Versailles, as a blockbuster product of Dongfeng Citroen, has been carrying the banner of brand sales. In the face of consumer demand in the market, the 2024 Citroen was finally officially released, and a new version was brought to it, "Travel Extraordinary". "Hypnos" comes from the Greek god of sleep, meaning chic, comfortable. The appearance is higher, and the leisure style is more obvious. Configuration upgrade, Dongfeng Citroen focuses on listening to customer opinions and suggestions, and continues to create better products for customers, which is quite powerful.
Exterior part, Dongfeng Citroen Versailles C5 X Brigade Extraordinary Edition provides Eclipse Polar Night Blue and Space Silver two car colors to choose from, among which the new Eclipse Polar Night Blue car paint, jointly presented by PPG and AKZO paint manufacturers, is completed by the water-based coating process without middle coating, and its paint main agent is mainly composed of saturated pure blue paste + fine particle size round pearlescent powder.
With a body length of more than 4.8 metres and a typical rear line, the SUV makes up the most attractive part of the car's appearance, and the full rear end is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also provides good loading space in the car, which is also the attraction of this type of car.
The Brigade's Extraordinary Edition features campfire red badging on the front fenders and rear badges. The 19-inch diamond-cut glossy black wheels are also standard for the tour, and they are equipped with a black suspended roof + aluminum alloy luggage rack for a more sporty personality. Only the main driver's door has a keyless entry function, but fortunately, when the car key is placed on the body, when approaching or away from the car, the door can be automatically unlocked and locked and the lights are lit, which is slightly ceremonial.
The steeply angled rear window has a sharp spoiler on the upper edge and a raised ducktail profile on the lower edge to further add to the sporty look.
The simple design of the center console gives it a relaxed look. The new Moonlight Grey interior color scheme, the seats and double-piece door guards with logo knitted stitching, high-purity collision low saturation chromatic aberration, create a sense of contrast between day and night. The light-coloured wood-grain door guards and dashboard trim panels create a calming and soothing cabin atmosphere.
The extraordinary seats of the Versailles Brigade are made of high-density padding and multi-layer thickened structural foam, the surface is very soft and comfortable to the touch, but the inner support is also sufficient, and it is more comfortable to sit on. In terms of functionality, the front seats are equipped with seat heating and ventilation functions this time, which is really rare in the same price range.
The trunk of the brigade model supports electric opening and kick induction opening, the trunk floor has a fixed track, the curtain is also a telescopic design, with the stainless steel material threshold and a key to put down the rear seat button and the trunk 12V power interface, the above practical configurations are from European models.
As a crossover style SUV, the wide trunk and excellent loading capacity are naturally the highlights of this car. The fastback body has a wide rear compartment opening, and the lower body than an SUV makes it easier to load and retrieve items. At the same time, the storage depth of 1.9 meters after folding the rear row also meets the needs of travel and loading.
● Power performance: Sufficient for daily driving
In terms of power, it is expected that the new car will still be equipped with a power combination of 1.6T + 8AT, with a maximum output of 129kW and a maximum torque of 250Nm, and the transmission system is matched with an 8-speed automatic manual transmission.
This new 1.6T turbocharged engine does have a slight improvement in parameters compared with the old 1.6T engine. The engine brought forward the timing of turbine intervention to about 1000 rpm. In other words, the turbine is able to start intervening from about 1000rpm. It can significantly improve the phenomenon of low torque before the turbine intervention of small displacement turbocharged engines, and is more suitable for urban commuting and stop-and-go.
In the three driving modes (Sport, Standard, Eco), there are noticeable differences in the characteristics of the power delivery, the gearbox shift logic and even the damping of the steering wheel. For daily commuting, I recommend using the standard mode. The throttle response is responsive, and the power is not as strong as in Sport mode. At the same time, the steering damping of the steering wheel is more uniform and linear, making turning, turning and stopping easier on a daily basis. Japan's Aisin's 8AT gearbox is also worthy of recognition in terms of hardware performance and forgiveness.
Citroen Versailles C5 X adopts a MacPherson independent suspension + trailing arm torsion beam non-independent suspension combination, with the blessing of master tuning skills, the overall comfort performance is better. The vehicle is also equipped with PHC Hydraulic Adaptive Damping, a suspension technology that adjusts the damping by adding a progressive hydraulic shock absorber at the lower end of the shock absorber and adjusting the shock absorption through the cross-sectional area of the convection hole of the variable progressive shock absorber.
When passing through some bumpy road sections, it can more gently dissolve the excess vibration of the road surface, taking into account the high-end sense of driving and the comfort of riding in the car. In the road conditions of cornering, the suspension support also makes me feel very confident. The braking performance also remains linear, and the brake pedal of the heel foot does not need to be deliberately adapted to gain enough driving confidence.
● Summary
As a mid-size car, the 2024 Citroen Versailles C5 X Brigade Extraordinary Edition shows good product strength with its unique exterior design, exquisite interior configuration and strong power performance. It is no exaggeration to say that the popularity and volume of the three words "Versailles" have surpassed its brand "Citroen". Although it still has some "stubborn" design of French cars, these cannot hide its advantages: such as stylish styling, good details, and rich driving fun.