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CarsGuide team
28 Nov 2004
3 min read

Side mirrors fold out and the car's self-levelling suspension system takes over, lowering the car for faster highway driving or raising it for rougher roads.

Open the boot and the rear end lifts up – ready for all that shopping.

This is an intelligent car. And what manners!

When it gets dark or you drive into a car park or tunnel, the lights come on automatically.

If it rains, the windscreen wipers start swishing – automatically.

And when the wipers start, the windows go up – automatically.

So...when turning into a dark car park, if you flick the windscreen wipers on instead of the indicator (because they're on the opposite side of the wheel to what you're used to) and the lights turn on and windows go up, don't panic (like I did). It's just doing what it does – automatically.

A smooth operator is the C5.

Handsome, trim body (not too long or bulky), smartly dressed in soft leather, well appointed and easy to manipulate, er, manoeuvre. Tactful too – no bells and whistles when you do something wrong. Just a gentle reminder on the dash when you forget to buckle up.

You'll come face to face with some stunning French features, such as the good-looking dash, nifty compartments that fold away into the dash and door trims, armrests that stop where you want them to and even cup holders that double as gadget gatherers.

But when will designers get the hint that the plastic fake wood trim they insist on using to mark a top-of-the-range model looks just like, well, plastic fake wood trim? Ugh.

The C5 wagon is family oriented. Lots of room in the back for children, and the rear seats split 60/40 or fold down completely to fit longer, larger loads.

A cargo net stops anything stored in the back from ending up in the front, and another net stops items from rolling around the huge space. There's even a pull-out cover to make whatever you do have in the back look neat.

The back armrest folds down and opens to a peep hole – perfect size for a petite pooch to fit through.

As far as the ride goes, it's a little "clunky" and indecisive at low speeds. . But put your foot down and the C5's turbo kicks in and really performs . . . and it doesn't drink too much (half a tank will cover about 700km).

A tip: make sure to read up on the manual for this model. There are more buttons than you can poke your finger at and more features than you can possibly hope to fumble your way through in a week of test driving.

LOVE IT, LEAVE IT
Citroen C5 HDi
Price: $47,490
Love it:
It does a lot of the thinking for you. Perfect armrest positioning.
Leave it:
The diesel chatter. An English friend thought a London taxi had pulled up in his drive.
Too many levers on the steering wheel.

Citroen C5 2004: HDi

Engine Type Diesel Turbo 4, 2.0L
Fuel Type Diesel
Fuel Efficiency 0.0L/100km (combined)
Seating 5
Price From $5,940 - $8,360
CarsGuide team
The CarsGuide team of car experts is made up of a diverse array of journalists, with combined experience that well and truly exceeds a century.  We live with the cars we test, weaving them into our family lives to highlight any strenghts and weaknesses to help you make the right choice when buying a new or used car.  We also specialise in adventure to help you get off the beaten track and into the great outdoors, along with utes and commercial vehicles, performance cars and motorsport to cover all ends of the automotive spectrum.  Tune in for our weekly podcast to get to know the personalities behind the team, or click on a byline to learn more about any of our authors. 
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