|
Citroën C6 2.7HDi V6 Exclusive Automatic
test
The
directional headlights work superbly, as does
the park assist –
“parking by ear” acquires a totally new
meaning; one that causes no
damage to any of the vehicles involved…
The brakes work very
effectively and pedal pressure is commendably
light but with the
dropping of the high pressure hydraulic brake
operation comes a long
pedal movement. Again this is something
one would get used to and
would require no adjustment whatever if one
were coming to the C6 from
a German car.
|
|
|
So how does the C6 stack up against its
predecessors? It is much more refined
than the XM which, in turn
was more refined than the CX. It is also
much more clever a
design than the XM. It is less
revolutionary than any of its
predecessors but only because everyone else is
using electronics to
achieve similarly clever things. In
terms of the ride
comfort/handling dichotomy it is probably
better than any of its
predecessors – even if it was caught out by
sleeping policemen in a way
that my XM would not be.
And how does it compare with its
peers? Gavin
Green wrote recently in Car, “…BMW 5s, the
Benz Es, the Audi A6s, and
their ilk – are exciting ‘sports’ saloons.
They have big low-profile
tyres, low ground clearance, firm suspension,
powerful engines. They
are aggressively styled – Bill Bryson once
labelled it the ‘f**k you
school of design’. Many are capable of
140mph-plus. They ply motorways
fast and furiously, their big tyres humming on
the tarmac, their bodies
bob and jolt on the bumps before they quickly
hunker down to their low
and aggressive stance.” The C6 is the
antithesis of this school
of design. If it is less a “driver’s
machine” than the German
cars, it will cosset you and ensure that you
arrive at your destination
feeling less stressed than you would were you
to have taken the
Teutonic route. And if you can afford to
employ a chauffeur you
will enjoy long distance travel that can
probably only be matched by a
private yacht or ‘plane. And perhaps
that’s why the car was built
– to save French diplomats and government
ministers from the indignity
of being driven around in German cars…
|
|
I
was very impressed by this car. So were
my younger two children
who pronounced it “cool”. My oldest son
thinks it is uncool to
enthuse about cars but even he conceded it was
impressive. It
clearly draws on its heritage and I doubt that
many Citroën enthusiasts
would be disappointed. Whether it will
be seen as a viable
alternative to the German triumvirate is a
moot point. Part of
its problem will be one of image. Citroën do
cheap and cheerful cars.
Citroën no longer does weird and whacky – that
part of its reputation
is distant history. As is its reputation
for building this sort
of car – an expensive, superbly comfortable
Grande Routičre capable of
covering huge distances quickly, comfortably,
safely and effortlessly.
Citroën’s very success with cars like the
Saxo, C1, C2 and C3 will
probably operate against the C6; more is the
pity.
|
