Faults:

Knocking sound from rear suspension. More on that later.

General Comments:

Very large and comfortable car with lots of 'fun' gadgets.

Very smooth suspension ride, making it ideal for long journeys, and making short journeys seem even shorter.

I traded in my Audi A4 for the C5 two months ago, before I had read the previous reviews. If I had read them, I would not have bought one, which would have been to my loss.

Compared to the Audi A4 Tdi, (a very well built car which was a joy to drive), I have found the C5 to be even better.

The engine is more responsive. The interior and boot far roomier, and not in my opinion 'plasticy'. The digital climate control is far more efficient, and the overall handling of the car is more confident than the Audi ever was.

I did have the problem of the rear suspension rumbling at slow speeds (not the car jack as suggested by one review), but the dealer fitted 'the kit', and the problem is now sorted.

I should add that the Citroen dealer that I have used is very efficient, and I have had no problems with them.

In summary, I am delighted with this car which, compared to other makes that I have seen, is very much a front runner. I am sorry that some people have had some serious problems, but I do not believe that Citroen cars deserve the bad press thet they receive.

As a post note, a friend of mine bought the new Mazda 6, a car thet has had rave reviews. After one month of continous problems, he's returned it. He wishes he had bought a Citroen instead!

Faults:

Indicators would not work (intermittent fault) but this was a known fault that was immediately fixed by dealership under warranty.

General Comments:

Superbly comfortable.

The hydraulic suspension is a must if you have disabled/elderly passengers. Simply lift the car to let them in or out. They don't have to struggle to get down into the car.

Despite many reviews saying that the interior is cheap and tacky, I have found the car to be of an extremely high quality.

The interior is remarkably quiet. Unfortunately, this does mean that you have to batten everything down. Something loose in the glove box or in the door pouches will drive you to distraction. The car is so quiet you can hear a sweet tapping against a door!

Likewise, I had to put an old towel inside the spare wheel to stop hearing the jack 'knocking' when you went over a bump. A lot of reviews saying that the rear suspension is knocking, I think is actually wrong. Once I put the towel on top of the jack the knocking stopped. The car is it's own worst enemy - it is so quiet and refined that any noise is noticed.

I am now having to replace my 2 front tyres - 20000 miles isn't bad for a large car like this.