I WOULD see myself as more of a country music rather than a heavy metal fan, but last week I felt like I was surrounded by an awful lot of heavy metal in the Citroen DS5.
The A pillars are very prominent, overhead there was also a lot of metal in what was a complicated looking sun roof and overall the feeling was that I was really into
‘heavy metal.’
Apart from that it’s a very stylish and spacious motor. Viewed from the front the DS5 is impressive with its sculpted chrome lines and impressive headlights. The car attracted many curious glances, mainly from males. And that makes sense as Citroen say that the DS5 is aimed at males who are over 35 and are possibly business leaders or independent thinkers.
Inside the cabin is very busy, too busy in my opinion. I liked the way the driver and front seat passenger are both tucked away in their separate sections. You will feel very secure. There are so many controls in your line of vision you might feel like a pilot.
Your co-pilot will also feel that they have something to offer to the driving experience. They can open and close the windows or lock the doors as all the controls are located in the centre console. Or they can keep themselves amused by opening and closing the three glass sections in the roof. There are individual openings for the two front seat passengers and another opening to those in the back seat to get catch some rays.
In the DS Style version I drove the back seat can be used to accommodate two or three people. If you only have only two back seat passengers they can leave down the cup holder in the middle. There is a bar across the rear window, but it’s not a prominent as the bar in the Honda Civic and doesn’t really impede your rear vision. The reversing camera also helped.
The most unusual looking item on the dash is the old fashioned clock. Now we normally associate clocks as being round, but Citroen has squeezed their clock give us a rectangle look; strange but cute. And while Citroen didn’t try to re-invent the wheel, the bottom of the steering wheel is flat, which gives it a sporty look. The boot is a decent size, but no spare wheel.
This is a truly gorgeous car and should help Citroen compete with the likes of Audi, Mercedes and BMW in the luxury car department. Although Citroen has been around for a long time Irish drivers tend to be a bit cautious when it comes to buying cars that look different.
When it comes to fashion there is nobody quite like the French to show us real style. However, all that style comes at a price and prices start at
?¬33,195 for the 1.6 diesel, while the 2.0 litre diesel model I drove will cost you
?¬37,295. Those prices are for the DSign versions, but the motto seems to be, talk to your local dealer and see what’s on offer.