Citroen’s Continental cruiser

(Published August 2008, Picture by me)

The advertising of Citroen’s new C5 proclaims it the German car that’s actually French. The insinuation is that the C5 has left behind the fragile build quality of older French cars for something far more solid, dependable and Teutonic.
It is no surprise then that the rear of this new family saloon bears an uncanny resemblance to the BMW 3 series. However, if you’ve only ever seen the C5 from behind then you’ve missed the best bits.
This new saloon is a handsome car with genuine flair in its lines. The wedge profile creates a powerful stance while the curving sculpted bonnet harks back to the designs which first won Citroen worldwide acclaim, particularly the DS and SM.
Citroen did not have to try hard to create a better looking car than the previous awkward and bulbous C5, but, having regained their eye for design with cars like the C4 and C6, the new car is the best looking Citroen of the modern era.
Of course, from behind the steering wheel you can’t see that design, so Citroen has plenty of other things to distract you. The first is the fixed-hub steering wheel.
While the wheel rim rotates, the centre of the wheel stays static. It is something of a novelty the first time you drive the C5, but the more you think of it the more sense it makes.
By locating buttons for the cruise control, stereo and horns on the centre hub, they are always in the same position and thus you don’t accidentally mute the stereo when all you wanted to do was skip tracks on the CD.
The C5 is a cosy car to sit in. Although you sit quite high, the roof is sleek and you feel cocooned by the dashboard. The seats are quite supportive and the footwell has room for a footrest beside the clutch pedal. The C5 is quite a wide car and there is plenty of shoulder room for the front seat passengers.
Those in the rear fare a bit worse however. The C5 is not the biggest car in its class and cannot match some rivals on rear legroom, but provided the front seats are not pushed fully back there is still enough room for the average sized adult to feel comfortable on a long trip.
The boot is large and well shaped and the seats can be folded down 60/40 to make more room.
Top-of-the-range Citroen C5 models will come with the company’s renowned hydropneumatic suspension, but this Dynamique model is equipped with more conventional steel springs.
The hydropneumatic system is renowned for delivering a smooth, cushioning ride and Citroen have set the steel sprung cars up to deliver similarly pliant ride comfort.
The car tackles broken roads and speed bumps with aplomb, but the downside is it rolls a bit more in corners and takes a while longer to regain its composure. This is not a sporting car, but then not everyone wants a saloon to handle like a sportscar.
All French cars are renowned for their diesel engines and the C5 delivers a choice of four. The car tested here is equipped with the 1.6 litre 110 horsepower turbodiesel.
For a bit more poke there is a 2 litre or a 2.2 litre, which deliver 138 and 173 horsepower respectively. Topping the range is a 208 horsepower 2.7 litre V6 turbodiesel.
The 1.6 is a lively performer which manages to haul the hefty weight of the C5 with little fuss. The typical diesel sound is evident at idle, but at 100kph the car is a relaxed and quiet cruiser.
The big advantage of the 1.6 is that it delivers less than 150 g/km of CO2 which places it into the E290 tax band. It also means that come July 1, this car will actually come down in price under the new CO2-linked VRT rates.
The new C5 range starts with the 1.8 litre Ambiance petrol. The 1.6 Dynamique tested here will weigh in at E30,600 OTR come July 1, a reduction of over E1,400 on the previous price.

Leon’s Latin charms look best in passionate red

(Published March 2008, picture by me)

