Citroen C5 (2012) facelift first pictures

Citroen has upgraded the C5 with what must go down as one of the lightest facelifts yet seen on a 'new' car.

However, there's been more significant change beneath the surface, headlined by a fresh satellite navigation interface.

Believe it or not, it is - just about. The main exterior changes for the C5 amount to a tweak of the front grille to encorporate the brand's refreshed, more rounded double-chevron badge, attractive 17-inch alloy wheels and brown paint (or the more glamourous-sounding pearlescent Guaranja Brown option).

There's part leather upholstery on the Exclusive trim level, as well as Citroen's 'eMyWay' sat-nav system. With a name like that, perhaps it incoporates a Yorkshire accent for its directional commands. 

USB and Bluetooth compatiblity sockets are now grouped together in the 'Connectivity Box', and an optional reversing camera can be twinned with the central navigation display.

To simplify the C5 range there are three new optional trim packs: VTR Techno gets you 16-inch alloys, rear parking sensors, eMyWay and chrome window surrounds, while VTR+ adds 17-inch rims but loses the front foglights. Top-of-the-range Exclusive spec cars ride on 18-inch wheels, and gain front parking sensors, and that rear camera on the Tourer estate versions.

All three options packs set you back £700 apiece.

From £19,895 for the saloon, and £20,995 for the Tourer. Facelifted cars are available to order in the UK from 2 July 2012.

Citroen has sold over 400,000 examples of the current-gen C5 since its debut in 2008. But it remains rare-groove in the UK - Citroen sold fewer than 1500 C5s here last year; for comparison, over 20,000 Ford Mondeos found UK homes in the same period.

By Ollie Kew