Two-way readiness. Are the Citroen C5 and Honda Accord ready to challenge the Audi A4? / Audi test drives

We booked three cars. Honda — in the top Executive version with a two-liter engine. Citroen — in the Exclusive body, under its hood is a three-liter engine. Solid "exes" everywhere you look! And Audi — with a two-liter turbo engine producing 211 horsepower: it will have to prove that it is no worse, and possibly better. All cars have automatic transmissions. But when we came to pick up the Accord, it turned out we got the Type-S version: no leather interior, no electric seat adjustments, and also a six-speed manual. And in the Audi, instead of a gasoline engine, there was a two-liter turbodiesel. We already wanted to refuse the "solyaris", but the fleet had a car with a 1.8 TFSI gasoline engine (160 hp) and a CVT. Do we take it? And where can we go? Otherwise, gathering and booking will take another month. It seems Audi got a head start in advance. Since the test started with engines of different power, let's immediately dot the i's. The 1.8 TFSI engine is a fresh development from Volkswagen. By the way, it is on its basis, by increasing the piston stroke, that the new 2.0 TFSI was created, which replaced the previous units. That's the one we originally wanted. Interestingly, the cylinder block here is cast iron, not aluminum as before. But the engine itself is more compact, the distance between cylinders is smaller, and it weighs 4 kilograms less. The power, of course, is not impressive, but peak 250 N•m is available already at 1500 rpm. The Honda has a modernized engine from the previous generation. The Japanese raised the compression ratio, refined the fuel system, and power grew from 190 to 201 hp, and torque — by just one unit, to 234 N•m. But they promise lower fuel consumption. True, the economy is taught by indicators on the dashboard that suggest optimal shift points. But the engine of the "C-five", created by the PSA concern together with Renault, is a real veteran: it first appeared 11 years ago on the Peugeot 406 Coupe. Then it produced 190 horsepower, now — 215. But... Despite the highest power, the C5 loses to everyone in the standing sprint! And it's not just the engine — the gearbox categorically doesn't want the Citroen owner to be mistaken for a street racer: the C5 starts off very smoothly. But that's half the trouble. The real shock is the Accord with a manual, which barely overtakes the A4 with a CVT. With a difference of 41 "horses"! But with speed buildup, the Citroen surges ahead: displacement matters, and the "automatic" no longer interferes. Okay, enough with dynamics. Let's catch our breath and look around. All cars came to us as if for an interview: black, on large wheels. But the Audi, although it has the best recommendations, seems to have been preparing for the meeting for six months. The car is packed with pleasantries: optional seats with electric adjustment, memory, heating and ventilation, Audi drive select system, blind spot monitoring, adaptive bi-xenon headlights, MMI interface — the Honda and Citroen are as far from such wealth as the moon! Ergonomics are top-notch. There are enough seat and steering wheel adjustments for anyone, and the seats are the best in the test. Quality is in place. Pleasant plastic, well-thought-out buttons (the main thing is that it's immediately clear which one does what). The only things that cause bewilderment are the light control unit and the silver plastic trim around the instruments. And why does a regular Golf have a floor-mounted gas pedal, but the A4 doesn't? Nevertheless, the Audi's place is in the chamber of weights and measures. Competitors will have to try hard to be noticed. Honda is trying! The design is good: the interior seems to envelop you. And the seating is comfortable, and the steering wheel is excellent, and the short-throw gear lever, as crisp as an HD picture, is simply superb. The gas pedal, like its predecessor, is floor-mounted. The Japanese are attentive to details. Look at the turn signals: on many cars, to blink three times, it's enough to touch the lever once. Honda went further — a short press gives a "burst", and if you hold it a little longer, there will be a single "shot". And they didn't bother to come up with it! And the backlight adjustment? Everything and everywhere goes out evenly, identically. Perfectionism? But why is the backlight blue everywhere, on the steering wheel suddenly green, and on the left — blue-green? What's this Koreanism for? The trim materials also fall short of the ideal. Plastic door handles, a front panel seemingly made from recycled tarpaulin boots, and a generally gray mood. And completely frustrating ergonomic miscalculations: a conveniently located but somehow too short footrest for the left foot, or the "music" control unit — you want to turn up the volume, but you hit Radio Radonezh. And all because the largest and grippiest knob is responsible for flipping through radio stations. And the seats seem excellent, with the best side support in the test, but with too short a cushion and a backrest shaped like the letter "z". If Honda goes into a clinch, Citroen hits from the left. The French, it seems, decided that everyone is so used to their small "flaws" that on the "C-five" they will go unnoticed — why fix them? Yes, the seat heating wheels are still hidden God knows where, in the labyrinth of the menu the Minotaur himself would get lost, and the right button on the steering wheel will have to be searched for together with Monsieur Poirot. So what? The French are not perfectionists. They are impressionists. The C5 knows how to impress. Originality flows from the clever shape of the ventilation deflectors, shines from the instruments, and permeates the trim materials and the steering wheel with a non-fixed hub and an accordion of buttons, silver inserts on the sides of the seats and doors. And you put your hand into the door pocket and... calm down, the backlight just turns on inside. But the rearview mirror can bite your finger when you try to adjust it. Even more surprising is the seating position — you sit as if in a crossover. And it's not about the adjustable ground clearance — even if the Citroen squats down, the sensations are the same. Wide soft seats unobtrusively recommend you to lounge, and if you wish, they'll give you a massage. "Quack-quack" — the Citroen reminded me that I forgot to turn off the lights. Merci, Citroën! Let's go. The Citroen's seats are wide, with electric adjustments, and the driver's seat also remembers two positions and can massage the lower back. For such a car, that's just what you need! In the back, there's almost as much legroom as in the Audi, but the cabin is more spacious in width, and the central tunnel is low — three people will be fine here. Second-row passengers have air vents on the pillars, door pockets, and nets on the backs of the front seats. There's also an armrest box with two cup holders. In the Honda, the seats are the firmest of all. But the cushion is a bit short, and lumbar support is only adjustable for the driver. In the back, there's as much leg and headroom as in the others. There are no separate air vents. The only conveniences are door pockets, an armrest, and a net on the back of the front passenger seat.

