Faults:

I own an Estate and within 2 days of delivery the tailgate window jammed shut.

The radio stalk on the steering wheel did not function correctly and it took took 6 weeks to get the parts.

Shortly after this the gearbox started whining and a new one had to be fitted, but again it took ages to get the new one delivered to the dealer.

It is now nearly a year since I bought the car and it is going back next week for another gearbox as the replacement one is also making some very strange noises!

The parking sensor works sometimes, but is so unreliable that I do not use it. I intend to have this fixed when the car is in for the gearbox replacement.

General Comments:

Very disappointing as the car is a winner for style, comfort, economy and in the case of the estate great space.

Citroen needs to up its game and the support it gives to its dealers.

I have heard that a new C5 is due out in Sepember 2004 so I will reserve judgment on whether or not I would buy another until then.

Faults:

Headlamps flicker.

Poor radio reception.

Misaligned front panel.

Sun visor lights not working.

Erroneous airbag fault reported & simultaneous automatic lighting fault. This sorted itself out the next time I started the car.

General Comments:

Overall, I am delighted with the car and having read reviews on earlier models before buying the car, I can report that I do not appear to be experiencing any of the major ones; mind you, I've only had the car for five months and 6k miles...

The faults described above, with one exception, are generally niggles and probably relate to this particular car so I'm confident I can get the dealer to sort them out.

My biggest gripe has been the issue of the lights. The cause of the flickering is, apparently, the hydraulic pump causing a voltage drop. The pump, which is now electric rather than the earlier engine driven versions, is almost constantly cutting in and out and presumably gobbles huge amounts of amps, especially on start-up, and thus starves the rest of the system momentarily. I guess for many people, they either haven't noticed it or else they drive mostly in well-lit areas and don't find it annoying. Personally, I do a lot of driving on very dark lanes and when you are doing speed into a bend I find it extremely distracting to say the least. Citroen will have to sort this out somehow - the problem of smoothing electricity is hardly a new one!

I have had a number of Citroens, finding the suspension to be one of the best when you have to drive poor roads and tracks as I often do and the C5 appears to be the best yet. In particular, the cornering characteristics are much better than the BX and Xantia, and inspire great confidence. The braking system is absolutely superb and if you haven't tried out the EBA yet, then give it a go! The 110Hp diesel has given no problems so far and the new turbo-less injection system way outperforms my 2 litre Xantia; it pulls from lower revs, is smoother throughout the range and is much more economical.

I concur with other reviews about the noise levels which are so low that you have to batten everything down (hence all the little cubbyholes?). The problem is that the slightest crackle on the radio is a real distraction and I have never managed to get really good reception despite the RDS and other systems; the dealer fitted a new aerial head to appease me, but it hasn't made much difference.

This is an extremely good car for the price - especially with the deals around - and I'm already saving to replace it with the bells & whistles version in a couple of years time.