FirstDrive - Citroen C6: It's a brave move for any French firm to enter the premium market, given the rather chequered history that nation's car brands have had in the segment. In a market dominated by the Germans, the likes of Peugeot and Renault have tried and failed to make any sort of impact.
Now, along comes Citroën's bold C6; trying to emulate the last French Goddess, the famous DS.
It certainly makes a visual impact, truly unique with its long sweeping bonnet and stylish rump that won us over from the first time we came across it. Sitting rather squat to the road, the retro design harks back to the halcyon days of the DS, a car that attracted attention from even the likes of Jean-Paul Sartre and for which there remains an active fan base.
The C6 is a big car, as large as any of its competitors, among whom the arch-rivals are undoubtedly BMW's 5-Series, Mercedes' E-Class and Audi's A6. Although it is built on the same platform as the smaller C5, Citroën has increased the wheelbase substantially.
It epitomises the comfort characteristics that Citroën were famous for all those years ago. The C6 wafts along on the motorway, its occupants sitting back in the large comfortable seats, surrounded by large areas of glass. You can't help feeling a certain air of importance in the C6. Driving it provokes a certain Gallic snobbery in even the most egalitarian Celt.
The primary focus for the engineers seems to have been comfort, after which comes technology. There's a high level of gadgetry as standard on the C6, the most eyecatching of which is the heads-up display that projects a digital reading of speed onto the windscreen. Its position can be adjusted to best suit the driver and the claims by the car firm that it's an added safety feature - keeping the driver's focus on the windscreen rather than looking down to check the speedometer - is warranted. While the technology is not new to this segment, it has not been offered as standard before.
As with the most basic laws of physics, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Citroën's decision to offer silky comfort on motorways means the car wallows around on more demanding country roads. Even in sports mode the car doesn't feel settled when pushed along on wet twisting stretches and the steering feels too neutral and imprecise for this car to be ever described as sporting.
It's the price Citroën has chosen to pay for what it hopes will be regarded as the car of choice for those who rank comfort above raciness.
While driving it may not bring a smile to your face, it's the sort of car you could take on an eight-hour journey across the continent and still feel relatively relaxed at the end of it.
The comfort factors are clear when you are sitting in the back as well, with the seats set well back and sofa-like, thereby giving plenty of legroom. You sit into the seats rather than on them.
The second trade-off is in the use of technology. While we cannot criticise the quality of the electronics in the C6, previous efforts by French firms to add fancy electronic features to their cars have not always ended happily. Of the engines on offer, the 3-litre petrol unit seemed rather sedate compared to the far superior 2.7-litre diesel. Given France's fondness for diesel, and the ability of its engineers in this area, it's not surprising that the torquey diesel manages to be both powerful, smooth and relatively quiet. It's the same engine used by Peugeot and Jaguar and certainly the only engine to consider when buying a C6. Other engine options will be launched in the near future.
Fit and finish is good, though the interior plastics are not on a par with German marques and the central console and controls are nowhere near as good as either BMW's iDrive or Audi's MMI control system.
The big question, of course, is whether Citroën has a strong enough reputation as a brand to take on the might of the Germans. As nice as it is and as much as we admire the design and comfort, a minimum of €61,500 is a lot to pay for the Chevron brand and one has to wonder what sort of reaction buyers will get when they go to trade in their C6s after three or four years. It's fair to say dealers for the German brands will not be rushing out with the chequebooks.
For those looking to stand out from the crowds, there are few cars that do so quite as dramatically as the C6. However, for most it will really only feature on the shortlist if it's the company's money and not their own that is being spent.
The first customer for the C6 was French President Jacques Chirac, undoubtedly not spending his own money. Clearly hoping to help promote the French car industry, the sight of Chirac's cavalcade heading down the Champs Elysee with the Citroen at its heart evokes memories of the DS in Frederick Forsyth's Day of the Jackal.
Yet Chirac is no De Gaulle and the jury is still out on whether the C6 can earn the same respect and fondness as the DS.
