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What do you people think about facelifted Citroen C5 ? (www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=149 Any good ? We all know there were many problems with that limo, but maybe now would be a good time to give it a chance this time around. I\'m for ride comfort, so I guess there would be no other option for that kind of money...
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You might have to get used to the C5 steering, you'll find it hard to understeer as there are massive reserves of grip.
I like the new front end. Very few problems were reported with the 53 plate and newer C5's.
If I had the money, I'd upgrade like a shot.
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You'd upgrade ... ? Hmmm, may I ask from what ?
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You'd upgrade ... ? Hmmm, may I ask from what ?
Isn't the Username a bit of a giveaway?
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You'd upgrade ... ? Hmmm, may I ask from what ? Isn't the Username a bit of a giveaway?
Sure it is, I'm just interested to know what flavour of C5 you'd like to upgrade. You know, SX -> Exclusive etc, that sort of thing ;)
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Well, the UK specs of the revised C5 haven't been published yet, but would want equivalent of the SX spec plus cruise control (which I have added). It would have to be the new 2.0 HDI.
Currently I drive a 2.0 HDI SX 110 chipped closer to 130bhp.
The exclusive seems a lot more money for the extra kit, sat nav is still an extra on the exclusive.
Be honest now, what else that size and comfort can you get for the money? A 407 is more expensive (Citroen discounts will apply in due course I guess) and has a smaller boot. The Mondeo has less space for the driver.
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Be honest now, what else that size and comfort can you get for the money?
That's the question I'm asking myself...
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Well, if I was considering buying a C5 today, I'd look for a 6 month old example and make a huge saving against new price.
Try the 2.0 HDI 110 as it has better economy than the 2.2. Then get it chipped, then you will have the performance of the 2.2 with the economy of the 2.0.
This should be similar in performance and economy to the new 2.0 136 engine. Plus you have the bulletproof reliability of the older HDI engine. Saying that, there is no doubt that the new engine won't be unreliable. If there is one thing that Citroen do better than anyone else, its a diesel engine.
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Does chipping affect the manufacturer's warranty?
Also, are there not suspension differences between the 2.0 HDI and the 2.2 HDI? Is there any noticeable difference in the handling?
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The 2.2HDi does have a number of advantages over the 2.0, but for a diesel it is thirsty. I genuinely struggled to get 40mpg (average about 37mpg) out of mine, my current Mondeo TDCi 130 is faster and is returning 45.5MPG averaged over 3500 miles - I don't do much motorway work so I'm more than happy with that.
The 2.2HDi is silky smooth for a diesel, both at idle and when pressing on thanks largely to its twin balancer shafts. Diesel clatter is almost eliminated. The refinement of the engine masks its performance to a certain extent, but its quite clear its been tuned for refinement rather than performance - the Ford 2.0 TDCi is a better bet if you like to drive fast.
The other advantages of the 2.2 are that the spec of the SX trim cars is increased when the 2.2 is fitted - namely you get Cruise Control and Hydractive 3+ Suspension. HA3+ is much better than HA3 as it uses additional spheres to select between soft and hard rides, and has a Sport button. This means it rides better over rough surfaces at low speeds, but handles much better at speed.
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HA3+ is much better than HA3 as it uses additional spheres to select between soft and hard rides, and has a Sport button. This means it rides better over rough surfaces at low speeds, but handles much better at speed.
They say all facelifted C5s will come with HA3+ as standard no matter what spec etc.
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Well, if I was considering buying a C5 today, I'd look for a 6 month old example and make a huge saving against new price.
Nah, I wouldn't do it. In this case we're talking a major improvement over the Phase-I model not just a simple facelift and you know it.
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Nah, I wouldn't do it. In this case we're talking a major improvement over the Phase-I model not just a simple facelift and you know it.
Yes, there appear to be several improvements, if you can, why not wait til the first demonstrators hit the forecourts? I don't know if discounts will apply from the beginning.
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The design is much better than the existing C5. I always really liked the look of the Xantia but when it came to replacing my Mondeo I didn't consider the C5 past brochure stage because of the looks - the front was all wrong IMO. Probably worth a look when the new one comes out though
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Yes, there appear to be several improvements, if you can, why not wait til the first demonstrators hit the forecourts?
I intend to :)
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Damn, here in Poland they're going to hit the forecourts in January/February. Why ? Because they've got to get rid of the old ones. People here don't trust Citroen, they stick to Avensis and Mondeos so C5s are selling badly. So they postponed the Phase-II and introduced nice discounts for Phase-I, starting from 22%. They even offered me a Phase-I C5 3.0 V6 Exclusive with a 30% discount and I noticed they were actually eager to drop the price even further.
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Just noticed that all New Look C5s come with 215/55 R16 wheels as standard, no matter what engine, spec, etc.
GGggggrrr, I hate those low profiles. Bigger=better ? Or less comfy maybe ?
I remember that 215/55 R16 wheels were originally reserved only for Exclusive (Phase-I) whereas now they seem
to treat all trims with the same brush, if you know what I mean.
What happened to those humble 205/60 R15 comfy balloons ?
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Looking at the tyres on our C5, which are 215/55 R16, I wouldn't classify them as really low profile. They give a comfortable ride in our car anyway.
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My more humble 2.0 HDI phase-one C5 is fitted with 195/65 R 15 which is almost a 4x4 tyre! Although you can drive over anything!
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Right, though I must admit '215' seem somewhat rare. Look at most middle-class cars, Mondeo, Vectra, Laguna, Avensis, they all come with '205'.
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