Thought I would post up and ask if anyone went last weekend?

I was there from Thursday to Sunday. It was a much better show this year, in my opinion, much more cars and more people too.

Anyone who went will have seen the Citroen stand, which was one of the biggest in at the event, will have noticed now many interesting cars were on it. One of which was our van.

The MPH show was worth a visit too, the C6 Palas was on the Citroen stand in there, looked quite rough and ready when you looked closely at it. I did hear roumers that it was originally gold, the gold car was featured in the autoexpress some months ago. It was then sprayed black (twice) and was featured in the autoexpress again. Not sure how true the colour change is, but the paint work wasa prettty poor and the interior a little garish.

The live topgear show was not as good as last years, or the previous ones, it was good though and some nice effects. It seems they have had to tune down the car stunts, maybe for H&S.

So who went, anyone?

Chris

I went-I didn't like the wheels on the C6 and I thought the interior was a bit garish too!
I had a sit in the C5 estate-I thought it felt claustrophobic and I didn't like the 'infill' material on the seats between the leather-a lot of makers seem to use that almost nylon type material-really nasty( and I imagine a bugger to clean too). The seating in the rear seemed quite spacious and comfortable. I felt that the dash had too many 'flap covered' cubbies-the one beneath the radio you couldn't see into as tha flap didn't fully retract.
The CX on the club stand was a bit tasteless ( although it no doubt took a lot of time and money), I wish I had enough money to make a decent offer on the white DS that was for sale-truly stunning. I also enjoyed the Tractions too-closest I've ever been to 'em in the metal-the topless ( decapotable?) was really elegant and it was good to see one in burgundy as well as the 'Comerciale' model-what space!!
Was your the H van Chris? Friends I was with comment on its looks.

Alan.

Hi Alan,
I agree with you bout the C5, i too had a sit in and could only just fit behind the drivers seat with it in my driving position, not nearly as spacious as the older C5!

The CX is a marmite car, the colour is stunning, looking at it in different lights throughout the day was amazing, golds, greens and pinks, very clever paint.

The DS was getting quite a lot of interest, i did hear some of the bids which had been offered, but none were quite as much as the valued offer, nor did the bidders leave any kind of deposit or inclination to the seller that it was a genuine offer. It has to be the cleanest Ds there is, simply stunning, the work that has gone into that car and continues to go into it to keep it pristine is amasing. A real credit to its owner.

We kept wishing our traction would have been ready for the event, it would have been nice to have it on the stand. Maybe next year! The cabrio is very nice, its the first time ive seen it up close, a very nice conversion.

Nope its not the H van, im not quite sure whos that was, the owner didn’t appear to be around at any time. Ours is the white 6 wheeler C15 which was parked next to the H. Which also got a lot of comments and people wanting to buy it!

Chris

I'll ask you lot to be nice about the C5 Tourer as I have one!

It's actually one of the most comfortable cars I've owned for effortlessly soaking up the miles. Since the in-laws live in Edinburgh and I live 25 miles outside of London, you can guess I have a good idea about what makes a vehicle a good motorway companion.

There are too many small switches and the interface is a peculiar mishmash of new ideas and weird old nonsense from the earlier model (most obviously the menuing system, which is an ergonomic nightmare) - but on the right size wheels it still feels 100% Citroen. And it's very, very solid. And the fixed wheel boss makes total sense once you've gotten used to it - makes the old way of making steering wheels look silly.

Don't follow the moan about 'cubbies' as the XM is pretty much constructed from 'em

Also not sure about complaints of no room up front. I'm 6'2" and don't have problems getting comfy. My car does have the panoramic roof which may add to the space above my head (to compliment the space in it, some might argue) and this also makes the car feel very airy, again great for loping up long stretches of tarmac for hours at a time.

Stereo's crap, come to expect that on new cars.

I actually quite like the new C5, but there is no getting away from the fact its not as roomy as the old one, especially in the boot. I think the name 'tourer' over the old estate name says it all really. Its not supposed to be a proper estate?

Which got me thinking, non of the French car makers make a 'proper' estate car any more. The Laguna is another tourer, with far too much of a slope on the rear hatch to be a true load lugger. The 407 is also similar, with a fairly small boot compared with the 406 and again its not a nice square shape like old estates were.

I guess this is just how things are going now. The Ford Mondeo seems to be the best true estate car now, its massive (-the longest in its class i think?) with a flat back and plenty of room.

The C5 still would be my choice if i wanted a family sized saloon car, although non of this coil spring suspension business! I know you have the 'proper' suspension Phil

Its a great looking car, i like the C4-esk steering wheel and the overall look of the car, very nice.

Chris

I liked the C5 but just felt that it was a bit too 'snug' in the drivers seat-the door pillar seemed close as did the roof lining etc-I've no doubt that it is a very comfortable cruiser- and seemed to be solid too-I just enjoy a feeling of airiness A la XM!
I wouldn't say that the XM was cluttered with cubbies though-a few cup holders ( and coat hooks?!) would be nice though-or is that another topic on here? :-)

Alan.

I picked up a few older Citroen brochures from the stalls there, a couple of Xm ones too. Always interesting to look through! I even found an Ax 4x4 brochure, i didnt know such a thing existed until i saw it.

Also ordered the Xm a new car cover too. A waterproof but breathable fully fitted to the Xms shape cover. We had one made by the same company for the van a year ago, and its superb.

I agree, you do feel a little hemmed in with the C5, although i think most modern cars are the same now.