The C5 saloon received a five star Euro NCAP crash test rating. This is the maximum score, although anything less than the top score would be considered poor for this type of car. The Tourer is equally as safe and seven airbags come as standard (including side, curtain knee airbags), while two extra rear side airbags can be specified as options. Stability control and electronic brakeforce distribution (which automatically varies the amount of braking on each wheel depending) are both standard plus there are three Isofix points (two in the back and one for the front passenger seat).

On the security side, there’s an alarm, deadlocks and laminated glass to help prevent break-ins.

With the rear seats in place the C5 Tourer offers a decent 505 litres of boot space – that’s larger than the Peugeot 407 SW although not as big as the cavernous Ford Mondeo Estate. The luggage area is wide and easy to access thanks to a large opening, although there’s an annoying load lip and no underfloor storage areas. Lowering the rear seats could be easier too – there’s no lever in the boot so the only way to fold them is by leaning in through the rear doors.

Once folded, the boot capacity increases to almost 1500 litres while the suspension can be cleverly raised or lowered to make loading heavy items easier. An electric tailgate is also available but while it’s a handy feature it’s not particularly quick and can’t be manually overridden.