When I got my first in the metal view of the Citroen C5 X at a 2021 preview, I immediately thought of the Citroen XM large executive car I drove a number of times through the 1990s, writes Brian Byrne, eventually discontinued in 2000. Sleek, truly comfortable thanks to its hydro-pneumatic suspension, and close to luxury inside. As a big hatchback, it offered more flexibility than the saloons that were then the norm in the segment. It was a 1990 European Car of the Year. But it wasn’t the success in sales terms its maker hoped, hitting an era when large cars from most mass-market brands were in decline against their premium brand equivalents. Drive on two decades and we have that car’s spiritual successor, with clear physical reflections of the XM. Sleek, truly comfortable, a flexible format as a large hatchback-estate that is aimed at crossing the market between large saloons and the trending SUV format. An interior that can compete in quality terms with any premium brand competitor.