Citroën C5 2.0 HDi 136 CV Aut., road test (Part III)

As is customary we now move on to the final part of the road test of the Citroën C5 equipped with the 2.0 HDi engine producing 136 CV and a six-speed automatic gearbox. Overall, we liked its engine, despite its power, since for an automatic gearbox it kept consumption fairly good and, above all, its ride comfort is undoubtedly its best quality (first part of the road test). In the second part of the road test we looked at the C5’s spaciousness and its design.

In this third part of the road test we will look at the prices of the Citroën C5. Bear in mind that the French brand usually offers discounts on its models or one-off campaigns, so it is always worth visiting a dealership, as prices change from one month to the next, for example. Besides prices, we will look at the standard equipment of the C5 in the Exclusive trim and it also had a pack that substantially improved its equipment, making for a very complete car for a little over five million old pesetas.

Equipment

In terms of safety, the Citroën C5 offers the latest advances , fitting as standard, even from the base trim level, items such as ESP, ABS, a retractable pedal system, front fog lights, headlights with cornering light function, front airbags, side airbags, a driver’s knee airbag, and front and rear curtain airbags. In other words, it is a comprehensive standard safety specification starting from €21,190 for the C5 in Business trim (currently the entry-level trim with a petrol engine).

Looking at the Euro NCAP test, the results are very good: it earned the famous five stars in the test. It also scored the maximum rating in the side impact test and a very good score in the frontal impact test, thanks, for example, to its knee airbag. It also earned four stars for child protection.

If we set aside safety equipment and focus on the rest of the equipment, there is a lot to see. From the base trim, the Citroën C5 already comes with an MP3 radio with six speakers, electric and heated mirrors, a Connecting Box (Bluetooth + USB + audio jack), among other features. A trim level that is very complete and maintains a good value-for-money balance is the Premier trim. At this trim level, further items are added, such as Hydractive III suspension (highly recommended), dual-zone air conditioning, automatic headlights and wipers, among others.

Our test car came with the most complete equipment and the Exclusive trim level, which included almost everything as standard. The Exclusive trim adds to the equipment six-way electric seats with memory (they are a delight), a mixed cloth/leather upholstery, boot-area lighting (the detail we mentioned in the second part), door and ambient interior lighting via two LEDs, and some exterior chrome details, among other features. The Exclusive trim is for those who want a C5 fitted with everything, since with the Premier trim and the packs available for navigation, alloy wheels and metallic paint we can already have a fairly well-equipped Citroën C5.

In fact, our C5, besides the Exclusive trim, had the Exclusive Leather Navidrive HIFI Pack (€3,650), which fitted a navigation system with hard drive, leather seats, a premium HIFI sound system, bi-xenon directional headlights (now standard), front and rear parking sensors, and even a lateral parking space gauge (a system that let us measure laterally whether a space was big enough for the car to park) and 18-inch alloy wheels. Of the pack’s features, one could do without the leather and, if not needed, the navigation system.

That said, we must mention a couple of details that caught our attention in the navigation system (the older one), which only accepted a phone card, although the new Navidrive now fitted accepts both (card and Bluetooth). That said, the system even played video and had voice control that worked very well and even read out SMS messages. Another detail we liked about the pack is the system for measuring space in a parking space, which is very practical. So, as you can see, it is very well equipped.

Prices (with discount and taken from the Citroën press release from a few days ago)

The price of the Citroën C5 2.0 HDi 136 CV (now 160 CV) with the six-speed automatic gearbox and the equipment we have mentioned, including the leather and navigation pack, is €35,657, and without the automatic gearbox €33,490. That is not an expensive price considering we are talking about the 160 CV engine (currently the one on offer) and a car equipped to the hilt, including everything I mentioned earlier.

On the other hand, we have a Citroën C5 1.6 HDi 110 CV in Business trim for €21,890 (€21,190 with the petrol engine), and if we want we can also opt for a 2.0 HDi with the 140 CV engine in Exclusive trim and six-speed manual gearbox for €28,540. But, as always when it comes to prices, I recommend you visit a Citroën dealership to get more information and, above all, more up-to-date details.

Overall assessment

As you could see throughout the test, the Citroën C5 has changed, and in a very positive way: it has gained presence and has become an executive saloon with improved design and, as always, a generous amount of equipment. As for its behaviour, the Citroën C5 has a travelling soul; it is very comfortable for long journeys or for those who have to cover a lot of kilometres. It is also a spacious car which, with its pros and cons (especially regarding storage spaces), has very comfortable front and rear seats.

In terms of safety, it is one of the best-equipped mid-size saloons in this respect, even featuring a knee airbag, and its standard equipment from the base trim is very complete. If we want a fully equipped and very complete C5, we won’t break the bank; in fact, our test car came close to six million old pesetas without reaching them (and we felt some things were superfluous, such as the automatic gearbox). So it is a saloon very well balanced in performance, comfort and price.

Versions

C5 1.8i 16v BUSINESS €21,190
C5 THP 155 PREMIER €24,690
C5 3.0i V6 CAS EXCLUSIVE €34,500

C5 HDi 110 FAP BUSINESS €21,890
C5 HDi 110 FAP MILLENIUM €22,940

• C5 HDi 140 FAP BUSINESS €23,340
• C5 HDi 140 FAP MILLENIUM €24,790
• C5 HDi 140 FAP PREMIER €25,140

C5 HDi 140 FAP EXCLUSIVE €28,540

• C5 HDi 160 FAP PREMIER €26,040
• C5 HDi 160 FAP EXCLUSIVE €29,440
• C5 HDi 160 FAP CAS PREMIER €28,040
• C5 HDi 160 FAP CAS EXCLUSIVE €31,440
• C5 V6 HDi 240 FAP CAS EXCLUSIVE €36,300

(New versions with the new 160 CV HDi engine and prices according to the Citroën press release)

• 

  

  

  

  Ver las 8

  
  

Photos

• |

David Taboada