Citroen: The quiet French achiever

An impressive car that unfortunately falls under the radar of most Kiwi buyers. Photo / Supplied

The more I drive Citroen's C5, the more impressed I am by it. Yet like its smaller C4 sibling, it must be one of NZ's best-kept automotive secrets. For the French brand has a lower profile here than it now deserves, certainly in the Corolla and Mondeo size brackets.

What could see that change is today's downsizing environment. Execs who want to send an environmentally friendly message are moving out of their super-sized sedans, yet still seek something with an executive flavour.

Something like this C5 is smaller but still spacious; it's Euro-flavour smart; and it uses a lot less fuel.

Citroen advertised this car by alleging how Germanic it is. Forget that - it's still very much a French car. There's the quirky good looks - the way the badge is part of the grille, the complex curve of the rear screen clasped between those subtle buttresses. And there's the ride, which is pure Citroen.

Left in normal mode, that meant mum-in-law-cossetting comfort albeit a tad more body roll than I'd like. Mind you, handling remains predictable and controlled, though I kept it in sport for a firmer response. Firmer, but still compliant - you can throw the car around if you must, but it excels at comfy mile-eating, assisted by an engine character to suit.

Our test car featured a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo diesel mated to a six-speed auto with manual and sport protocols. A particle filter tucked beneath the car burns off most of the nasties before they hit the tailpipe.

This engine's power figure is relatively modest, as is the zero to 100 time. But a diesel's strength is its torque - the shove off the line - and it's that you really feel during daily driving, hauling away from lights, down motorway on-ramps or past slower cars. Power delivery feels strong, impressively smooth and refined, and surprisingly quiet; it's engines like this that blast inaccurate diesel perceptions into the weeds.

Except that its fuel-frugal, of course. Citroen claims 7.1l/100km; I saw 8.1 after several days of hilly semi-rural commuting and almost no highway driving.

Speaking of rural ... I like the buttons to raise and lower the car on its Hydractive hydro-electronic suspension. Potholed drive? Lift the body. Big suitcase to heave over the deep boot lip? Lower it. The C5 drops its own ride height at speed - but the buttons are a great BBQ boasting trick.

As is the plentiful tech. Some of the dash-mounted controls are a bit of a stretch, but all the useful stuff is repeated on the steering wheel.

The car also gets integrated rear window blinds, rear park assist, auto lights and wipers, seven airbags, leather heated seats with massage function - the list goes on and on. This month the entry level price will drop two grand to $59,990 via fabric seats, without the heat and massage still available on the other variants.

Unfortunately, that entry-level car may still lose out to similarly priced and less interesting mainstream opposition because it's off most buyers' radar. Pity.

Citroen C5

We like
Smart, high-tech, well-specced car with refined performance

We don't like
No cupholders

Powertrain
2.0-litre turbo diesel with particulate filter, 100kW at 4000rpm, 340Nm at 2000rpm, six-speed auto drives front wheels

Performance
0-100km/h in 11.8 seconds, 7.1l/100km

Safety
Seven airbags, ABS and ESP

What it's got
Dual zone climate air, auto lights and wipers, heated and massaging leather seats, window blinds, cruise and much more

Vital stats
4779mm long, 439-litre boot, 71-litre tank