Citroen Looks To Luxury Buyers
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday May 31, 2008
The car Citroen C6
The price $108,750.Vital statistics 2.7-litre V6 turbo diesel (150kW, 440Nm), six-speed automatic transmission.The testers Joshua Dowling and Jaedene Hudson.HE This is the safest car in the world - according to European NCAP testing - if you include all the criteria, including pedestrian protection. It's the first big sedan from Citroen in at least five years. It's fair to say there's no mistaking it for anything else.SHE That's an understatement. I am sorry to say but I reckon the C6 is one of the ugliest cars on the market today.HE What don't you like about it?SHE Where should I start? It might be easier to start with what I do like about it.HE Nah. Come on. Talk me through from the front of the car to the back of the car.SHE I don't like the front of any Citroen but this one takes the cake for me. I don't like the shape of the headlights and the sloping bonnet looks nose-heavy. I don't mind the profile. But it is the rear-end that I particularly don't like. I don't like the horseshoe tail-lights and the concave rear window. I had people pointing at me and laughing!HE This may come as a surprise to you but I must admit it's starting to grow on me.SHE You've got to be joking.HE I am fair dinkum. I really don't mind it. I also like the interior.SHE OK. Well at least that is one thing we do agree on. I really liked the layout of the cabin. Everything is functional and I particularly liked the digital speedo. The materials are nice, too.HE To me it feels like a business-class cabin. I liked the light-coloured interior and the genuine timber door pockets. But I didn't like the front seats. They were too flat and unsupportive.SHE I thought the 2.7-litre turbo diesel V6 (which accounts for 95 per cent of all sales) is a really nice engine but it has a delay in power when moving from rest.HE It's weird because it's the engine that is shared with Jaguar and I don't recall the Jag having this much of a lag in power. What did you think of the rest of the way it drove?SHE I thought the ability to change the suspension setting in the car is a good idea. But, when in the "comfort" setting I felt it was too bouncy and it rocked forward and back like a see-saw. It actually started to make me feel a bit nauseous.HE The hydro-pneumatic suspension takes a while to get used to. You're basically riding on a mattress of air and it's so clever it almost flattens speed bumps. But, I do take your point that it can feel a bit off-putting at first. It took me a few days to get used to it. So would you buy one?SHE No. I think there are better cars around for this money. I would consider a BMW 520d or Mercedes E-Class and keep some change. How about you?HE It's funny you say that because Citroen claims this car will appeal to people who don't want to blend in with other BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes and would prefer something more eccentric. It's certainly that but it is not for me either. I could live with the looks but, for me, it's just too expensive.
© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald