I love the quote from HubNut: "People are idiots. They love their rock hard suspension". I couldn't agree more. I've been saying this for years. Why are mundane, family hacks being fitted with low profile tyres and stiff suspensions? You can hardly buy a car these days that doesn't have a harsh ride. Who needs "handling?". The vast majority of driving is done for pedestrian purposes in average cars on poor roads at average speeds. Handling is only needed for high speed driving on tracks. Comfort and ride quality is what is needed for the vast majority of driving. Soccer mum and factory dad don't need cornering ability to and fro their average commute. They need tyres and suspension to soak up all the pot holes and irregular road surfaces. And I blame motoring journalists for a lot of this. They are always complaining about body roll, sliding about in the seats, squat and dive under acceleration and braking and soft steering. Now thanks to car manufacturers listening to them, we all have to suffer stiff suspension, noisy low profile tyres, heavily bolstered firm seats and stiffened steering. How about car manufacturers listen to the average person instead of these stupid motoring journalists? The types of people that review a Rolls Royce and fling it fast around corners and then complain about body roll. The type of driving no Rolls Royce owner would ever do. Listen to average owners instead.
My X7 had 19" diamond cut wheels w rubber band tyres. I cdn't believe that someone would buy the world's most comfortable mass-market car and then sabotage the ride quality. So i bought a set of 17" and, whilst it wasn't dramatically better, it was noticeable.
Gone are the days when Citroen dared to be genuinely different. I'll never purchase a Citroen again now that under Stellantis the brand has simply become a rebrand bland Vauxhall/Fiat.
20 out of my 35 years driving have been with hydro pneumatic suspension (Mercedes W116,126 rears and Citroen C5) and the suspensions have not been problematic and my favourite ride. Every car after 15-20 years needs a suspension rebuild and if you were to do it with factory genuine parts on any car it's expensive, the problem with Citroen is there is very little to no aftermarket attention.
The Citroen Hydractive seems absolutely amazing and far more capable than the fully pneumatic system Land Rovers use. Elegant solution by Citroen and I am going to be very mean now to automotive journalists. They are morons who have managed to brainwash people through the years that the most important things about a car are "stiff racing suspensions" and how fast it can go from 0-100km/h. Two of the least important things about a regular car imho
Citroën *WAS* famous for that, as they were famous for innovative solutions, like 1-spoke steering wheel, self-centering steering, air-cooled engine, cylinder tachymeter, buttons around the steering wheel arranged like in an akkordeon, extreme brake-booster, controllable fragrance, etc... What is left over? Just the fragrance - the rest is identical with Opel, Vauxhall, Fiat, Peugeot, Lancia, Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge... all the same platform, engine, C-pillar, outside mirrors, almost everything. 😵💫
I had Xantia 1.8i 1998, and C5 mk1 2002. I bought newer C5 x7 saloon 2010 six months ago. On recommendation from my mechanic who specializes in citroens i got one with regular suspension, and without electronic handbrake. He said that front shocks or telescopes as he calls them are weak spot in hidro models and about 500 euro each to replace. Electronic handbrake is also poorly designed and can be a headache, is about 500 euro too. As far as the ride goes, i love the ride in new car.
Can confirm. The E-brake hasn't given me grief YET, but I've replaced both front shocks. Next are the front bushings, they're making a racket. I'm taking the car to the mechanic tomorrow.
@@comcarclub Sí, es un mal endémico de estos modelos. C5 X7. Debido entre otros al excesivo peso del tren delantero. En el Concesionario Oficial Citroën, NO sustituyen los silemblocks de los brazos de suspensión, sino que cambian los brazos de suspensión completos, con el consiguiente gasto para su propietario. Los silemblocks deteriorados, se sustituyen con una prensa y se colocan los nuevos, sin necesidad de cambiar los brazos completos. Mi consejo es acudir a un taller de confianza que tenga prensa o a un Bosch Car Service, que tienen la herramienta necesaria. Recientemente el Citroën C5 X7 2.0 HDI 163 CV Exclusuve CAS de mi hijo. Se le cambiaron los silemblocks de los brazos de suspensión delanteros inferiores, con un coste de 242€. Por si está información fuese de tu interés. Un saludo desde España.
@@comcarclub Sí existen silemblocks de poliuretano. Una de las marcas que se dedican a su fabricación y venta es Powerflex. Éstos por lo leído son mucho más duraderos, pero también penalizan el confort y son más propensos a producir ciertas vibraciones. No recomiendan en vehículos destinados a un uso diario la sustitución completa de todos los silemblocks,(aparte de que en poliuretano la marca Powerflex no tiene disponible todo el conjunto para el C5 X7) ya que la comodidad se va a ver comprometida. En el caso de sustituir los dos de los brazos delanteros de suspensión, pues no sé decirte la incidencia en el confort, aunque supongo que su duración si será superior. Un saludo.
