Commitment to a new executive car is like a leap into bed with a stranger. For a BMW or Audi, the looks and reputation are so unquestionable we may find ourselves sharing a duvet with no questions asked. Japanese can be exciting, even if you don't really understand each other. But a French executive car? They blow all your cash and then leave in the middle of the night wearing the shirt off your back, n'est-ce pas?
"Nonsense," the new C6 seductively pouts. "In 2.7-litre V6 diesel form I cost just ¯¿½31,545 and my residual forecasting shows I will love you faithfully for years to come. And look at my lovely legs."
Mlle C6 might have a point. Welcome to France's best bid for the hearts of well walleted Brits since Jane Birkin pouted her way to the top of the charts; a car that echoes the DS (pronounced 'deesse' to mean, with characteristic immodesty, 'goddess'), the CX and the XM. France's attempts to make large cars that are taken seriously beyond Calais seems to be governed by the law of diminishing returns, but it looks like the C6 will have a darned good try at changing the trend.
And the looks really are commendable - behold that most endangered of species, an original non-copycat design. Despite its large acreage, the C6's sweeping flanks and curious curves - just check that concave radius of the rear screen - amount to a succinct blend that nods to the past yet equally pays homage to the latest Citroen look.
If the previous C5 looked hastily stamped from a plastic mould, the C6, based on a stretched version of the C5 and Peugeot 407's underside, is leisurely crafted. The only danger is that you look at it like municipal architecture - admirable, but not something you have intentions of taking home to keep.
An early verdict about this car's driveability is reflected in the suspicion that the best place to enjoy it is from the back seat, while a chauffeur wafts you along. Waft is certainly the word here - Citroen's self-levelling hydraulic suspension system now has electronically controlled active springs and dampers, but the sensation is very much magic carpet (too much, your younger passengers might say, as they lunge for the window buttons), as if it is constantly adjusting to deal with threats to your coccyx you were never even aware of. Still, the back seat is a great place to linger and ponder such philosophical questions as "why did the designers fit not one, but two cigarette lighters here?"
When it comes to driving though, that tried-and-tested Ford-PSA 2.7-litre turbodiesel puts in a sterling performance ¢ quiet, smooth and brisk as a Parisian waiter. If there is a criticism, it's that this is no, as they say in Autocar, "driver's car". If you plan to get it sideways at 70mph, it's unlikely to tell you that it's anything more than mildly perturbed. This is a cosseting cocoon, not a tool for loons. BMW and Audiphiles will therefore perhaps steer clear. This machine also sells against Jaguar's S-Type - and again, the Jag has far more driving definition despite its lumpy frame.
If aesthetics are more important to you though, you are in the right place. The C6's dash is a triumph of chic fuss-free design, the main swathe from pillar to pillar emphasising little more than empty space and neat touches like an electronic parking brake keeping the button count down. Every seat in the car is a true throne and the quality of leather, plastics and wood is up there with the best. The message is shockingly Gallic but the materials are Tuetonically reassuring.
Figures as low as ¯¿½8,000 have been quoted to me by third parties when it comes to the price to which a C8 might fall after three years of being out there. That's perhaps a little pessimistic and would certainly spell some plush bargains among used-car fans come 2009. Citroen's own forecasts are that this model will sell primarily to "middle-aged" men. If they do, what will their automotive choice say? That they don't follow the pack, believe mid-30s mpg motoring is more important than practising commuter motorsport and that they have a fondness for French flair. It's the archetypal nice-guy¢s car. And that's no bad thing.
Tiscali verdict: C6 scores an A for ingenuity
