2.0 HDi 16v Exclusive Saloon

Very comfortable, quiet, much improved build quality

I've now done over 26,000 miles in this car. Compared with my previous C5 (the 2001 model), this one has far better build quality, is even quieter, and is more comfortable. Driving long distances is a joy. I average about 42 mpg on a mixture of long and short runs over the year, with climate control on all the time. I was a bit worried about the smaller boot and the fact that it's a saloon not a hatchback. But in practice it hasn't made any difference to the amount of wine I can bring back on my return from French holidays, which was my main concern. The lack of decent pockets on the back of the front seats and in the doors is a permanent nuisance, however, as is the fact that there is no indication of how much screen washer fluid is left. The metallic paint is very susceptible to scratching.

The car has been much more reliable than my previous C5, which had to have several small things put right under warranty and afterwards. On this one at 13,500 miles the underbonnet fusebox had to be replaced as warning lights were showing unnecessarily. That's been the only warranty work so far.

I had the front tyres replaced in July this year at 22,000 miles, and the brake pads checked at the same time and no problems reported. Last week at 26,400 miles I noticed a rubbing noise from the rear wheels when braking gently. I had it checked by the dealer immediately, and was amazed to be told that the rear discs and pads needed replacing. Apparently the discs were too corroded for skimming to be effective. I know that discs are a sacrificial item these days but, as the dealer admitted, to have to replace them at 26,400 miles and 21 months is unusually early. However, wear was even on discs and pads on both wheels, so ruling out other causes such as sticking calipers (a fault with the old C5), and meaning that the work was not covered by the warranty. I had the old C5 for over 7 years and 135,000 miles, and the discs only needed replacing once.

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