Dare to be different
Above: The Citroen C6
Above: .
You can’t measure style. There is no official scale; indeed, style doesn’t actually exist as a tangible entity – it’s more of a gut feeling, an instinct that tells you whether it’s present or not.
Citroen’s C6 has style. You can tell from the way pedestrians stare at it as you drive past, but it isn’t possible to label the C6’s looks – it isn’t pretty in the way a Lamborghini Miura makes you want to run your hand over it, and it’s not ugly in the way a Triumph TR7 makes you want to cry.
You can’t really brand the C6 as a good or a bad-looking car, because it throws away the rulebook of conventionally pretty design and instead produces an unusual reaction – one of intrigued uncertainty.
Changing shapes
From some angles, it looks lean, taut and angular. From others it looks soft, cumbersome and uncomfortable with its own size; as you walk around the car, its shapes change and with it your opinions. If you were to buy one of these you’d have to borrow one first and park it on your drive, just to see how it looked in front of your house.
Whatever your conclusion, of one thing there is no debate – nothing else on the road looks like this. It is hugely imposing, and neat touches like the concave rear windscreen and the Art-Deco chevrons on the wheels show an attention to detail found on few cars this side of £50k
Swing the frameless door open and you’re greeted with that most coveted of luxuries - space. Our test car was flamboyantly cream in colour, and the fit and finish is of a very high standard. Accents of wood grace the top of the dash and semi-circular door pockets, making a refreshing change from the huge swathes of tree that cut through many car interiors these days.
The seats are large and comfortable, with admirable support for a French car, and the dash layout remains simple and uncluttered. A nice touch is the electric seat control, located next to the arm rest on the door and therefore saving you from having to fumble around down the side of the seat for the appropriate unseen switch.
It is however in the rear where you really travel in style. An optional Lounge Pack gives passengers in the back the opportunity, at the touch of a button, to recline the back of their (also heated) individual seat while the base moves forward. You’ll also be able to slide the passenger seat all the way forward for extra legroom, but to be honest you won’t need to – there’s plenty of that already.
The C6 is for quiet, dignified and unruffled cruising
The C6 comes with a choice of two engines – both V6s – and as is becoming increasingly the case, the 2.7 diesel is the one to go for. It’s the same unit you’ll find powering Jaguar’s S-Type, and it’s one of the most refined diesels around.
In the C6 it drives the front wheels through a relatively slow-witted six-speed automatic transmission. 62 mph arrives in a not-devastating 8.9secs, but the sooner you realise this car was not built for pace but for comfort, the sooner it ceases to matter. In good hands, the diesel should return more than 32mpg, which isn’t class-leading but still isn’t bad for a car of this size.
The steering is eerily light at parking speeds, and becomes firmer as your speed increases, but at times it is inconsistent, occasionally becoming more resistant halfway through a corner. There is no shortage of grip, but its tendency towards understeer on the limit belies its front wheel drive layout.
Driving dynamics
Even with the Sport mode engaged it lacks the poise and agility of its rivals, but then C6 was never meant to be about driving dynamics.
Underneath all that bodywork lies Citroen’s party piece – hydraulic suspension. Not for the easily seasick, the suspension constantly re-levels itself and alters its damping to adjust to the road surface you are driving over – concrete, gravel, rutted tarmac, badgers –isolating you from the imperfections of the British road network.
On the motorway, the suspension lowers itself, hunkering down to keep it more stable and save you fuel. A speed-sensitive spoiler rises from the rear deck, and putting your foot down doesn’t elicit anything as uncouth as to give you a shove in the back, instead the car just quietly gains pace with a minimum of fuss.
The diesel is silent at speed, and thanks to laminated twin-glazed windows, wind and tyre noise is also nothing more than a soft background murmur.
Safety, as with all Citroen's, is an important factor. Boasting nine airbags for your head, middle, knees and other bits of you as well, the C6 achieved a full five stars for its passenger safety. Top marks there then, but before you’ve reached the ‘whoops, pass me the airbag, dear’ stage, systems such as a device that vibrates your seat if you’re reckless enough to change lanes without indicating, ensure you stay on the right side of the undergrowth.
Active safety
Should you be unlucky enough to step out in front of one of these, you’ll also be pleased to know it is the first car ever to be awarded four stars for pedestrian safety. Sensors at the front of the car realise when you’ve begun your trajectory across the bonnet, and fire charges to lift it a few crucial inches away from the hard engine, instead cushioning you in the comfort and softness of sheet metal. Well, it’s all relative isn’t it? And it might just save your life.
Helping keep your eyes on the road, and therefore hopefully avoiding said pedestrian in the first place, is a head-up display. Able to give you vital information like speed and sat nav directions, a green adjustable readout hangs suspended in the windscreen allowing you to access data without having to take your eyes from the road. It takes a while to get used to, but it works a treat and is adjustable for the driver’s height.
Because Citroen is to sell these in hundreds, not thousands, there’s a very good chance (should you throw a deposit down), that you’ll be the only person in your town with a C6. That’s exclusivity on a spectacular scale – standing out will not be difficult in one of these; a claim anyone owning one of its many Bavarian rivals will be unable to make.
Starting at just over £29,500 for the base model petrol, a top-spec diesel will set you back nearly £38,000, but don’t expect it to hold its value like its rivals.
Speaking of rivals, they are mostly German, and naturally offer a more involving driving experience. It’s perhaps an unfair comparison then - the big Citroen was never designed to corner flat and fast, its strength lying in its supreme comfort and genuine luxury. It’s for quiet, dignified and unruffled cruising and at this, it’s perfect.
ENGINE: 2.7 HDi
PERFORMANCE: 0-62 8.9sec, 143mph
ECONOMY: 32.5 (combined)
PRICE: from £29,545
OUR PICK: 2.7 HDi Exclusive
VERDICT: Sheer luxury and style make it stand apart from rivals
SHOOT LOCATION: Eynsford
Words by Michael Palmer, pictures by Matthew Richardson