http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/05/c...-geneva-debut/

 

Posted because I think its such a slick looking vehicle. I like it a lot. Nice competitor to the Mini Coopers and VW Golfs, but of course we wont get it in America.

Hopefully they wont significantly dumb down the production version.

 

Citroen has some beautiful designs. Although they weren't sold officially when I lived in Mexico, I knew of gray market importer and got to drive a few. Very stunning.

 

Can I rent one the next time I'm in Mexico?

 

ive always liked the way citroens looked. this one looks really nice too. something id drive daily

 

Unfortunately, they guy I knew doesn't rent them. They're not officially sold there. Peugeot and Renault are the only French brands there, but Citroen is in some other markets in Latin America.

 

It's a shame that Americans are so mistrustful of the French brands given their poor experiences with them in the 1980s. Ok, so it's understandable, but in all honesty it was also the fault of the dealerships that were often quickly set up and whose staff was poorly trained.

The Citroen I am interested in is the C5 sedan. I was able to drive one a few months ago and I found it to be a car that could easily compete with the Mercedes C class, BMW 3er or Lexus IS in terms of features, class and especially comfort. Great car.

The Renault Laguna, a C5 competitor, is equally a fantastic car, but I am not really digging the styling of that vehicle.

 

I remember the Laguna back in Mexico, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_Laguna

Not a bad car. I remember when I first moved down there a lot of my friends wanted one and a few had it. Most of my friends who wanted Renault wound with a Clio, preferably the Clio Sport and a few the Megane or its more powerful sport version,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_Clio
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_M%C3%A9gane
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault..._Renault_Sport

The Clio Sport had to be one of the most common cars that wound up racing at my 1/4 mile track, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_Clio_Renault_Sport (that's the new version shown on that page)

and occasionally a V6 would show up
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault..._Renault_Sport

Peugeot had some interesting models like the 206, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peugeot_206 (probably the most common one in Mexico) and the 307, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peugeot_307 with the similar 207 coming later on, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peugeot_207

I still wish Citroen had come there officially, it would have added an interesting mix to the market.

 

why dont they sell them in the US. They have a solid rep in Europe.

 

They'd have to set up a supply chain for parts along with a dealer network, easier said than done. Another thing that has hurt French brands, and I remember very well in Mexico, they don't have a high mark for quality, though I have to admit they've improved over the years.

 

The French brands have definitely improved in the field of quality and reliability. I wouldn't hesitate to go for one. The reviews about newer French cars have been very positive and my research regarding ownership experience has also turned up many happy and pleased owners (I tend to look at UK and German sites).

In fact as soon as the company lease on my E230 is up, I am seriously debating whether or not to purchase an entry-level Citroen C5 sedan. My wife and I like to travel in our spare time and thus a comfortable car is what we're looking for. The C5 is extremely comfortable in my experience, more comfy than the C class, IS, A4 etc.

In terms of design it is also very beautiful.





I would be willing to be that the C5 would stack up very nicely against the Sonata, Camry, 6, Passat and Accord back home. Perhaps its only major weakness would be the lack of a more powerful V6 engine that can compete with those of its Japanese and Korean as well as German rivals.

 

Nice pics of the C5, kind of a good mix of Audi and Lexus rolled into one car.

 

The only difference being that I find the interior of the C5 to be better than both the Audi A4 and Lexus IS! It's the attention to detail which makes it so stunning on the inside.