The first generation SEAT Leon was a tidy if rather anonymous-looking car, but as befits their image as a sporting Latin brand, the new Leon is a sporty looking machine, combining concave and convex curves with a stance which makes it look like a Spanish bull ready to charge.
That image is helped a lot by the optional sports bodykit of the model tested here, the Leon 1.4 Sport Plus. The Sport Plus is the latest addition to the Leon range and possesses what can rightly be viewed as the future of petrol engines.
The 1.4 litre engine is turbocharged and produces 125bhp, which a high output for such a small engine, but is achieved through modern turbocharging techniques, rather than by over-stressing the engine.
The result is a car which has the poke of a 1.8 or 2 litre engine, but the economy of a regular 1.4 (in fact, the Leon boasts fuel economy better than many 1.4s).
Combine this with a slick six-speed manual gearbox and some sculpted sports seats and you have a very desirable car that can fulfil the dual roles of pocket rocket and family runabout with aplomb.
The Leon is based on the structure of the latest Volkswagen Golf, but you would be hard pressed to find any similarities, inside or out, with its sister car, such is the comprehensive job SEAT has done of making the Leon stand out from the crowd.
Against more staid family hatchback opposition, the Leon looks dramatic. The curvy front leads into the swept back windscreen which ends abruptly at the dramatic tail, with its small rear window.
A swage line comes off the trailing edge of the front wheelarch and sweeps downward through the front and rear doors. Added to this, the Leon’s rear door handles are integrated into the C-pillar, a design trait started by another Latin car company, Alfa Romeo, with the 156.
The bodykit makes a dramatic difference to the lines of the Leon Sport Plus. A gaping front grille is framed by smaller gills on either side. Modest side skirts accentuate the curved doors while a prominent rear spoiler combines with twin chrome exhausts that jut out of the fat rear bumper to make the car even more dramatic from behind.
The radiant Emocion Red of the test car shows that, unlike some cars in the class, the Leon can carry off a bright colour scheme. For the unabashed there are two other optional non-metallic colours available, Crono Yellow and Candy White (there is also a palette of more sober metallic colours available as options).
Sitting in to the Leon, the first thing you notice is the low roof-line and high shoulder-line which makes you feel like you’re sitting deep within the car.
Getting comfortable in the sports seats is easy. The driver’s seat adjusts for height and the sporty three-spoke steering wheel, covered in dark leather, can adjust for rake and reach.
A quick rev of the engine produces a noticeable thrum from the engine through those large twin exhausts. It’s not ‘boy racer’ loud, but it is pleasingly sporting nevertheless.
On the open road, the Leon doesn’t let the side down. The body is well controlled, although this is somewhat at the expense of ride comfort, which can be a bit harsh on broken surfaces and over potholes.
The flipside is that the car begs to be thrown into corners. With the bolstered sports seats holding you in place, you can revel in the directness of the steering and the feel of that thick steering wheel in your hands.
As you can see from the photographs, there was a liberal sprinkling of March snow on the ground when this car was driven, but the standard traction control dealt impeccably with the conditions. The only time it was caught out was on a little-used roundabout when standing slush caused the front to push wide a little.
The six-speed gearbox is a delight to use on the move, flowing smoothly up through the gears, although for the first few outings you will be concentrating hard going down the gears, to ensure you don’t drop into third instead of fifth or second instead of fourth.
On narrow country roads, the Leon inspires confidence, but the thick windscreen pillars can sometimes require you to cock your head in order to see around a sharp right hander (or entering roundabouts).
The reason for this is that the windscreen wipers fold into the pillars on either side. It is a novel feature, but one with obvious benefits as the wipers clear more of the screen visible to the driver and reduce the wind resistance when folded away.
Coming out of a tight corner in second gear it is hard to resist revving the engine out to 5,000rpm to hear that lovely exhaust note, but it is worth noting that while your front passenger might be ensconced in an identical sports seat, those in the back could find themselves sliding across the flat rear row if you are less than considerate with your pace.
As an environment to spend time in, the Leon’s interior is sober and functional. The centre console looks quite bare with just the CD player and heating controls, but this uncomplicated arrangement works well in practice.
The CD player is Mp3 compatible and provides a good spread of sound, although the readout is set too low in the dashboard, causing the driver to take his or her eyes off the road for a second or two to absorb the information displayed.
On the practical front, the Leon has plenty of cubby holes, decent rear accommodation, but only an average-sized boot, with a small rear opening and a high loading lip, a result of its sporting looks.
The Leon’s bigger brother, the Altea, addresses any practicality concerns, being easier to get in and out of, more accommodating in the back and having a bigger boot, but you trade almost all of the Leon’s sporty looks for that practicality. The choice is yours.
For those smitten with this particular example, the Leon 1.4 Sport Plus starts at E23,300, rising to E26,995 when combined with the extensive Aerodynamic Body Kit.

