edges did not hurt), it seemed excessive, which further exacerbates the deficiency of the interactiveness of control, its transparency and response. Moreover, automatic tightening of the suspension when passing fast turns does not particularly change the situation.
 
The inclusion of a special Sport mode button slightly improves the situation, providing more freedom to the active driver, however, the cost of slurred in behavior at low speeds. To top it off, the car generally gives the impression of heavyweight with an insufficiently developed muscles of acceleration and acceleration is given to it with visible stress. And the point here is not at all in unnecessary in comparison with the previous model of 6070 kg of weight due to additional safety means. What is the bad engine? Also not, it is quite good. It's all about an anachronic four -band machine, which spoils the whole picture, especially in combination with hydropneumatics (although a new six -speed automatic transmission is installed on more powerful and expensive versions).
 
The mechanical gearbox completely changes this picture even in combination with the same motor, and even with Biturbodiesel, not even the most powerful, and in version with the spring suspension C5 is completely transformed. This is a completely different car! It seems to lose its weight and acquires almost ballet lightness, acceleration becomes assertive, intense, not from under the stick, the accelerator reaction acquire pleasant liveliness, and transfers switch clearly and easily.
 
As for the spring suspension, although the designers tried to give it a proprietary Citroen softness, and this is noticeable, but, of course, the exceptional smoothness of the course that hydropneumatics ensures, you no longer feel, when moving on an uneven road, the machine behaves more nervously on an uneven road And it regularly informs your fifth point about the defects of the coating, but all this is redeemed by a much clearer sensation of the road, much greater interactiveness and transparency of control. Perhaps the spring C5 is more like habits and balancing not to itself the previous one, but to Peugeot 407 with a slightly softer move: the car keeps the road as confident, and its front wheels do not seek to live some kind of life. In general, in this version the new C5 and on the go shows its German character. And the same applies to sound insulation, the work of the climatic and multimedia systems at the highest level.
Separately, it is worth saying about the brakes: they are distinguished by a rather progressive algorithm of action, however, fortunately, do not lead to such an exhausting twig as in the case of C4.
 
Already after the completion of the official test drive program, which took place in the vicinity of Lisbon, I took a private business voyage at the wheel of this C5 I liked (there are so successful cars that I don’t want to part with them!) According to the Portuguese capital well known to me, Including its very close historical center, and as a result, I was satisfied with the new five from Citroen even more, evaluating the convenience of additional devices such as the system of warning about leaving the row and a meter for parking (like C4 Picasso). On the accompanying test drive, the C5 presentation was also shown in the station wagon version, which, due to its beauty and elegance, does not dare to call the shed jargon word. Among the most remarkable elements of its external design, the rear lights, reminiscent of a boomerang, and metal molding, stretched along the upper edge of the doors and unexpectedly breaking off under the rear stand, which gives the car a more air and dynamic appearance. From the mechanical filling, the optional function of automatic opening/closing the trunk door by means of keys, the function of memorizing the angle of the angle of this door (with a low ceiling in the garage, for example) and the lamp of the trunk backlight, which can be removed and used as a portable lamp.
 
Sales of the new C5 will start very soon, no later than May, and there is every reason to believe that, unlike food products, a genetic modification that turned him from a Frenchman into a German will only benefit in terms of popularity.
 
Boris Muradov
 

Source: Motor magazine [April 2008]