Citroën C5
Front and side impact rating
Pedestrian rating Child Protection rating
Test Scores: Front 16 (100%) Side 17 (94%) Belt Reminder 3 Overall 36 Pedestrian 8 (22%) Child Protection 36 (73%)
The C5 performed strongly. The stable passenger cell protected all occupants. The car achieved almost a maximum score in the frontal, side and pole tests. However, a rear door opened in the side impact, reducing the score.
The car protected its child occupants reasonably but pedestrians fared poorly.
Impact Protection
Driver Front Impact
Passenger Front Impact
Driver Side Impact
Frontal Impact The body shell suffered minimal deformation and the drivers door opened normally afterwards.
The dual-stage airbags, drivers knee airbag and belt pre-tensioners (dual pre-tensioner for the front passenger) worked well with the load limiters and the stable structure, keeping loads low on the chest and legs.
The footwell suffered little deformation. Extensive foam padding protected front passengers feet and control of pedals was good.
Side Impact A very impressive side impact protection system includes seat mounted thorax airbags and a head curtain airbag, the latter also providing protection for rear seated occupants. The C5 would have achieved maximum points in the side and pole impact but a rear door opened during testing; this is under investigation by Citroën.
Child Protection The recommended restraints used were a Britax Romer Duo Plus for the 3-year-old and a Britax Romer BabySafe Plus for the 18-month-old. The Duo Plus was installed forward facing using the ISOFIX anchorages, while the BabySafe was fitted rear-facing using the adult belts.
Both children were protected although the older childs chest load just qualified as poor in the frontal impact.
A manual on/off switch operates the passenger frontal airbag. Its presence is indicated by a non-permanent pictogram and text label on the passengers end of the fascia. Permanent labels to both sides of the passengers sun visor warned of the dangers of fitting a rear-facing child seat opposite an active airbag.
Pedestrian Protection Pedestrian protection has not improved in the same manner as occupant protection. Only the areas where a childs head might strike provide any cushioning.
The bumper and leading edge of the bonnet were very unfriendly as was the adult head impact area.
Model History & Safety Equipment The C5 features dual frontal airbags, drivers knee airbags, side airbags, head-protecting airbag (curtain), drivers belt with single pre-tensioner, passenger belt with dual pre-tensioner, load limiters for all belts, belt reminder for driver, passenger and rear seat occupants, ABS. ESP and BA.
