2004 Citroen C5 VTR review from UK and Ireland

Nothing, as yet.

I have recently taken delivery of a C5 2.2 HDI VTR.

Good points.

First impressions, extremely comfortable, notably quick and refined and an all round great drive.

Masses of torque at low revs.

6 gears. If I could remember that at 95 MPH on the M6 that would be great.

Fantastic aircon, adjustable for passengers too.

Lots of gadgets.

Big windmill (Turbo). It generates a reassuring whoosh on acceleration, akin to my old Escort R.S. Turbo of years gone by.

A boot that swallowed all the rubbish from my 307 and more. In fact, I think I can fit the entire contents of my house in there.

Bad points.

A lots of cheap looking,gleaming plastic in the interior.

It could have had sportier seats, it's a VTR for goodness sake.

Alloy wheels are too small, 16". Should be at least 18" with skinny tyres.

It is heavy on fuel for a diesel, 30mpg at present. (The trip computer helps to find this out. Also, this was tested after 6th gear had been selected)

May have too many gadgets. You need a degree in aerospace engineering to operate them all.

Summary.

I was a little worried about buying a Citroen. I had always classed it as Peugeot's poor relation. However, after owning 5 Peugeots in the last 6 years, 2 306's, 2 206's and a 307, I can confirm that at present, it seems that this citroen is certainly not a poor relation. The discount I got on this car was bordering on the ridiculous. I could have bought a 307 2.0 HDI Style for this price, with virtually no gadgets. Hence my decision to try Citroen.

I hope that this latest buy will serve me for longer than the previous cars, I'm currently looking at 3-4 years.

In short - Buy one, it's cheap as chips.