Faults:

No problems to date. After a recent fast 1000km trip from Queensland the lcd displayed `anti-pollution fault' and recommended I get a Service - however the fault reading disappeared the next time I started the car and hasn't reappeared.

General Comments:

This is a great grand tourer, particularly for long trips on Australia's woeful highways. The 2.0 litre manual is a dream to drive, plenty of power for overtaking at speeds of 110km plus, and extremely comfortable for all passengers, front and back. Magic carpet ride - the car seems to float on air. While not concentrating once, the speed crept up to 140km/hr on a highway trip and there was still plenty of power left to go.

Steering is direct and provides good feel. Handles corners superbly, especially when the suspension is set on Sport mode.

The only time this car lost its composure was once on a very badly corrugated, unsealed road at 80km when I sensed I wasn't in complete control of where it was going, but lift off the accelerator fixed that immediately.

The engine idles a bit roughly occasionally, but I am told that is normal for this engine, which is also in the Peugeot 406.

Around the city, the manual shift seems a bit sluggish around first and second gear, but from 3rd up, it is a smooth, accurate and predictable shift.

Averaging 8 litres/100kms on highways and 10 litres/100kms around town.

So far I am delighted with this very stylish, sophisticated and roomy beauty.

Faults:

The following list does not include the saga involving the coding of keys.

First the squeaking wipers, blades replaced twice, but problem persisted; actual cause was movement of washer where wiper shaft fit bodywork. When I found out I told them for future reference.

Oil leak at front of engine, problem was identified, but there was a 2 week wait for component. After the new part was fit they did not clean the oil from the engine or from the main wiring harness. or the oily hand-print on the car interior.

Two weeks later the same oil leak, they had replaced the part the oil was leaking on to, not the part the oil was leaking from. Another 2 week wait for a part. I advised them that the engine and the main wiring harness were covered in oil, but they did not clean it properly and in the end I did it myself.

ABS safety recall, 2 days spent in garage, back next day as they had not fit the front bumper correctly.

Cooling fan relay replaced as cooling fan would not switch off, I had earlier suggested there was a problem when the cooling fan came on mid winter during heavy rain, but was told it was normal.

Handbrake recall. No surprise there, as the car had on occasions followed me down the drive. When the car was returned they had removed all slack from the handbrake so that only Charles Atlas could reach the first click. On the next visit, see below, I asked them to adjust it correctly. They adjusted it so it was even tighter. After a heated discussion and watching the well built mechanic struggle to apply the handbrake they allowed me 2 clicks on the handbrake. When I pointed out that the new car in the showroom worked OK they said that it would be modified when sold. Apparently what you see is not what you get.

The currently unresolved problem is the dancing suspension. On occasions, when the car is stopped and the engine switched off, the front of the car goes up, then down, then up, then down repeatedly. Quite amusing to watch an empty car dancing, not so funny when you are in it and not funny at all when you realize that when you go back to the car the battery may be flat. Last Thursday they fitted a new part to resolve this. On Saturday evening it did it again. So its back to the garage again in 2 weeks, but the will reset my keys when its in.

To add injury to insult, when putting petrol in the Xsara Picasso courtesy car (a regular annoyance) I opened the door not realizing that the door is a lot higher than the C5. Back the garage to buy paper hankies to stem the flowing blood. I now have a visual scar to match the emotional scars left behind by Citroen.

General Comments:

It is an excellent car to drive with plenty of power yet is very economical to run.

It is extremely comfortable with bags of room in the boot for all of your golf gear and plenty of room inside for passengers.

It is packed full of features, too many to mention, it even has an alloy as a spare.

Its just a shame it spends so much time back at the dealers.