Mike's C5 110HDi

[Citroenmad]

Well, all I can report is that the car, is of course, exactly as Chris described it, drives spot on and has averaged 44mpg over the 100 miles or so I've done in it down to Hartshead Moor services on the M62.

Very pleased that the car is to your liking Mike

You'll find that when you check the actual MPG that the computer under-reads by around 4/5 MPG. I've always found this and the previous owner also mentioned the same, seems to be a trait of the car. So my guess is its done nearer 50 by that point.

... It's really rather nice and well worth the trip. I particularly like the economy, the cruise that Chris fitted, and the aux audio input lead poking out the rear ashtray.

Only fault I can find is, as is normal, the wheels need balancing. I know Chris tends not to go as fast as I do so won't have noticed.. No big deal, the rest of the car is spot on

It has been my sisters car for the last five years though I did drive it freqently as its always lived here. I do tend to push on in my cars when the time is right but in that C5 I usually sat around 70-80 on motorways. They are centreless wheels, a great design!

Forgot to add, it was valeted this morning and had an oil and filter last week. Amazing value, can't thank Chris enough.

No problem Mike, just thankful that you like it and that its found a good home. Its been one of the best buys I've made and I'm sure it will prove the same for you.

[Northern_Mike]

Well, all I can report is that the car, is of course, exactly as Chris described it, drives spot on and has averaged 44mpg over the 100 miles or so I've done in it down to Hartshead Moor services on the M62.

Very pleased that the car is to your liking Mike

You'll find that when you check the actual MPG that the computer under-reads by around 4/5 MPG. I've always found this and the previous owner also mentioned the same, seems to be a trait of the car. So my guess is its done nearer 50 by that point.

... It's really rather nice and well worth the trip. I particularly like the economy, the cruise that Chris fitted, and the aux audio input lead poking out the rear ashtray.

Only fault I can find is, as is normal, the wheels need balancing. I know Chris tends not to go as fast as I do so won't have noticed.. No big deal, the rest of the car is spot on

It has been my sisters car for the last five years though I did drive it frequently as its always lived here. I do tend to push on in my cars when the time is right but in that C5 I usually sat around 70-80 on motorways. They are centreless wheels, a great design!

They are a rubbish design. Fortunately my local tyre place have had plenty of practise with balancing them They can even balance 3-stud centreless ones (like on the DRK) properly, so I'll whizz down there tomorrow and for a fiver each they can do them all. I ran it up to about 85 and it was clear they could do with balancing. Perfect up until about 75 though

[CitroJim]

Mike, delighted all is good

i've driven that car a while back and my only lasting memory was just how wide it was in comparison to my Xantia. Suitable for obese people in my opinion. Being of a slender (ish) build myself and still young by nature (i like to think so at a sprightly 58 years) i've never really fancied a C5 ... yet, anyways . Old mans motoring ;);)

Mike, indeed, the C5 I find is a lardy old thing and the size of an ocean-going container ship. I'm just like you in build so perhaps we just find those cars too big. I know I was far too small for the XM and two of me could fit on the driver's seat in comfort!

I even find the C1 is wide and big!

I think we tend to forget now that all modern cars are obese to a greater or lesser extent and the Xantia is now, by today's standards, a small car.

I find a Xantia fits me absolutely perfectly. I'm far too little for a C5...

[Hell Razor5543]

Just compare the Mini Sir Alec Issigonis designed and the Mini BMW have produced.

[Northern_Mike]

One is a manky old piece of unreliable dangerous s**t, and the other is a great car, spoilt only by BMWs insistence on calling it a MINI. Anyone who's driven a BMW MINI Cooper will agree they're a great car.

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[Northern_Mike]

Mike, delighted all is good

i've driven that car a while back and my only lasting memory was just how wide it was in comparison to my Xantia. Suitable for obese people in my opinion. Being of a slender (ish) build myself and still young by nature (i like to think so at a sprightly 58 years) i've never really fancied a C5 ... yet, anyways . Old mans motoring ;);)

Mike, indeed, the C5 I find is a lardy old thing and the size of an ocean-going container ship. I'm just like you in build so perhaps we just find those cars too big. I know I was far too small for the XM and two of me could fit on the driver's seat in comfort!

