06 Mar 08
Citroen is to launch its C5 Tourer estate. The new-generation C5 saloon goes on sale in the UK 1 April, and the Tourer will follow in June.
Just like the four-door, the Tourer has been comprehensively restyled, with a curvier outline and a wider, roomier cabin.
The Tourer is 5cm longer than the saloon, and 6.5cm longer than the outgoing C5 estate - already a cavernous load-lugger.
The new C5 is built on a shortened version of the C6 saloon's underpinnings (with some elements shared with the Peugeot 607) and is an altogether larger, more upmarket-feeling car than its predecessor but still uses 60% of its components.
Petrol engines for the range will be a 127bhp 1.8, a 143bhp 2.2 and a 215bhp 3.0 V6, though the V6 may not be offered in the UK.
Diesels include a 110bhp 1.6, a 138bhp 2.0, a 173bhp twin-turbo 2.2 and the 2.7 V6 (208bhp) as supplied to Jaguar and Land Rover and all use particulate filters.
Upgrades to the interior include improved sound-proofing and laminated side windows, as in the C6, and all versions will have a comprehensive specification.
Only upper-end models will get the Hydractive 3 Plus self-levelling suspension, however - Citroen seems to have realised that this may scare some buyers off and will offer conventional coil springs in most versions.
Citroen expects the Tourer to account for around 40% of C5 sales in the UK, and it will be competitively priced to compete with the new Renault Laguna Sport Tourer.
Citroen will also be launching its new-generation Berlingo Multispace, now based on the C4/Peugeot 308 platform rather than that of the Berlingo van.
The new Multispace will go on sale in the UK in June, alongside the continuing current-generation model, which will receive a price-cut and be positioned as a budget, more utilitarian alternative to the new car.
Check out the rest of our Geneva Motor Show coverage.