How does the Citroen drive? Look into any showroom, take a brochure of any model, and count how many times the word "different" appears there. Then take a ride in the Audi or Honda — and you'll see: they are similar to each other, differences are only in details. But the Citroen is truly different.

The Citroen's handling is peculiar. In corners, the car is fast, the main thing is to act smoothly.

You get on the highway, press the gas — and it's like flying! The suspension in softness can be compared to a grandmother's sofa, but in a turn, the car becomes more composed and stiffer. Moreover, our example with the V6 is stiffer than its four-cylinder siblings: the Hydractive III+ hydropneumatics received more body position sensors, different settings, and 19-inch wheels. The six-speed "automatic" shifts faster, but the jolts are also more noticeable — although the gearbox is exactly the same as on the two-liter diesel version.

The Citroen C5 handles bumps incredibly softly, but body roll is noticeable: for those who get motion sickness, even Sport mode won't save you.

The main thing in the Citroen is to find a common language with it. No sharpness: pedals — only smoothly, the steering wheel — too. And under no circumstances brake before potholes: then the suspension will go into sport mode for a couple of seconds, and the C5 will pass the bump harshly. But if you make friends, you'll get a lot of driving pleasure. No, you don't have to crawl like a turtle. You can fly at 160, but you need to do it calmly and confidently. And if you try to drive the Citroen like a regular car, the idyll collapses: the large steering wheel and body rolls start to irritate, uncertainty appears, and the rocking gets to you. Sport suspension mode helps, but only slightly. So you need to drive an original car in an original way! Otherwise, you'll just go crazy.

The "four" after the Citroen seems too sharp. The brakes are overly sensitive, the steering wheel and accelerator are sharp. But everything is just as it should be! Moreover, the Audi itself provokes dynamic driving. It doesn't even provoke, but gently nudges. Excellent sound insulation and the CVT hide the real speed, although, as we saw at the beginning, it's there! And you're already speeding, boldly entering corners.

In terms of dynamics, the 160-horsepower A4 is almost as good as its rivals. And what would they do with the 211-horsepower version?

An interesting feature is the Audi drive select system, which changes the gearbox algorithm, throttle response, firmness of the electronically controlled shock absorbers, and steering effort on the fly. Unfortunately, it's just a toy. There are three modes — Comfort, Auto, and Dynamic. And the last one hides the whole trick: the CVT starts simulating an eight-speed automatic, the pedals become more responsive, and the suspension gets denser. All great. But the steering wheel! In Dynamic, it gets heavier, but the effort on it is in no way related to feedback. It's present even where it shouldn't be! And you can't customize the parameters to your liking in our car. Too bad! For that, you need a fourth button — Individual. Our car doesn't have it.