Kia’s new car destined to succee’d

(Published February 2008)

Korean car firm Kia entered the European marketplace in 1991 and since then has tried hard to make its products measure up to the best of the European marques.
In their latest car, the family-oriented Kia cee’d, they have not only matched the best in Europe, but beaten many more illustrious car companies at their own game.
Burns Car Sales on the Dublin Road is Sligo’s Kia dealer and they have a full range of new cee’ds on offer, from the SW (for Sporty Wagon) estate model tested here to the brand new sporty three-door, the Pro_cee’d.
The new cee’d is Kia’s challenger in the Ford Focus/Volkswagen Golf class and it is the most thoroughly engineered car the company has ever produced.
This is reflected in even a brief acquaintance. Sit in to the cabin and the level of quality on offer is a step above what has come before in the Kia range. In fact, the design of the ergonomically sound dashboard and centre console is better than in many current Japanese cars.
The dashboard and all the controls are made with soft-touch plastics which offer a reassuring grip and feel like they will still be working perfectly in 10 or 15 years time. The steering wheel has controls for the stereo, which comes with an MP3 CD player and an auxiliary input in front of the gearstick for your iPod or other MP3 player.
A digital display just above the stereo gives information on temperature, open doors, radio station, date & time and the like. It is backed up by a trip-computer display in front of the driver with comprehensive information on speed, fuel consumption and distance.
The ventilation controls are intuitive and do a good job of keeping the large windscreen clear of condensation.
The leather-wrapped steering wheel feels reassuringly expensive and the gearshift is a neat size, not too large like some of the cee’ds rivals.
The cee’d SW that I tested recently had a 1.6 litre common-rail turbodiesel engine producing a punchy 115bhp, which endowed the cee’d with a great turn of pace, particularly in the lower gears.
There is plenty of overtaking pace available at the drop of a gear, while the economic engine will still return 50mpg on average and drop no lower than 40mpg even with a heavy right foot.
On the move, the Kia continues to inspire confidence. Direct steering weighs up in the corners a little, but is never heavy and proves a boon at low speed manoeuvres.
The cee’d hangs on well in corners. The standard 16 inch alloys and low-profile tyres combine with the Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) system to limit slip and keep the driver in control of the car, even in emergency manoeuvres.
The ride comfort is something of a revelation for a car in this class. Where the likes of the Ford Focus goes for greater body control at the expense of a harsh thumping ride, the cee’d strikes a brilliant compromise, making swift progress effortless, both for the driver and crucially for the passengers.
The cee’d will seat five in comfort. There is plenty of room up front and the driver’s seat comes with a great range of adjustment, including lumbar support and seat height adjustment.
Even with the driver’s seat pushed right back, there was still sufficient legroom behind for an adult of average height or a teenage child.
From the outside, the cee’d manages to look more like an elongated hatchback than a full-on estate car. The clever swept-back angle of the pillar behind the rear door lends it a purposeful stance and disguises the fact that the boot is, in fact, quite large by class standards.
The design is cohesive too, with silver roof rails adding to the visual integration of the longer rear. While it might not be the most handsome car from the front, there are no awkward angles in the Kia cee’d, unlike say the rear of a Renault Megane hatchback or the profile of a Honda Civic.
This goes for the range as a whole. The five door is a neat design which has taken cues from the Opel Astra and Toyota Auris but is far better resolved than either.
The three-door Pro_cee’d has a lower roof line and more aggressive shoulders to go with its more sporting aspirations. It is definitely the looker of the range and is a handsome car which will surely find favour with young male and female drivers.
All of the cee’d models put safety to the forefront. Driver and passenger airbags, active headrest, anti-lock brakes, side and curtain airbags are all standard, as are seatbelt pre-tensioners, ISOFIX rear child-seat anchors, and a passenger airbag cut-off switch, for rear-facing child seats.
Unquestionably the finest selling points of the Kia cee’d range comes not from the car itself, but the warranty.
Kia offer a seven-year or 150,000km warranty, an unprecedented step in the class and one which has caught almost all the opposition flat-footed.
The cee’ds other big selling point is value for money. The less powerful Ford Focus 1.6 turbodiesel estate starts from E24,735. The Opel Astra Estate in 1.7 turbodiesel form is north of E26,000 and still can’t match the punchy engine in the cee’d which weighs in with a E22,495 list price.
Kia’s aim with this car was to be taken seriously as a maker of desirable cars. They have succeeded with the cee’d.

