Six-speed auto for C5 diesel

DIESEL versions account for nearly 80 per cent of C5 sedan and wagon sales in Australia, but that hasn’t stopped Citroen fitting its popular oil-burning C5 variants with more equipment and a six-speed automatic transmission with manual-shift mode to replace the current model’s four-speed self-shifter.

Supplied by Aisin, the French maker claims the new six-speed auto brings smoother performance and maximized economy from the C5 HDi’s 100kW/340Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel. At 92kg, C5 HDi’s new AM6 gearbox is claimed to be lighter and more compact than any six-speed auto currently available, matching the four-speed it will replace for both size and weight.

Available from August and priced at $49,990 for the sedan (C5 HDi Estate pricing will be announced closer to it release), the revised C5 diesels will also feature adaptive Xenon headlights with washers, front and rear parking sensors, body-coloured bumpers and side protection mouldings, auto-folding mirrors and a self-dipping interior mirror.