CITROEN is taking a leaf out of the Far Eastern car makers' books by separating brands and elevating its DS cars into a more luxurious sphere.

The Citroen DS5 becomes the DS 5 under a new DS Automobiles banner, aiming to compete with premium brands like Audi, BMW and Infiniti.

And at first glance it would seem to have more than a chance of succeeding, with a new family grille, and quality touches like scrolling indicators and swivelling LED headlights.

The aim is to project an avant garde image, breaking new design ground outside and inside.

I drove the probable top seller - the 2.0-litre 150bhp diesel with a slick and easy manual six speed gearbox.

It purports to be capable of 68 miles per gallon, but the trip computer on my car was showing just 41.5 in real driving.

That drop is quite normal with most car makers, and I've started equating the government urban driving figure to the average most people are likely to get out there in the real world. Check it for yourself - you'll see what I mean.

The engine pulls from just above tickover in top and fifth, without any murmur of protest and there's a big surge of power by 1500 revs.

The standard stop-start works very well, never causing me a problem in a week of driving, and the engine is wonderfully smooth and quiet.

While its not very quick, it never seems short of puff, building on the DS aim of a comfortable, lazy cruiser.

On good road surfaces it can be just that, but despite improvements to the suspension system to make it more comfortable, I found it still thumped over potholes, and felt every imperfection in the road surface.

True, the handling and roadholding are excellent, with immense grip and tremendous adhesion even when pushed unmercifully.

But the level of comfort is not up to the best of the competition by quite a long way, not helped by huge wheels and sprayed-on ultra low profile tyres.

The ambiance inside the Prestige model is individual and up market with almost everything that a Jaguar would have have for a lot less money.

Even the cup holder in the door is illuminated by a gentle red light.

There's a digital speed readout as well as the speedometer and it comes with a huge range of kit including keyless entry and starting, puddle lights, cruise, front and rear parking sensors, leather upholstery and electric adjustment for the driver's seat.

Rear legroom is excellent, with easy room for three, and reading lights in back don't interfere with the driver's night vision.