Click on Citroën UK’s C5 website and you’ll discover an interactive quiz that’s designed supposedly to test your knowledge of all things German, such as the nationality of Mozart, the origins of German measles and so on.
Why? Because Citroën is desperate for us to believe the new C5 is a quality product, one that’s Teutonic in style but with the feel and emotion of a French car. It’s a weird-sounding mixture which, in practice, isn’t without appeal. It might just work for Citroën.
The latest C5 is a class act beneath the skin, taking most of its cues from the excellent (and far more expensive) C6. Base versions get the more conventional steel suspension system, but this 2.2-litre VTR+ model gets the full Hydractive 3 self-levelling suspension, which works in conjunction with the basic set-up of double wishbones (front) and multi-link (rear) to deliver the traditional magic carpet Citroën ride quality.
Power in this instance comes from the familiar 171bhp/273lb ft 2.2-litre HDi engine that does service throughout much of the PSA range, and it reaches the road via a conventional six-speed manual gearbox through the front wheels.
Citroën is especially proud of the C5’s safety achievements, citing a five-star NCAP rating and the option of its clever lane sensing system as the two major results. Either way, the C5 is clearly one of the safer cars in which to transport your family.
The part-German, part-Gallic design theme continues inside. On the one hand it feels impossibly French, with its fixed steering wheel hub and wand-like gearlever, but on the other hand there is clearly a sense of Teutonic quality to the way the centre console looks, feels and functions.