But the chassis is still excellent! Almost perfect front-wheel-drive handling (almost, because the large moment of inertia still makes itself known), and the suspension is the same German classic, like Bach. Not to be confused with a bang-bang — it doesn't make extra noises — it's a bit stiff but energy-intensive. Except that on a broken road, too many vibrations and impacts are transmitted to the A4's steering wheel, but the car holds its course. However, for smooth driving, you also need to concentrate yourself. The Citroen handles measured movement more easily.

And what about Honda? The Accord with the Type-S badge differs from the regular one with wider tires and stiffer shock absorbers, promising the sharpest handling. The promise is fulfilled! The Accord responds to the steering wheel faster than the others, and the suspension transmits all asphalt defects to the driver's seat with a dull thud. Confusing? Not at all! After all, what prevents Honda from being a competitor to Audi?

Up to a certain point, the Accord seems very easy to drive, but then it can surprise you unpleasantly.

The steering settings get in the way. Honda presents a surprise — due to the illogically increasing effort, you oversteer, turning the wheel more than necessary. It turns out that's how the power steering works, which cunningly changes the reactive action on the steering wheel depending on the situation. According to the developers' idea, this should help the driver avoid understeer. But such tricks only confuse me! Another annoyance is the stiff suspension (surprisingly!) allows body roll on long waves.

But the Honda holds a straight line no worse than others, and most importantly — if the Citroen encourages active driving, and the Audi imposes a fight with traffic, then with the Honda you can do whatever you want. Steering wheel, pedals, gearbox — everything is so clear that it doesn't require getting used to. Whatever mood you have, the car has the same.

Honda has caught up in many parameters. But in the reckless pursuit of premium, it lost half of its charm. The previous Accord was a fighter — rough but honest. This one is still strong, but already retired. It became more solid and... bland. And if you remember how the Accord's dynamics worsen with the automatic... It's not destined to catch up with Audi, even with the 1.8 T engine.

The largest trunk is in the Audi (480 L), followed by the Honda (467 L) and Citroen (439 L). For transporting large items, the Audi is best suited — it has a low loading height and the widest opening. The Citroen is slightly less convenient, and the Honda with its "crooked" trunk is the outsider.

But the Citroen doesn't catch up; it cuts across! Yes, in terms of equipment level, material quality, and ergonomics, it can't reach the Audi. But it looks and drives amazingly! And if all cars start to seem the same — it's ready to dispel that misconception. You don't have to take it in maximum trim: on the contrary, the car with a two-liter diesel and the same six-speed automatic has an even more cohesive (or softer?) character and — for less money. Therefore, the Citroen gets our sympathy award. But — not the main one.

The award, shining with LED eyes, goes to the Audi. No miracles, of course, happened. It's still the most thoughtful, most technological, and most practical car of our trio. And — even if you don't take into account the richest equipment — the most expensive. But, having won the comparative test, it proved that it has the right to do so.

Technical specifications

Specifications	Audi A4	Citroen C5	Honda Accord
Body
Number of doors/seats	4/5	4/5	4/5
Length, mm	4703	4779	4726
Width, mm	1826	1860	1840
Height, mm	1427	1451	1440
Wheelbase, mm	2808	2815	2705
Track front/rear, mm	1564/1551	1560/1540	1590/1590
Curb weight, kg	1450	1725	1518
Gross weight, kg	2000	2230	2030
Trunk volume, L	480	439	467
Engine
Type	gasoline, with direct injection and turbocharging	gasoline, with distributed injection	gasoline, with distributed injection
Location	front, longitudinal	front, transverse	front, transverse
Number and arrangement of cylinders	4, in-line	6, V-shaped	4, in-line
Number of valves	16	24	16
Displacement, cm³	1798	2946	2354
Max power, hp/rpm	160 at 4500–6200	215 at 6000	201 at 7000
Max torque, N•m/rpm	250 at 1500–4500	290 at 3750	234 at 4500
Transmission
Gearbox	chain-type CVT	automatic, 6-speed	manual, 6-speed
Drive	front	front	front
Chassis
Front suspension	independent, spring, double-wishbone	independent, hydropneumatic, McPherson	independent, spring, on double wishbones
Rear suspension	independent, spring, double-wishbone	independent, hydropneumatic, on trailing arms	independent, spring, multi-link
Front brakes	disc, ventilated	disc, ventilated	disc, ventilated
Rear brakes	disc	disc	disc
Ground clearance, mm	147	110–170	150
Performance characteristics
Maximum speed, km/h	225	224	227
Acceleration time 0–100 km/h, s	8.6	9.2	7.9
Fuel consumption, L/100 km
— urban cycle	9.9	15.6	12
— suburban cycle	5.5	7.5	6.6
— combined cycle	7.1	10.5	8.6
Toxicity standard	Euro 4	Euro 4	Euro 4
Fuel tank capacity, L	65	71	70
Fuel	AI-95	AI-95 – 98	AI-95

