THE new Citroen C6 is possibly the most prestigious car the firm has made for a long time. It is so posh that French President Jacques Chirac was seen as a passenger on Bastille Day.
Citroen has been adventurous for years as far as looks, suspension systems and instrumentation.
When Barnsley had its first dealers in the 50s they were big–car eye–catchers, yet the company had a reputation for producing large luxury cars since the 1920s when there were no such things as market sectors.
Most will remember the Ds in 1955 with its first self–levelling suspension, the hissing of which I thought was a bulldog on the pavement. Then followed the SM with a Maserati engine only to be followed by the CX and XM with the C6 now coming into the frame.
So different from other cars, my journey in the C6 was also unusual in the beautiful Cotswolds. It was a May morning with a temperature of about 15 degrees yet as I drove through Bibury – the next village to the other Barnsley – it was snowing.
Did I need to test the car’s anti–skid facility? No, they were making a Hollywood film at Arlington Row to be called ‘Stardust’, and to be released next year. It was artificial snow.
There is no mistaking the C6 is a Citroen because it carries the family’s frontal appearance, but it does share its platform with Peugeot, continuing a long trend of sharing body and mechanical parts. And why not?
The C6 is the Citroen flagship, and so it deserves the tag because it looks so beautiful and sleek and is luxurious.
The bonnet is long with an extended front overhang and short rear overhang. There is a flowing waistline, frameless doors, chrome window surrounds, and no messy strips.
The back is as good as the front, with a high, arched boot lid with an unusual concave rear window that allows the boot lid to neatly fall into place when lifted.
The newcomer is full of safety features, including an active bonnet system that automatically pops up in the event of pedestrian impact. It creates a cushioning effect between the engine and the bonnet.
Inside is just as luxurious as the exterior, but I reckon the cream interior would soon get soiled. It includes the lane departure warning system first introduced in the C4.
Each side of the driver’s seat are vibrators that start to operate should the driver drift over white lines, such as falling asleep at the wheel. It operates at speeds over 50mph.
There’s fighter pilot technology on the fascia with large digital speedo and the image of the speed, navigation and other information beamed onto the windscreen. Fittings and space are equal to cars twice the price – £29,545 to £37,845. When it comes to power units there is a 3.0i V6 petrol and 2.7HDi V6 diesel. Both have top speeds of 143mph and combined, the petrol will give 25.2mpg and the diesel 32.5mpg.
The diesel I felt, was the better unit and for some reason, the petrol had lighter steering. Possibly the difference in engine weight. For those who want to stand out in the crowd, the C6 could be their car, because there will not be many about.