I even find the C1 is wide and big!

I think we tend to forget now that all modern cars are obese to a greater or lesser extent and the Xantia is now, by today's standards, a small car.

I find a Xantia fits me absolutely perfectly. I'm far too little for a C5...

The C5 is 15mm wider and about 29cm longer than a Xantia. It's also a lot safer.

What you're all missing is the fact that the C5 seats, especially in LX or SX style are narrower than Xantia ones... They're more supportive to the lower leg but much narrower around the shoulders and lower back.

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[CitroJim]

I still say the Xantia feels a lot smaller...

What you're all missing is the fact that the C5 seats, especially in LX or SX style are narrower than Xantia ones... They're more supportive to the lower leg but much narrower around the shoulders and lower back.

Like my C1 seats then...

It does make them very comfy...

[Citroenmad]

I still say the Xantia feels a lot smaller...

You're not wrong Jim, it does feel a lot smaller and its quite a bit narrower than a C5 ... I don't think Citroen ever published the width of the original C5 with the mirrors folded out. If you look at early road-tests it was always the width and in brakets "without mirrors" and that figure stuck. It was known that in its day the original C5 was the widest car in its class.

I know that from experience too as if I park two C5s where my Xantias park, another car will not fit beside them ...

I can't compare the C5 to the Xantia as a car, they are both very good in their own way and each very different too. For safety the C5 is still comparable with current cars, its an impressively strong car.

[Northern_Mike]

The C5 handles better than a Xantia (other than an Activa) it has more grip and better brakes. It does feel more lardy though, despite those improvements. It's quieter at motorway speeds too - less wind noise and mine is more economical at the same speed than a Xantia.

The one thing it does have in common with a Xantia is that my wife gets sick when she's a passenger in it.

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[CitroJim]

The one thing it does have in common with a Xantia is that my wife gets sick when she's a passenger in it.

Oh dear Mike, that's a same

Maybe you should let her drive it

[Northern_Mike]

She never got sick in the hydractive Xantias or the Activas. Just the basic ones.

She's already told me she's taking it to huntingdon at the weekend instead of the Berlingo.

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[CitroJim]

My daughter Sian used to suffer travel sickness terribly and my ex really moaned at me when I got my first Xantia. She said it would be terrible for Sian.. My 405 was terrible for her...

It was just the reverse. Sian was never sick in any of my Xantias but continued to be in her mum's cars..

Interesting Mike that Adriana is OK in Hydractive models.

Is the C5 not Hydractive 3 then?

[Northern_Mike]

I think it's hydractive 3, not 3+. It's very floaty. The difference in ride with is like comparing a HDi exclusive to a 1.9TD sinker, with my C5 being the sinker..

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[Northern_Mike]

My brother was the same Jim. My dad had a brand new Escort in 1985 and my Bro was terrible in it. Ok in my mum's Lada, the Robin and the 2CV though. .

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[Mandrake]

She never got sick in the hydractive Xantias or the Activas. Just the basic ones.

Despite being softer, a Hydractive 2 Xantia has better damping and body control than a standard Xantia. The ride on my new V6 after fitting all new spheres today is outstanding, very smooth, cushioned and yet stable without any motion sickness inducing float or pitching - I can't imagine anyone would get sea sick in it.

A standard Xantia on the other hand is a bit disappointing both for ride and handling...(yes, I've had close association with two, even though all three of my own Xantia's have been Hydractive 2)

There is a lot more going on in Hydractive 2 than just switching between hard and soft mode - even in soft mode the damping and body control is superior as it has multiple damping paths (strut sphere dampers and regulator dampers) connected in parallel that behave differently for different types of motions... Even body roll (side to side oil flow) is damped in Hydractive 2 in soft mode while it is not on the standard system.