Equipment	Audi A4	Citroen C5	Honda Accord
Front airbags	+	+	+
Side airbags and inflatable curtains	+	+	+
Knee airbags	+	+	+
Electronic stability control	+	+	+
Dynamic stabilization system	+	+	+
Cruise control	O	+	+
Rear parking sensors	+	+	-
Front parking sensors	O	+	-
Fog lights	+	+	+
CD player with MP3 support	+	+	+
CD changer	O	+	+
Multifunction steering wheel	+	+	+
Power-adjustable and heated rearview mirrors	+	+	+
Electrochromic rearview mirror	O	+	+
Front and rear power windows	+	+	+
On-board computer	+	+	+
Steering column with tilt and reach adjustment	+	+	+
Dual-zone climate control	+	+	+
Power-adjustable front seats	O	+	-
Heated front seats	+	+	+
Ventilated front seats	O	-	-
Xenon headlights	-	-	+
Bi-xenon headlights	O	+	-
Rain and light sensors	+	+	+
Tire pressure sensors	-	+	-
Space-saver spare wheel	+	+	+
Alloy wheels	+	+	+
Leather upholstery	O	O	-
Leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear knob	+	+	+
Driver's seat vibration massage	-	+	-
Navigation system	O	O	-
Alarm system	+	+	+
Electronically controlled shock absorbers	O	-	-
Electronically controlled hydropneumatic suspension	-	+	-
Metallic paint	O	O	O
Base trim price, RUB	1 151 500	1 250 000	940 000
Tested car price, RUB	1 720 246	1 383 800	950 000

Safety

All three cars, regardless of their premium status, showed excellent results in Euro NCAP crash tests, receiving the maximum five stars for adult occupant safety. The Audi A4 scored 34 points, while the Citroen C5 and Honda Accord scored 35 each. Child occupant protection was rated four stars for all: 41 points for the Audi, 38 for the Citroen, and 39 for the Honda. However, the situation with pedestrians is more complicated: the Audi and Citroen received only two out of four stars (14 and 11 points respectively). The Honda is noticeably better here — three stars and 19 points.

Technology

The main feature of the Audi A4 is the drive select system. In the top trim, it allows you to change many parameters on the go: throttle response, stiffness of the electronically controlled shock absorbers, steering effort, and the algorithm of the active steering system with variable ratio. Moreover, each parameter can be adjusted separately. Our car was in a simpler version — without variable-ratio steering and without detailed drive select settings.

The Hydractive III+ suspension on the second-generation Citroen C5 is fundamentally no different from that of its predecessor. It is one of the few systems in the world that can change ground clearance, stiffness, and damping characteristics. There are still six spheres where nitrogen acts as a spring element. But, unlike early Citroens, such as the XM model, the brakes and power steering are no longer connected to the Hydractive system in a single circuit.

The suspension design of the Honda is the same as that of the previous Accord: double wishbone at the front and multi-link at the rear. Thanks to the extensive use of ultra-high-strength steel, the body weight has hardly increased, while rigidity has grown. Among the Accord's features is steering with a non-linear characteristic and a clever power assist that changes its effectiveness depending on the situation. The idea is that it should hint to the driver which way to turn the wheel in an emergency, but it only confused us.

Behind the scenes

Short daylight hours, roads covered in mud after rain, and three black cars — a real nightmare for a photographer. But we managed to shoot over the weekend, although washing took a considerable amount of time. In addition, at the next DRIVE2.RU meeting, everyone interested could inspect our cars.