Great video with very well-presented information! If I may suggest, upgrading the microphone could really enhance the audio quality and help your channel grow even more. Keep up the great work!
I will, sorry for the awful sound. Audio has been my Achilles heel ever since I've had the channel. Every time I get a new mic, it's always overly sensitive and ruins the sound.
i'v had 4 C5's over the years and had nothing but problems with the suspension with all of them, I really like them and when working they are great cars but never again
That is a really interesting experience as I had the opposite experience even though I was, and still use the C5s off road and on road. What problems did you have?
@@peterw4338 suspension problems mainly on all of them, clutch went on one and steering rack on another also wiper motors on 2 of them, as I said I like them but never again unless I can find a good one with springs
The whole audio is s**t. I got an app that allowed me to record with a bluetooth mic I have, and I re-recorded the video about 4 times and I still couldn't get the sound right. Sorry about that.
Could see this becoming popular again in great Britain where the potholes make the roads look like a french farmer's field in the 1950's. Could also be good in EV's since they are so monstrously heavy
Bought a 2011 C5 with hydraulic suspension. The ride is smoother, quieter and more comfortable than in S series Mercedes. Unfortunately the Prince engine is a disaster...😢
I had opportunity to ride my colleague's Skoda Superb (1.6 Petrol and 4x4 2.0 Diesel), Volvo XC60, Mercedes GLA, and C220... They are all very comfortable cars, but not smooth as C5. Acctualy one taxi driver had VW passat vagon (not sure if it's b7 or b8) that could be compared to c5.
I love the quote from HubNut: "People are idiots. They love their rock hard suspension".
I couldn't agree more. I've been saying this for years. Why are mundane, family hacks being fitted with low profile tyres and stiff suspensions? You can hardly buy a car these days that doesn't have a harsh ride.
Who needs "handling?". The vast majority of driving is done for pedestrian purposes in average cars on poor roads at average speeds. Handling is only needed for high speed driving on tracks. Comfort and ride quality is what is needed for the vast majority of driving. Soccer mum and factory dad don't need cornering ability to and fro their average commute. They need tyres and suspension to soak up all the pot holes and irregular road surfaces.
And I blame motoring journalists for a lot of this. They are always complaining about body roll, sliding about in the seats, squat and dive under acceleration and braking and soft steering. Now thanks to car manufacturers listening to them, we all have to suffer stiff suspension, noisy low profile tyres, heavily bolstered firm seats and stiffened steering. How about car manufacturers listen to the average person instead of these stupid motoring journalists? The types of people that review a Rolls Royce and fling it fast around corners and then complain about body roll. The type of driving no Rolls Royce owner would ever do. Listen to average owners instead.
I blame them too. They harp on about cars being "fun to drive" without taking into account they're "s**t to travel in"
My X7 had 19" diamond cut wheels w rubber band tyres. I cdn't believe that someone would buy the world's most comfortable mass-market car and then sabotage the ride quality. So i bought a set of 17" and, whilst it wasn't dramatically better, it was noticeable.
Gone are the days when Citroen dared to be genuinely different. I'll never purchase a Citroen again now that under Stellantis the brand has simply become a rebrand bland Vauxhall/Fiat.
20 out of my 35 years driving have been with hydro pneumatic suspension (Mercedes W116,126 rears and Citroen C5) and the suspensions have not been problematic and my favourite ride. Every car after 15-20 years needs a suspension rebuild and if you were to do it with factory genuine parts on any car it's expensive, the problem with Citroen is there is very little to no aftermarket attention.
The Citroen Hydractive seems absolutely amazing and far more capable than the fully pneumatic system Land Rovers use. Elegant solution by Citroen and I am going to be very mean now to automotive journalists. They are morons who have managed to brainwash people through the years that the most important things about a car are "stiff racing suspensions" and how fast it can go from 0-100km/h. Two of the least important things about a regular car imho
Amen
Having run C5s, Xantias and BXs, I found the biggest issue is the British mechanics don't know what they are doing.
That last sentence 🤣🤣👏👏👏 actually there is a car with similarities (on the front) with new citroen c5x and very good suspension, it called nio et9.
I have a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II which has hydro-pneumatic suspension, borrowed from Citroen, and it's fantastic.
