The latest of Citroen’s avant-garde DS range to reach our shores is an absolute visual masterpiece. Regardless of whether you like the looks or not, it is such a striking automobile that expectations are going to raised or lowered simply by looking at it.
Personally, we here at OVERSTEER love it. Now, we have been in this game for long enough to know that a gorgeous-looking car can tear your heart out with a below-par ride, terrible engine or abysmal handling, yet the DS5 got us all hot and bothered anyway.
And, yes, we were inevitably slightly disappointed. But it says a lot about the design, quality and outright charm of the DS5 that we would still happily live with one on a daily basis, despite its flaws…
Outside
Likes: Looks sensational. The chrome strips that stretch from the headlights to the A-pillar are brilliant! Everything about it looks like a modern Citroen should – avant grade, sexy and highly stylised. It is unmistakably a Citroen. People stare and smile.
Dislikes: Nothing really. It looks sensational and there are very few compromises demanded by the styling, unlike the DS4.
Inside
Likes: Magnificent interior design and quality. Looks and feels like a luxury jet fighter. Everything you touch feels gorgeous and very well made. Seats are brilliantly comfortable and adjustable, with great support. The design and layout is inspired French genius.
Dislikes: While it looks magnificent and like a genius has designed it, it was clearly left to a mental patient to lay out the buttons and controls. Nothing really seems to be where it should logically be. In fact, logic doesn’t seem to have been an important consideration at all, just aesthetics… The stereo is difficult to use and very slow to respond when playing an iPod.
Under the bonnet
Likes: The 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol is surprisingly strong and propels the DS5 along at a very respectable rate. The five-speed automatic transmission is a decent enough unit, with smooth shifts.
Dislikes: The same mental patient who laid out the interior controls seems to have been used to program the automatic transmission. It holds onto 2nd forever, then when you least expect it to, it will quickly skip through 3rd and settle on 4th… It is reluctant to change down under anything other than full throttle and sometimes acts like it has a mind of its own. The small engine loses puff on hills.
On the road
Likes: The DS5 is surprisingly adept at going around corners. While it isn’t a sports car, it takes corners with a relaxed, competent attitude, without ever really needing to bother the stability control, even in the wet. Ride quality is good, but only on certain surfaces.
Dislikes: The ride quality is a mixed bag. Around town it is fine, with a hint of firmness that can become brittle over broken surfaces. Generally this isn’t too much of an annoyance, as it is fairly minor. Normally you would expect it to settle down at open road speeds, but unfortunately it doesn’t. Added to this is the fact that the steering is utterly mute and feels like it is attached to the wheels by a series of rubber bands and offers absolutely no hint of what is happening down there.
Verdict
While the DS5 looks magnificent inside and out, its inconsistent ride quality, dead steering and mental transmission do let it down somewhat.
Around town most of these problems are not a terribly big issue (the trans is still strange) and even out on the motorway or a main road the DS5 would still provide a very satisfying mode of transport.
Tackle something a bit more off the beaten track and the shortcomings quickly become apparent, with the ride quality deteriorating and the utter lack of steering feel.
Still, that said, after spending a week with the DS5, I actually found myself being won over by its good points, despite how glaring its poor points were. The DS5 is an immensely likeable car and a thoroughly gorgeous place to spend time.
Price: $59,990
Engine: 1.6-litre inline four-cylinder petrol
Power/torque: 115kW/240Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
0-100km/h: 9.7 seconds
Fuel consumption: 7.3L/100km
CO2 emissions: 169g/km