Everything has changed but the name

(Published June 2008, picture taken by me)

The first generation Opel Agila, introduced in 2000, was a boxy city car with four doors, a three cylinder engine and very little to excite any driver.
The new Opel Agila is a very different animal. This attractive city car now boasts a wider engine range, a roomier and better quality interior, a higher specification and a greater fun factor. In fact the only thing that hasn’t changed is the name.
The figures tell you a great deal about the potential attractions of the Agila even before you put yourself behind the wheel. Currently there are two petrol engines available, although a diesel is expected soon. The 1 litre engine is available in the entry level Expression and mid-range Club specifications. This revvy three-cylinder engine offers tax-busting emissions which not only mean a keen list price, but also mean just E100 a year in road tax.
The 1.2 litre engine fitted to the test car offers a bit more poke for not a lot more money. And crucially, it is just E150 to tax for the year.
The new Agila has a look of quality and solidity which would have been unthinkable in a city car only five years ago. The car has a funky centre console wrapped in a choice of colours (the test car came with bright orange) as well as a sporty white-faced speedometer with a rev counter mounted on a pod above the centre console.
The Agila is a tactile delight when you first sit in. The supportive seats are easy to get comfy in, even if the seating position is very upright. The gearshift falls in easy reach while all the dials for the standard CD player and heating controls feel built to last.
The entry-level Expression comes with a full complement of safety systems including anti-lock brakes, emergency brake assist, front and side airbags.
This version, the Club, offers remote central locking, MP3 compatible CD player, multi-function trip computer, electric front windows and a choice of blue or orange centre console surrounds.
They also come with very easy to use 60/40 split rear seats which turn the relatively small boot into a very large one for carrying bigger loads.
The top spec Design models come with air conditioning, 15 inch alloy wheels and a leather covered steering wheel. Most will opt for the Club as it offers the best combination of specification and price.
The Agila kicks off at E12,495 incl. works, for the 1.0 Expression. This 1.2 Club is E14,995, offering a lot of metal for the money.
On the road the Agila feels like a very grown up car. The controls move with a reassuring linearity. The gearstick is chunky and is well damped as it moves about the gate. The steering, which gets lighter at parking speeds, weights up reassuringly when you are above 50kph.
Even though the 1.2 litre engine has just 85 horsepower, the Agila does not feel short of power off the line. The first three gears are quite close together, making it easy to keep up with traffic around town. It has to be worked a bit harder to catch up with traffic out on the open road, but at the national speed limit the car is quiet, with minimal engine or wind noise.
The Agila has a long wheelbase compared to rivals like the VW Fox and Ford KA, but this does not necessarily bring a smooth ride. The tall body has a tendency to lean in corners so Opel have made the suspension quite firm to reduce this.
The side-effect is that the car can sometimes crash over potholes or speed bumps and can become quite unsettled on broken surfaces.
This is the only major negative point about the car however. It has space, it has enough power to keep up with most traffic and it radiates a sense of quality inside and out.
In fact you could make the argument that those looking for a bigger car, in the mould of a supermini like the Opel Corsa or a family hatchback like the Opel Astra, should check out the Agila first. It might be all the car they need.

