Citroën reveals its radical new DS5

The DS3 put Citroën back on the shopping list of drivers looking for something with a bit of flair and the joie de vivre that the French brand became so famous for. The mid-sized DS4 offered a less funky interpretation of Citroën’s joie-design range, looking more like a re-skin of the humble C4 than an innovative new design – but now with the DS5, Citroën have turned the funk back up to ten.

Designed to express the full extent of Citroën’s ‘Créative Technologie’, DS5 is more compact than it might at first appear, which at 4.52m long and 1.85m wide is some 10 inches shorter than the C5 Saloon and a few inches shy of BMW’s 3-series.

DS5 is the first Citroën model to feature HYbrid4 diesel hybrid technology, providing enhanced performance and class leading environmental credentials whilst also delivering 200bhp; four-wheel drive; emission-free electric power for the city; and an acceleration boost function for the open road – with total CO2 emissions of just 99g/km.

Citroën bill the DS5 as an executive model, targeting customers looking for a truly bold and assertive car with a resolutely modern approach to vehicle design. Based on the futuristic C-SportLounge concept, DS5 brings true technological innovation to its class within a uniquely bold design.

On the outside the DS5 uses muscular wheel arches – wrapped around 16” to 19” alloy wheels – give it a confident stance, whilst the rear perspective shows the DS5 standing on wide tracks, emphasised by two oval tail pipes built into the rear bumper and highlighted by a rear signature featuring six light guides.

Citroën’s DS5 is equally charismatic inside, with a cabin as unique as the exterior styling. The driver-focused cockpit features a coupé-like driving position with a near-vertical steering wheel and a wide central console. An array of buttons, switches, scroll wheels and toggles are grouped on two central consoles, one low down and one above the driver’s head, ‘pilot-style’, whilst a simple push on the START button brings the interior to life.

The colour Head-Up Display projects essential information into the driver’s line of sight and the ambient lighting bathes the cockpit in a heady mix of red and white. Luxury is the key theme of the DS5’s interior – each detail has been carefully considered, with premium materials such as fine-grain Club leather and exclusive designs like the ‘watchstrap’ seat upholstery – a signature touch of the DS line that is unique to the market.

The DS5 comes with a reasonably spacious boot (465 litres), five adult-sized seats and the full versatility of a 5-door hatchback.

For its motor show debut in Shanghai, DS5 appears in a one-off livery as the Citroën DS5 White Pearl. The cabin features ebony-coloured full-grain leather, contrasting subtly with silver-flecked overstitching. Interior detailing includes decorative inserts in Markassa ebony and a highly reflective fascia, created by applying several layers of lacquer. DS5 White Pearl also sports specially designed 20-inch alloy wheels.

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