Life after C5

[oli_25_uk]

Hi All,

I love my C5 x7, but it's not ULEZ compliant and it's getting on a bit (150k miles now), so I'm thinking about what to have next - but I've not had a cart-sprung car as my main car for decades (C5x7, CX, C6, C5, XM, XM, Xantia, BX, GSA, *Renault 5*!)

So, do I stump up the *crazy* money for one of the ULEZ complaint C5s that occasionally pop up on AutoTrader - or do I go for something completely different - and if so - what?

Oli

[GiveMeABreak]

Most Euro 6.* Citroen vehicles are ULEZ compliant. The C3 Aircross, C5 Aircross for example including the Blue HDis. If you want some semblance of comfort coming from a history of hydraulically suspended Citroens, then consider the C5 Aircross that has Progressive Hydraulic Cushions for the suspension. These are quite comfortable.

[oli_25_uk]

Thanks for that - I'm not sure though why I'd spend around £19k on a C5 Aircross, when that's the price of a Euro6 C5 which has proper suspension, not just gussied up dampers.

What I'm really interested in is other cars that have some kind of personality and something that makes them different from everything else on the market...

[GiveMeABreak]

Considering the C5 X7 is no longer made and that is was the last line of Citroen Hydraulically suspended cars, plus parts availability is already an issue, (consider many hydraulic pipes are no longer available including the HP pipes for the power steering, the difficulty in getting refurbished steering racks) I thought that this would be a suitable alternative to look at considering it is still in production.

There only Euro 6 compliant C5 X7s that I am aware of is the DW10FD engine from around 2015, if you can find one.

The actual brochure from 2014 lists all vehicles as Euro 5.

The above is from the 2014 Brochure that clearly shows Euro 5.

The last brochure in 2016 that had a cut down list of 1 engine at the end of the production run is the same, offering only the 2.0 Auto Exclusive and that was Euro 5. I'm missing the 2015 brochure though, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's a car that is already having parts issues that could leave you with problems down the line, but good luck if you want to take a punt.

The PHC are quite comfortable, with a relative having them on their C5 Aircross and I've also experienced these on the C4 Cactus, and brand new C4 and I am very impressed, although of course it will never be the same as the previous active systems.

[oli_25_uk]

There are Euro6 C5x7s. There is one on auto trader right now! 4/5 have been sold in the last few months (I look every day and I've test driven 1 of them!)

My point is, once you take hydraulics out of the picture - why choose an Aircross (or indeed any other Citroen) when you could have literally any other car on the market!

Is there anything special about the Aircross? All the reviews I've read say that PHC aren't actually that good, and obvs there is no self-levelling - so what's the draw?

[GiveMeABreak]

Check my post above - I edited it to mention the DW10FD from 2015 that crept in before they dropped all models apart from the one engine in 2016.

There's no draw, it's entirely a matter of personal choice, but having experienced PHC I can say they are far better than any other car I've driven apart from a hydraulic Citroen. I guess it depends on whether you want to stick with the marque or not.

[mickthemaverick]

I have to say that I know how you feel. I went through the same process in March last year when my eco friendly daughter made me promise to get shot of my diesel C5. I wrote down what I wanted in a car and looked around the market to find something as close as possible to my spec for less than £5k. I settled on my Subaru Legacy 2.5 SEn which fulfilled every box on my list. The one issue with it was a slightly overfirm ride. I expected a firmer ride coming from the C5 MK1 Exclusive but this was just a tad too firm. However I soon realised that I could remove the 17" alloys with 45 profile tyres and fit 16" alloys from an Impreza with 55 profile tyres. That made all the difference I needed and I am now very happy with the car with all the bells and whistles I wanted plus 4 wheel drive and 42 mpg from a 2.5l engine. It accelerates very briskly and handles better than any car of similar size that I have tried!!

[Rp0thejester]

Go for the new Citroen Ami, what could possibly go wrong with an electric car built by a company known for dodgy electrics....