@@bradcogan8588 very cool!!! Thanks for sharing!! 👍 👍
Citroën *WAS* famous for that, as they were famous for innovative solutions, like 1-spoke steering wheel, self-centering steering, air-cooled engine, cylinder tachymeter, buttons around the steering wheel arranged like in an akkordeon, extreme brake-booster, controllable fragrance, etc...
What is left over? Just the fragrance - the rest is identical with Opel, Vauxhall, Fiat, Peugeot, Lancia, Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge... all the same platform, engine, C-pillar, outside mirrors, almost everything. 😵💫
@@u.e.u.e. Sad but true
@comcarclub 🤷♂️
I had Xantia 1.8i 1998, and C5 mk1 2002. I bought newer C5 x7 saloon 2010 six months ago. On recommendation from my mechanic who specializes in citroens i got one with regular suspension, and without electronic handbrake. He said that front shocks or telescopes as he calls them are weak spot in hidro models and about 500 euro each to replace. Electronic handbrake is also poorly designed and can be a headache, is about 500 euro too. As far as the ride goes, i love the ride in new car.
Can confirm. The E-brake hasn't given me grief YET, but I've replaced both front shocks. Next are the front bushings, they're making a racket. I'm taking the car to the mechanic tomorrow.
@@comcarclub
Sí, es un mal endémico de estos modelos. C5 X7.
Debido entre otros al excesivo peso del tren delantero.
En el Concesionario Oficial Citroën, NO sustituyen los silemblocks de los brazos de suspensión, sino que cambian los brazos de suspensión completos, con el consiguiente gasto para su propietario.
Los silemblocks deteriorados, se sustituyen con una prensa y se colocan los nuevos, sin necesidad de cambiar los brazos completos.
Mi consejo es acudir a un taller de confianza que tenga prensa o a un Bosch Car Service, que tienen la herramienta necesaria.
Recientemente el Citroën C5 X7 2.0 HDI 163 CV Exclusuve CAS de mi hijo. Se le cambiaron los silemblocks de los brazos de suspensión delanteros inferiores, con un coste de 242€.
Por si está información fuese de tu interés.
Un saludo desde España.
@@batansond2841 Gracias por la información. Existen silemblocos de policarbonato?
@@comcarclub Sí existen silemblocks de poliuretano.
Una de las marcas que se dedican a su fabricación y venta es Powerflex.
Éstos por lo leído son mucho más duraderos, pero también penalizan el confort y son más propensos a producir ciertas vibraciones.
No recomiendan en vehículos destinados a un uso diario la sustitución completa de todos los silemblocks,(aparte de que en poliuretano la marca Powerflex no tiene disponible todo el conjunto para el C5 X7) ya que la comodidad se va a ver comprometida.
En el caso de sustituir los dos de los brazos delanteros de suspensión, pues no sé decirte la incidencia en el confort, aunque supongo que su duración si será superior.
Un saludo.
@@batansond2841 Muchas gracias y saludos!
Great video with very well-presented information! If I may suggest, upgrading the microphone could really enhance the audio quality and help your channel grow even more. Keep up the great work!
I will, sorry for the awful sound. Audio has been my Achilles heel ever since I've had the channel. Every time I get a new mic, it's always overly sensitive and ruins the sound.
i'v had 4 C5's over the years and had nothing but problems with the suspension with all of them, I really like them and when working they are great cars but never again
That is a really interesting experience as I had the opposite experience even though I was, and still use the C5s off road and on road. What problems did you have?
@@peterw4338 suspension problems mainly on all of them, clutch went on one and steering rack on another also wiper motors on 2 of them, as I said I like them but never again unless I can find a good one with springs
There is something wrong with the audio in the first minute.
The whole audio is s**t. I got an app that allowed me to record with a bluetooth mic I have, and I re-recorded the video about 4 times and I still couldn't get the sound right. Sorry about that.
@@comcarclubdamn thats unfortunate because the video is very informative
Could see this becoming popular again in great Britain where the potholes make the roads look like a french farmer's field in the 1950's. Could also be good in EV's since they are so monstrously heavy
Bought a 2011 C5 with hydraulic suspension. The ride is smoother, quieter and more comfortable than in S series Mercedes. Unfortunately the Prince engine is a disaster...😢
I had opportunity to ride my colleague's Skoda Superb (1.6 Petrol and 4x4 2.0 Diesel), Volvo XC60, Mercedes GLA, and C220... They are all very comfortable cars, but not smooth as C5. Acctualy one taxi driver had VW passat vagon (not sure if it's b7 or b8) that could be compared to c5.