Citroen DS5 Review – Bonkers, We want one!
Now that the DS5 has been premiered to the general public at Top Gear Live 2011, it’s time we gave you our verdict, don’t you think?
Our first look
The Citroen DS5 completes the super luxury, higher quality Citroen line up. The successful DS3 has just been followed up by the DS4 and the DS5 will be available from around March 2012. Prices are expected to be around the 25-30k mark.
The first time you see the car, it does take a little while to grasp what you’re looking at. The design is extraordinary and you’ll be gawping from every angle of the DS5 to try and take it all in.
The pictures we have here are taken from TopGear Live 2011 at the NEC in Birmingham; we might as well let all you lucky people see what everyone else did for the first time in the flesh.
The interior of the DS5 is just as awe inspiring, we haven’t seen a new car for such a long time that has caught the imagination quite like the Citroen does. It does look like it’s all over the place but a Jewel Type Analogue Clock, Head Up Display, Type Faced Fonts…it’s bonkers but in such a nice way.
When sitting in the DS5 you get the sense you’re sitting quite high up, this is probably to appeal to the Crossover lovers and everybody that doesn’t want to (Citroen Marketing Word Coming Up) CONFORM to the German masses. The low roofline and rather short windscreen make visibility…a thing of the past but still, you just want one!
This DS5 is the Hybrid4 with a 2.0Litre Turbo Diesel and Electric Motors allowing a combined woooosh of 197bhp when all motors are pushing hard. With just 99g/km of Co2 and the all-wheel drive this makes it a very economical car plus should be great when we get our next bout of snow. You do get the option of Zero-Emissions running when only the rear wheels are powering the car via battery.
The ride in the DS5 is somewhat hard. We’ve been told the Diesel only options are softer and possibly the way to go but the harsh ride in this one, is a tad off putting. We’ve got to remember the production run vehicles aren’t going to be out until March so who knows what could happen in the space of a couple of months.
We love the bonkers design, the alluring reality that anything goes in this car, the seating position, the luxurious interior and the option to have a Hybrid is also very appealing. Will this tempt the German buyers out of their 3-Series Touring or C-Class Estate? We’re not sure. We hope it does but at least the DS5 looks like it’s going to give a much better fight than the French luxo barges of the past.