Citroen's latest version C5 model is a big car with a lot of character. Very Citroen in its looks and feel. The latter may appear to be a daft statement to anyone who is not into cars, but the French marque founded by Andre Citroen in 1919 has long been famed for doing things in its own inimitable fashion.

There was a mundane period during the 1990s when the company appeared to have lost its way from a styling perspective, but that’s ancient history now, just look at the lines of the new superb new C5 to see what we mean. The phrase “Vive Le Difference” might sound a little trite, but it certainly sums up this car.

In profile the Citroen C5 has a coupe-like swooping roofline that meets a fascinating concave rear window. The latter makes for a big boot lid so the new C5 is a sedan, not a hatchback as in the previous model. European buyers tend to look askance at hatches, feeling they are down-market. Hence the unusual sedan-coupe look of the four-door C5 sedan.

The new C5 also comes as a five-door station wagon, called a Tourer.

This is a big car, significantly up in size to the superseded model. Big brother Citroen C6 is even larger, almost limo-like in its dimensions, thus leaving room in the lineup for an expanded C5. The increase in size means there's plenty of legroom front and rear. This French sedan has plenty of headroom in the front and a reasonable amount in the back given the coupe-style roof. Obviously the rear-seat area of the wagon is taller.

The high, rising waistline does reduce the size of the rear windows and so may hamper the vision of young rear-seat passengers.

The big French car is beautiful to ride in. Smooth, quiet and very comfortable, it really does give the sort of magic carpet feel that Citroen owners have loved for decades.

The C5 is less comfortable on winding roads than on easy paced country trips, but back off a bit and it performs well enough.

We found the steering a little on the light side and it has a slightly odd feel at times as though it’s reluctant to self-centre after turning a corner.

As with others in the range, the Citroen C5 now comes with a fixed-hub steering wheel. The hub remains stationary whilst the steering wheel revolves around it. The fixed steering-wheel hub carries a lot of controls for the audio system, trip computer, cruise control with inbuilt speed limiter, and some ventilation items. These are always in the same position rather than rotating with the steering wheel, so can be located with a minimum of driver distraction.

Because the fixed steering-wheel hub houses the driver’s airbag the ‘bag come out at the same angle every time rather than at an angle dictated by the position of the steering wheel. It also allows the airbag to be shaped for maximum protection.

Instruments are easy to read and the minor controls are laid out in a logical and generally intuitive way. Something that couldn’t always be said about Citroens of years gone by.

Citroen C5 is currently offered in Australia only with diesel engines. A four-cylinder 2.0-litre single turbo that’s been carried over from the previous model and a new 2.7-litre twin-turbo enhances the range. Though previous C5 buyers had shown a strong preference for diesels that situation may not apply at present due to the ridiculously high price of diesel fuel compared to petrol at the moment. Petrol engines are sold in other countries and can be imported to special order to Australia.

Our road test car was the 2.7-litre V6 and we would defy many drivers to know that it isn’t a petrol engine. The only audible clue is the sound of the engine from outside the car at start-up, even then it’s not that noticeable once the engine has reached operating temperature.

On the road there's the usual lag before the engine responds fully to the accelerator pedal, but once that has gone there's plenty of torque and the car has safe overtaking abilities as well as being able to climb steep hills in fourth and fifth gears.

Transmission in all models is six-speed automatic, with top gear being used to squeeze as great a distance out of every drop of fuel as possible.

Typically, the big Citroen turbo-diesel will use only about six to seven litres per hundred kilometres on motorways and on easy-going country trips. Even suburban driving isn’t likely to take the consumption much over nine litres per hundred kilometres. These are impressively low figures for a car loaded with luxury and style.

With its stylish new looks, economical engine, superb ride and luxury features the big Citroen C5 should be somewhere on the short list of anyone looking for an affordable prestige car that’s right out of the ordinary. It really was nice to spend a week in traditional French comfort instead of in a machine with the usual high-tech German efficiency.

AT A GLANCE

MODEL RANGE

C5 2.0 HDI Comfort 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-door sedan: $51,990 (automatic)

C5 2.0 HDI Comfort Tourer 2.0-litre turbo-diesel five-door wagon: $54,990 (automatic)

C5 2.0 HDI Exclusive 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-door sedan: $56,990 (automatic)

C5 2.0 HDI Exclusive Tourer 2.0-litre turbo-diesel five-door wagon: $59,990 (automatic)

C5 2.7 HDI Exclusive 2.7-litre turbo-diesel four-door sedan: $65,490 (automatic)

C5 2.7 HDI Exclusive Tourer 2.7-litre turbo-diesel five-door wagon: $68,490 (automatic)

FEATURES

ABS Brakes: Standard in all models

Air Conditioning: Standard in all models

Automatic Transmission: Standard in all models

CD Player: Standard in all models

Central Locking: Standard in all models

Cruise Control: Standard in all models

Dual Front Airbags: Standard in all models

Front Side Airbags: Standard in all models

Stability Control: Standard in all models

Traction Control: Standard in all models

SPECIFICATIONS (Citroen C5 2.0 HDI Comfort 2.0-litre diesel four-door sedan)

ENGINE:

Capacity: 1.997 litres

Configuration: Four cylinders in line

Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder

Compression Ratio: 17.6:1

Bore/Stroke: 85.0 mm x 88.0 mm

Maximum Power: 100 kW @ 4000 rpm

Maximum Torque: 320 Nm @ 2000 rpm

DRIVELINE:

Driven Wheels: Front

Manual Transmission: Not offered

Automatic Transmission: Six-speed

Final Drive Ratio: NA

DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:

Length: 4778 mm

Wheelbase: 2815 mm

Width (with mirrors): 2096 mm

Height: 1451 mm

Turning Circle: 11.7 metres

Kerb Mass: 1658 kg

Fuel Tank Capacity: 71 litres

Towing Ability: 750 kg (1300 kg with braked trailer)

SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:

Front Suspension: Hydractive 3+, drop link double wishbone

Rear Suspension: Hydractive 3+, multi-link

Front Brakes: Ventilated disc

Rear Brakes: Disc

PERFORMANCE:

0-100 km/h Acceleration: 12.8 seconds

FUEL CONSUMPTION:

Type: Diesel

Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 7.1 L/100km

GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:

Greenhouse Rating: 6.5/10

Air Pollution Rating: 5/10

STANDARD WARRANTY: