Citroen has significantly improved its C5 model with a car that now looks well and drives well. The new C5 set the Audi A4 and Volkswagen Passat as its conquest targets so the benchmark was high. Michael Moroney drove the entry diesel powered C5 to compare the value and here's his report.

Citroen has launched a price attractive new C5 model with an entry level 1.6-litre turbo-diesel engine that's economical, clean and not short of power. Prices start at €28,160 and road tax rates will drop, making this a competitive car to buy and own.

Citroens new C5 is a positive and radical departure for the French car maker. This new car sets out to match the styling, performance and reliability of the German competition. So with the Audi A4 and Volkswagen Passat in its sights, Citroen has set new standards for this car.

That's the ambition, so does the car live up to it? I've had the entry model 1.6-litre turbo-diesel C5 on the road to get an impression for myself. The car certainly looks very impressive; the design is modern, while retaining some of the quirky Citroen features that we expect.

Most of all Citroen has retained the comfort. This car is spacious and comfortable to drive and passengers get a good deal in these terms too. So it needs to deliver strongly on reliability and that's one of Citroen's key targets for the future.

I think that most people will be impressed with the new C5 styling. The car is strong looking, yet distinctive but not too different. The interior is very Citroen and the fixed centre steering is carried forward in the new generation models.

The control layout is very modern; the seats are good with easy adjustment. Citroen retains its comfort features with the option of what they call a metal suspension or a new version of the legendary Citroen hydro-pneumatic system. The test car I had came with the metallic suspension and it was very comfortable.

In power terms, the new Citroen C5 has thrifty and clean diesel options. With a 1.6-litre turbo-diesel engine under the bonnet, its power ability will be challenged or so we might think.

This engine delivers well. It has a power output of 110bhp, which is not the highest in this bigger car sector. The engine torque comes in at 240Nm, again a shade on the low side and both combine to give a 0 to 100km/hr acceleration figure of 12.2 seconds.

Relative to the competition that performance might be considered slow, but it's comparable with the 1.8-litre Ford Mondeo and Renault 1.5-litre diesel Laguna. This car has more torque than the previous C5, but it significantly heavier, so acceleration suffers a little in the plight for economy and low CO2 figures.

That's a fair compromise in a car that offers good space and comfort. The C5 1.6 HDi drives well once the revs are up, but naturally you manage the car's ability in terms of overtaking. Driving this car is not hard work.

The Citroen C5 1.6HDi comes with a CO2 rating of 149g/km, which is a good rating. This equals the CO2 rating of the new Mazda6 2.0-litre diesel, and is bettered by BMW's 318d and the new 1.5-litre Renault Laguna. Across a full field of 13 comparable models, its CO2 performance is good.