Citroen C5 2.0 16v Exclusive Saloon

I've yet to meet someone who doesn't like the look of the new Citroen C5. It's a cracking looking car from any angle, a major improvement from the older model. Citroen advertised it as "German built', i.e. to the standard of better German car makers, and at first glance they'd certainly succeeded. The interior is stylish, well built and executive looking with lots of added technical features. The ride is the classic Citroen "magic carpet" with smooth journeys, particularly on motorways, and the fuel consumption was a healthy 50mpg on long runs, 39mpg in town. All in all, it was a very good car for the first few months.Then, sadly, it proved to be just as French underneath.

Various visits to the dealer's garage should have warned me for annoying things such as leaking coolant, leaking air conditioning and corroded tyre valves (very dangerous). The crux came with the leaking brake/suspension fluid overnight. The car was just past its 3 year warranty with 50K on the clock. Replacing the hoses was not enough and the entire steering rack had to be renewed! £1600 later for what was either a design or manufacturing fault put me off Citroen a bit. I was certainly put well off when Citroen UK basically told me, "Hard luck. We're not helping you." I will never purchase another Citroen again, or indeed any French manufacturer. The reputation of poor parts and manufacturing is true. Beware of these lovely looking cars giving you major headaches after a few years.