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Citroen’s attitude towards selling Mondeo-rivals, for one thing: the famous double-chevron is deadly serious about its new C5. Having settled, since 2001, for under 10,000 sales a year of a loveable but funny-looking contender in the 300,000-a-year European D-segment, the company has unveiled a replacement whose much more imposing design meets rivals head-on, and starts under £16,000.

The new C5 signals two other important moves: that Citroen accepts Ford’s and R...Read the full article

Fantastic looking car - would take this over any of the obvious rivals in that sector with the exception of the AR 159. Proves, along with the 159, that you can still make interesting looking and well proportioned cars in this sector.

Good work Citroen.

Yes, I like it. Looks more interesting than most rivals, I'm sure being a Citroen it will have a few quirks. The styling is based on the bigger C6, but looks better proportioned on the C5.

Question is, will it have enough for it to compete with the establishment that is, Mondeo, Vectra etc.?

Nice reply Oaffie, but what about the car?

Very handsome!

Looks more solid and a lot better executed than a Mondeo (which is supposed to be getting the same 2.2 litre twin-turbo later this year?).

Really dislike the extras that Ford bolt on, such as that crappy-looking rear spoiler you see on hatchbacks. The C5 gets pretty close to perfection for this sector - dare I say Germanic - without any silly repmobile accessories.

The words "is no sports car" got me interested - these days I've given up ducking Gatsos and now want quietness, comfort and economy!

Given Citroen's recent form, it's also likely to be more reliable than any equivalent BMW, Mercedes or Audi. But will anyone actually buy one? I do hope so.

I too hope so.

Citroen look to have pulled a rabbit out of the hat with this one. Makes you wonder what Jaguar were thinking with the XF, and what Ford were thinking with te Mondeo. The more I see of the Mondeo the less I like it. I still stand by what I said months ago about the design, it's Sh*t

Thumbs up to Citroen for this effort and thank god they chose not to inflict the horrid digital instruments from their other models on the C5.

If the car's reliability (especially the electrics) can match its style it deserves to be a hit.

A little bit disappointed I'll admit. The proportions are great, but the detailing of the doors looks pure 3-Series to me, which is a bit sad.  I hope the company that so recently produced the sublime C6 aren't going to start aping those darned Germanics...

Trouble is, if you look closely enough at most cars you see design elements of others, I can however live with door handles made in Germany.

Jon Hardcastle:

Trouble is, if you look closely enough at most cars you see design elements of others, I can however live with door handles made in Germany.

In fairness, if you were a company normally associated with volume cars at budget prices, and you were shifting focus to compete with a manufacturer whose products owe their success to premium image as much as premium quality, would you not attempt to copy at least one aspect of their design in order to catch a prospective buyer's eye? It's not as though the car is a Chinese-style direct copy. It's still plainly a Citroën!

Jon Hardcastle:

Trouble is, if you look closely enough at most cars you see design elements of others

all too often i compare two cars and they both have 4 wheels, no originality at all!