Car test

    Citroen C5 1.6 THP 155

Next in line was one of our favourites, the large French beast that is the Citroen C5. We have tested it before, a 2-litre diesel, which we found to be both true to the spirit of previous big Citroens (comfy, fast, effortless, beautiful) and also, crucially, right up there when it comes to contemporary standards of fit, finish and handling. Indeed, no car today, with the exception of the Jaguar XF, combines limousine ride and elegant handling quite like the big C5.

But this was a paltry 1.6 litre engine. Insane. There had been much laughter at the idea of putting such a tiny engine into such a large car – some wit on the team referred to it as David in Goliath. Turns out he wasn’t far off the mark – the proverbial Napoleon slingshot. What a revelation! The sublime little 1.6 intercooled turbo, allied to the seamless power train of the 6-speed autobox, is not simply adequate for the job, but downright fast. That’s right, fast. In any gear, at any speed, indecently fast. As one tester noted, ‘this has to be THE sleeper car of the past two years’.

The secret is in that BMW/PSA gem of an engine also seeing service in the MINI Cooper S, the Peugeot RC-Z and the DS3. It boasts an unspectacular 116kW but a much more revelatory 240Nm of torque. That’s good for a 0 – 100km/hr time of under 10 seconds, a top speed of 210km/hr and consumption of 7.5l/100km, as measured. Impressive figures indeed for a full luxury car weighing in at 1500kg.

Such was the revelatory nature of the car that the few niggles almost slipped past. But not quite. No drinks holders, difficult to sit in if you’re tall, we’re still not entirely convinced about that fixed steering boss (it eats thumbs and the horn buttons are woefully small), and, perhaps more worrying, not as cheap as we’d hoped. Even though at R304 000 it’s R24 000 cheaper than a base model Audi A4 (which is smaller and has a whole lot less standard kit), that’s a lot for a 1.6 Frenchie still trying to win over the locals. Our suggestion is to claim a demo and bargain hard. Do that and you’ll have one of the most accomplished motors on the road today.    

QUICK LOOK

Citroen C5 1.6 THP 155

Price: R304 000

CO2 Emission:169 g/km

Warranty: 3 years 100 000km

Service Plan: 5 years 100 000km