Sharp-looking Antara joins the handsome Opel family

(Published March 2008. I took the picture myself)
Opel have a range of sharp-looking cars at present, from the recently launched Corsa to the gorgeous Astra GTC to the new range-topping Antara 4x4.
The Opel Antara is the latest addition to the range and sees Opel’s long-awaited return to the family-oriented SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) market segment, which it vacated when the Frontera was discontinued in 2003.
In reality the Antara is much, much more sophisticated car than the Frontera and is part of a new wave of 4x4s which are aimed at families looking for a practical vehicle with the prestige of an off-roader.
It certainly looks thoroughly modern. The black colour scheme of the test car was accentuated by the large chrome bar in the grille and the silver roof rails. The off-road look is achieved by the rugged looking grey bodykit with a silver sump guard at the front. The side steps of this car were an option that will surely appeal to many owners.
The Antara tested here packs a 150bhp punch courtesy of the 2.0 CDTi engine, an efficient common-rail engine which is new to Opel.
The engine propels a car which is pretty hefty at 1800kg, but which, as a result, feels solid and planted on the road.
The first impression when you step on board is all good. The impressive dash has a layout which is intuitive and everything your hand touches, from the CD controls to the indicator/wiper stalks to the electric window buttons radiate a feeling of solidity and quality.
The damping of the major controls matches this sense of prestige. The steering wheel is wrapped in soft leather and has striking silver spars on the lower section. Its bluff front matches the car’s sharp lines and it feels as good to the touch as it looks.
The steering itself is a little heavier than your average family hatchback, but it is reassuringly solid if a little short of feedback. If pushed too fast into a bend the front wheels will understeer, but you won’t be told about it through the steering wheel.
A five speed manual or automatic gearbox are both available for the Antara, but the manual will be the most popular and for those who prefer to shift gears themselves, it is a pleasure to operate.
The gearknob is a good shape for holding and it moves through the box with a firm action which inspires confidence, especially when on the move. The engine has a narrow powerband, as most turbodiesels do, and a positive gear action makes all the difference.
The clutch is light and the accelerator easy to modulate, but the brake pedal takes a firm press to engage, although the stopping power of the Antara is not in doubt at all.
Given its relatively modest dimensions, the Antara does provide plenty of shoulder space and headroom both front and back. The boot is well shaped and big enough for most people. The high load floor is also a boon when taking shopping in and out, because you don’t have to bend down to do so.
The specification of even the entry-level Elegance is impressive, with goodies like air conditioning, electric windows, fog lights, Mp3 CD players and alloy wheels all standard.
The Design specification tested here adds extras like electronic climate control, heated front seats, multi-function trip computer, cruise control, a cooled glovebox, automatic lighting crontrol, rain-sensitive windscreen wipers and larger alloys.
That is a lot of equipment for a car in this segment and it puts the Antara at a distinct advantage when appealing to buyers.
However, all the buttons have to find a place and the heating controls lose out by being mounted low on the centre console, partially obscured by the gearstick.
That said, the separate readout at the top of the centre stack is perfectly placed for a quick glance from to driver and is easy to read even in direct sunlight.
Safety has been a major factor in the Antara’s design from the outset. From an active point of view the car comes with switchable electronic stability programme (ESP) and anti-lock brakes as standard. Elite models also get a tyre-pressure monitor.
The intelligent four wheel drive system switches between front and four-wheel drive as conditions demand. For those who do try the Antara off road, there is also a hill-descent control feature which acts like a low-ratio gearbox in a more traditional 4x4.
Passive safety features include front, side and curtain airbags as standard, seatbelt warning and ISOFIX child seat systems in the rear.
On the road, the Antara is an easy car to drive at pace. The car itself is shorter and narrower than the Vectra saloon and can be threaded through busy towns or narrow back roads with confidence.
The Design model sits on 18 inch alloy wheels, but because of a wide tyre-wall it rides with considerable sophistication. Broken surfaces (and Lord knows we have enough of those in the North West) pose no problems, the car dealing with potholes and uneven roads in a cosseting manner.
Bigger potholes and speed bumps are also smoothed out and the car settles down quickly after negotiating these obstructions. The ride enables you to travel faster than you would in a stiffly-sprung vehicle and there is none of the instinctive ‘tensing up’ which you would do in cars that thud and crash over potholes.
In corners the car does not roll excessively, despite being a tall vehicle, but you will notice the high centre of gravity under heavy braking and hard acceleration, where the car tends to lean forward or heave backward.
Despite being a tall car, the Antara is composed in crosswinds too and the high driving position comes into its own on narrow roads, affording a view over hedgerows and over the roofs of more conventional cars.
This advantage continues with the massive side mirrors which are a great boon when manoeuvring the car in towns or joining the dual carriageway.
Parking is made easier by the optional parking distance sensors fitted front and rear to this model (they are standard on the top-spec Elite) which chirp in different tones depending on which end of the car is in proximity to an object.
The Opel Antara is available with two engines, a 2.4 litre petrol and this 2 litre turbodiesel. The petrol engine, with around 140 horsepower, is only available in the entry-level Elegance specification, for E38,350 (On The Road). The diesel Elegance model is E42,350.
The Design model tested here, with five speed manual, is E45,645 (without optional extras) while the Elite model starts at E51,645. Automatic transmission costs an extra E2,000 on all trim levels.

Greetings from Sligo, Ireland

Hello. If you are reading this then you are here to see some of my writing. Just to tell you a bit about my background. I have been working for the Sligo Weekender newspaper since 1997 and have served in various capacities, including Entertainment Editor, Council reporter, political reporter, planning reporter, sub editor and I have been editor of the newspaper since June 2009.
From 2006 to 2008 I was editor of Property West, a weekly property supplement which was distributed in three newspapers, with a combined readership of 120,000.

My passions include everything motoring related, music, coffee and darts. I don't drink or smoke.