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An exquisite interior and smooth diesel engine distinguish the first car from premium Citroen sub-brand DS. How well does the chassis perform in an Australian environment?
WHAT IS IT? This is the first DS stand-alone car, as Citroen moves to separate its design-centric models into a premium sub-brand and leave the Citroen ‘C’ models for is more mainstream vehicles. This car, though, is an update of the Citroen DS 5.
WHY WE’RE DRIVING IT This is the first time we’ve driven the DS 5 on Australian roads, following our sample in France back in July 2015. DS has also confirmed feature and spec levels, as well as the $56,990 price for the ‘new’ DS.
PLUS: Design nous, uniqueness, cabin quality MINUS: Average handling, poor ride, and higher price
THE WHEELS REVIEW WHAT was a Citroen DS 5 becomes, with this facelift and spec upgrade, the first DS model in Australia. So it’s a DS 5, period. In the change from Citroen to DS – the new premium sub-brand of Citroen – the 5 has been given an new front-end treatment that includes intricate LED headlamps as well as the ‘wings’ that link the chrome trapezoidal grille and march up the slanted bonnet of this rival for the BMW 3 Series. Or whatever it is, as DS Australia doesn’t seem to know how to describe the body-style of this five-seat model, calling it simply ‘unique’.
Under that long bonnet is an upgraded version of the excellent 2.0-litre turbo-diesel common-rail that we’ve seen here in the Peugeot 308 and 508 GT models, along with the smooth EAT6 six-speed automatic. It’s the only driveline sold here in the 5, as the 1.6-litre petrol made up a paltry 10 percent of sales and has been dumped. There are no paddleshifters, but you can change gears via the shifter, although the forward push of the delightful polished gear lever to change up a gear is the wrong way around (ask Porsche). There’s no need; instead, relax as the smooth, refined diesel marches from 0-100km/h in an adequate (surprisingly 0.9sec faster) 9.2sec, thanks to a 13kW and 60Nm increase in its vital stats, now 113kW/400Nm.
Get the 5 out of town, though, and every last contour, split, crack and minute undulation is sent back through that four-spoke steering wheel, its sharp angles reeking of wild Citroen cabins of the 1980s. Yet while we’re talking history, you wouldn’t know that the brilliant air-suspended DS is now 60 years old, as the ride in the brand-new 5 has been retuned and is harsh and rough. It’s made worse via the steering, which feels disconnected from the rest of the chassis.
Other than being a well-decorated jumping castle, the interior is exquisite. Every last inch is dripping with design ideas, with stunning material finish, and there’s a standard panoramic glass roof that immediately gives the impression of space. So do the front-quarter windows that flank that raked windscreen, with a deep dash housing the new 7.0-inch touchscreen adding to the impression of size from the front seats.
The hardest part of selling the DS 5 is that it’s now $3000 more expensive, at $56,990 including a six-year warranty. That places it in the crosshairs of cars as diverse as the Audi A4 2.0 TDI – which it has far more room than – and Volkswagen CC if you’re chasing more restrained style. So while it can’t pin down what segment it sits in, nor the ride and handling, the DS 5 does have ‘unique’ down to a tee. The 2016 DS 5 chases a historical landmark In the original 1955 DS, but it isn’t a landmark in its own right.
SPECS Model: 2016 DS 5 Blue HDi Engine: 1997cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v turbo-diesel Power: 133kW@3750rpm Torque: 400Nm@2000rpm Transmission: 6-speed automatic Weight: 1540kg 0-100km/h: 9.2sec Fuel economy: 4.5L/100km Price: $56,990 On sale: Now
