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| Citroën designers are always pushing the envelope. Sometimes they get it all wrong. But every now and again, they manage to make a truly sublime automobile. This 2012 DS5 is such an automobile
(www.iyamila.com / Frans Kruger)
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THE French and Germans have between them concocted a lot of misery
in the world.
To name but a few, there’s our government’s arms deal scandal
involving French company Thale and before that, Oom Paul Kruger’s cosy little
dynamite deal. That one saw Edward Lippert enjoying the sole concession to supply
German dynamite to the Boer republic’s mines in the late 1880s and was one of the Boer War sparks, by the way.
Their combined cultures have also visited on the rest of humanity
the divisive politics of Francophone Africa, beer gardens, terrible porn stars,
Hitler’s Beetle and as the piece de resistance, Volkstümliche
Musik, better known as oompah bands. But now all that can be forgiven and
forgotten.
For in one fell swoop, these European giants have managed to create
between them an engine that is just sublime, and they put it in a car that is
already a classic.
The little 200HP (149 kW) has again won Engine
Technology International’s prestigious 2012 International Engine of the Year
Award in the 1,4 to 1,8-litre category. The 1,6-litre, four-cylinder,
direct-injection turbo petrol engine is developed in co-operation with PSA
Peugeot Citroën and BMW Group. It is the crown jewel in the glittering family of
petrol powerplants that range from 1,4 to 1,6 litres and from 70 kW to 149 kW
(95 to 200 horsepower).
The engines are
available on the Citroën C3, C3 Picasso, C4, C4 Picasso and C5, DS3, DS4 and
DS5.
The DS5 does not look a rider’s car. From inside it is the size of
a barge and it weighs 2 050 kg.
But direct injection and variable valves combine with intelligent
traction control and a slick gearbox to make the DS5 a car that will inspire you
to take the long way home.
The exhaust noise has been tuned to a warbly purr that had me
turning the radio off.
And never mind the fuel price. This motors just sips — even with the
right foot flat all the way.
When parked, it is the kind of car that will have you rubbing off
any small blemish that may tarnish the metallic paint, or just opening the door to point out the
beauty of the handles to passers-by.
Inside, its a tech-fest. The cockpit has over 80 buttons, two of them just to control the geeky
heads-up display. Around the plethora of buttons, the finishing shines with the type of less-is-more design
that can only come when thousands of man-hours have been invested in making
everything prettier.
Under the skin, a very necessary reversing camera, static cornering
lights, keyless access and a starter button all help to smooth the parking-lot experience.
However, as is wont with Citroëns, it all comes at a price.
The DS5 THP 200 Manual Sport is listed at R495, 741 under "special offers" on
Citroën’s website.
But there are several demos for a grand less on various websites.
And because French cars do not hold their value, I recommend getting one cheaply
next year — if only for its classic value. (First published in The Witness, (Africa's oldest daily newspaper) under: "ALWYN VILJOEN becomes a DS5 imbongi"
