Citroen C5 1.6 HDi 16v VTR 4dr Car Review - March 2012

The Citroen's 1.6-litre diesel engine produces 110 bhp at 6000 rpm and 177 lb-ft of torque. A top speed of 118 mph is more than adequate and acceleration is also fairly fast, with the car reaching 0-62 mph in 11.6 seconds which is fairly reasonable for a car of this type.

In terms of handling, this model is not the most agile as handling has been sacrificed for comfort. It's not a bad trade-off though and the C5 is supremely comfortable, wafting effortlessly over even the roughest roads.

The Citroen C5 1.6 HDi VTR is a good looking car and has a certain French charm that you just don't get from the Mondeo, 3 Series or Audi A4. Internally, the trim level offers a fair amount of features for the price and all of the basic areas are covered.

Standard equipment for this model includes: power steering, central locking, stability control, climate control, electric door mirrors, electric front windows, cruise control and an advanced stereo with MP3 connectivity.

Bluetooth connectivity, rear parking sensors and leather seats are not options at this level and neither are alloy wheels. However, the exterior can benefit from a metallic paint finish for £490.

The Citroen C5 1.6 HDi 16v VTR should be very safe and is fitted with driver, passenger and front side airbags as standards to protect the occupants. An alarm and immobiliser is also fitted as standard to protect the car from theft and the standard addition of stability control and cruise control means drivers should experience few problems when driving.

The car performed well in the NCAP crash tests and received a five star rating for overall safety. Occupant safety was also rated at four stars whilst child safety received four and pedestrian safety received two.

The car also comes with a three year warranty at 60,000 miles to provide additional assurances to owners. The cabin is generally spacious – although the rear seats could do with some additional leg room. The build feels of a high standard and this means reliability is strong.

Priced at £19,895 this large family saloon is reasonably priced considering what is on offer. The strong performance credentials are combined with good levels of efficiency and high green credentials and this means buyers get plenty for their money.

Fuel efficiency is also pretty high and this model is capable of reaching 56.5 mpg on the combined cycle. This is great considering the size of the vehicle and means families can run their children around without having to worry about frequent trips to the petrol station. Green credentials are fairly strong with carbon emissions of just 129g/km. This puts the car into road tax band D which is quite reasonable for a car of this class and even insurance premiums are likely to be affordable, falling under insurance group 20.

Overall, this is a high performance car with a number of benefits and those looking for long term ownership of a large family vehicle could do a lot worse for their money.