Just had the 25k 2nd service. About £200 for not more than an oil change. No attempts to upsell with brake pads or wiper blades etc. There was a recall carried out to the wiper motor while it was there, it similarly had a recall to the lighting software at the first service.
No faults or glitches from new so no unscheduled visits to the dealer.
I swapped the tyres front to rear around 15k to even wear and changed them all around 3mm a couple of hundred miles before the service as the original Michelins were getting skittish in the wet.
Went for a set of Vredestein Sportrak 3 which have a far more agressive water dispersing design than the Michelins. They are no noisier and haven't affected the ride but I do expect them to give a big improvement in the wet. Cost £380 the set from Camskill and £30 locally to fit/balance.
Fuel consumption has consistantly remained in the 51-56mpg range with it mostly giving an average of 53mpg.
As I've said before the 1.6Hdi will never impress the brother in law for sheer grunt on a Sunday morning spin but in reality my driving is often as brisk as is sensible and on motorways and rural roads I don't seek more power.
In use it is still an absolute pleasure as a load carrying family cruiser. The ride and refinement are just that little bit better than most in its class which impresses every time you get moving. It is an easy car to drive in a smooth and seamless way. The rather busy dash/controls are second nature now and for me seat comfort/driving position is perfect.
Despite the factory satnav lacking a few features compared to a Tom-Tom/Garmin for me that's totally offset by the way it's integrated into the car's controls, displays and entertainment system. For example you can change the digital display inset into the speedo to show miles to next turn and current road name etc rather than the standard trip/fuel info.
The only niggles aren't related to the car make/model... leather seats would have suited hard family use better and the metallic charcoal paint does show marks far more than silver or lighter metallics.
Not long until it's up for change in a year... going to be difficult to replace.
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Thanks for the review. I always find them interesting.
>> Fuel consumption has consistantly remained in the 51-56mpg range with it mostly giving an average of 53mpg.
That's very impressive for a car of that size!
>> It is an easy car to drive in a smooth and seamless way.
Another good point, and a quality which rarely gets mentioned by car magazine reviews.
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>>> mostly giving an average of 53mpg - That's very impressive for a car of that size!
Very true and weirdly it is usually 2mpg better than Mrs F's C3 1.4Hdi on the trip over several thousand miles. On our recent 1500ml trip to and around Scotland it showed 56.4mpg over the first 600mls of motorway and easy A-roads. The highland single tracked roads and steep hills pulled that down later on.
>> It is an easy car to drive in a smooth and seamless way - Another good point, and a quality which rarely gets mentioned by car magazine reviews.
Yes agreed. It is often said by testers and owners that a jiggly ride is a small price to pay for "pin sharp handling". Not in my book because you experience the ride every second but touring car cornering speeds aren't always appropriate.
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Nice write up FL, it's a car that often gets overlooked and i can't really understand why.
Possibly a steep depreciator from new but then what isn't and i'll wager it's no worse than anything else in it's sector, i think part of the problem is that many possible buyers think they are all still on hydraulic suspension, which isn't the case.
I'd be happy with one, individual and very pleasant car, though i'd have liked the choice of having hydraulic susp without the pleasure of an electric handbrake to spoil it all, and i've never seen one without the other.
The service cost is about normal, did you ask your dealer if they would let you supply your own oil, Toyota were happy for me to do that and it knocked around £70 off the bill for 7.5 litres, plus i know that pukka fully synthetic of high quality went in, which i buy in bulk.
Quite agree about ride quality, the car that eventually replaces my ageing MB will be much softer on the behind.
You get about on a par fuel consumption with our same engined C2 VTS, which is ludicrous cos it probably weighs half, but to be fair it does get mostly local and town work, and when on open road SWM makes use of it's decent pace....don't know if it's the shape, but once she goes over 70 the consumption plummets quickly....does the C5 have that sting if you get a move on?...could be gearing too i s'pose.
You don't mention any probs with the FAP (DPF), seems Citroen's system doesn't cause too many probs...he said with crossed everything.
edit.
Agree about tyre choice, underwhelmed with the expensive Mich Pilotes, the Vreds are better in every way on the little car.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Mon 5 Sep 11 at 12:17
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That's interesting, thanks. I'm thinking of a secondhand C5 estate to replace the current Mazda 6 sport when I have to give that back to the company in three years time and fend for myself with car allowance from then on. I'm coming round to the idea that while 180ps in an estate is nice in theory (and with the Mazda you have to go up to that to get some desirable features) for the type of driving I do in it, there's no need for that power. With the prospect of an office move increasing my commuting distance and the car allowance being dependent on a CO2 limit I'd happily sacrifice some bhp for mpg and comfort. I'd rather spend some money on a more exciting second car that Mrs Soupytwist can drive as her daily.
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Nice review, and I can only agree with what you have said. The 1.6 is a very surprising car - I generally find mine has enough grunt for most applications, and my fuel economy is in line with yours - did get an average of 60mpg out of a tank once when I had to drive through a long 50mph limit on the motorway each day.
Dont think speed has a major effect on the consumption (maybe due to the sleek shape?) as Mrs B now uses mine more for her trips to / from work. She works nights so the roads are often quieter plus she has a rather heavy right footso I can be sure that when she works 30 or 40 miles down the motorway it will have spent most of that time the wrong side of 70.
I guess my only wishes would be for better seat fabric - its not wearing as well as a VAG seats would plus the 1.6 hdi could easily handle a sixth gear for motorway work.
Mine goes back in May, but not sure what to replace it with so may consider buying it if the price is right, or another C5.....or quite like the 508 (built alongside the C5). Sensible side tells me to get something smaller, but dont want to compromise on the comfort factor, and dont see the fuel consumption gains being much.
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my partner has the 1.6hdi, in the C4, and I find its very capable for any kind of work its Given with a surprising amount of torque.
The turbo on the other hand is very small but very linear, however again with the engine I think it works really well and the engine is proving to be very reliable. We use it on a combination of short trips through the town, to regular long distance usage and my partner with a heavy right foot always drives it, the wrong side of 70.
A really good engine IMO
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Citroen C5 II - C5 Tourer (2009) 25k report, service & tyres. - Londoner
