Is there any car guaranteed not to sell in large numbers like the big, luxurious French car? The last time our neighbour over the English Channel had a real hit on its hands with anything bigger than a D-segment repmobile was probably the Citroen CX, which was fizzling out as the 1990s dawned. French buyers themselves would loyally pick up the lion’s share but Europe-wide, and especially in the UK, subsequent French barges, be they 607s, Safranes, XMs, the Vel Satis or otherwise, have passed by largely unnoticed. The DS9, range-topper of Citroen’s spin-off luxury brand, has sold in the tens since its introduction in 2020.
And yet as car enthusiasts, there’s still something a little special about these larger models. They are automatically an interesting choice, because opting for one means not only deliberately not buying one of the big-three German cars, but also steering clear of the obvious alternatives to those. Buy a plus-size Renault or DS and you’ve made a choice not just to avoid Audi, BMW or Mercedes, but also the likes of Lexus, Infiniti, Genesis, Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, or one of the other not-quite-obvious options.
By their nature, the French cars also tend to look, feel, and behave a little differently, because whatever sales the brands might expect of their cars, they’re aware buyers probably aren’t after the same things as the average Audi buyer. So you might get more interesting styling (Vel Satis), richer materials (DS) or an entirely new concept of car (Avantime).
Or you might get all these things all at once, like the Citroen C6, sold between 2005 and 2012. Fewer than 24,000 found homes in the car’s seven years in production; in comparison, Jaguar moved nearly 300,000 S-Types (a reference we’ll come back to) between 1999 and 2007, and even the Jag was considered small beans next to a BMW 5-Series.
Yet the C6 is already becoming a cult classic, not just because it’s rare (though that surely helps), but because it was also well-liked in its day and continues to be appreciated by a growing number of enthusiasts.
For a start, the C6 arrived during a bit of a bleak period for Citroen specifically but the PSA group as a whole. Sure, sales were still strong for each brand’s volume models, but the Citroen range of the mid-2000s was aesthetically patchy and dynamically weak. Models like the C4, introduced in 2004, were more interesting than their predecessors, but also a bit gimmicky, and without the keen driving characteristics of their predecessors. The less said about the big-grilled and soporific Peugeot range of the time, the better.
The C6’s roots were planted with the C6 Lineage concept all the way back in 1999, so most of us had forgotten that Citroen was capable of something genuinely interesting and striking when the C6 production car debuted. Most of the concept’s details made production largely untouched, from side windows that stretched nearly to the back of the car, to the concave rear screen and wrap-over tail lights. It was grand, simple, and elegant, a spiritual successor not to its wedgy XM predecessor, but to cars like the DS and CX. Clever, too – the Citroen C6 was among the first cars with a bonnet that popped up on pyrotechnics to help minimise the risk of injury in a pedestrian impact.
The cabin was a little more conventional (especially compared to the Lineage, whose bridged centre console contained an actual bonsai tree) but still smart, and the concept’s light colourway made it unscathed too; darker cabin colours were available, but a cheery cream, offset by wooden inserts, was commonplace. It was also comfortable, spacious, relatively uncluttered, and willfully un-sporty, instantly separating it from anything you might have considered a rival.
Importantly, it was also adequately motivated. Entry-level XMs were a little slovenly, but in the UK at least the C6 was offered with three usefully punchy engines: one the familiar 3-litre petrol used across the PSA and Renault ranges for a while, another a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel, and the last was a 2.7-litre V6 ‘AJD’ diesel – the same as you’d find in the aforementioned Jaguar S-Type.
Indeed, this led a few magazines to run comparison tests between the Citroen and its unlikely British rival, and the C6 really didn’t fare badly – it was less sporty than the Jag, but far more spacious and in most respects more comfortable too, in part thanks to Citroen opting for its own hydropneumatic suspension. Reviewers appreciated that Citroen hadn’t tried to copy anyone else with its new car, and had done things in a typically French, typically Citroen way – a massive cliché perhaps, but there was no other way of really putting it. If you liked your driving serene and low-effort, the Citroen C6 was set up just for you.
The C6 is ageing gracefully and relatively low prices have no doubt compelled the French-curious among us to consider ownership. The 2.2 diesel is the simplest to look after mechanically and the most frugal too; fuel economy for the V6 petrol is a little hard to swallow in the 2020s. The 2.7 diesel is appealing but as with its Jaguar and Land Rover applications, can be fragile, so if you want a V6, the later 3-litre V6 that replaced the 2.7 is the one to go for.
The hydropneumatic systems are well understood by Citroen specialists but can still be complex to diagnose and fix, other suspension components can be expensive, electrics can be iffy, and low sales mean some parts are tricky to find now. Basically, it’s the usual “buyer beware” scenario of any relatively complex and low-volume car.
This probably makes it one for the dedicated enthusiast only these days, but we salute anyone willing to keep a Citroen C6 running. It’s one of the brand’s most appealing and interesting models this side of the millennium, and surely a classic in the making.
What do you think of the Citroen C6 – have you owned one, driven one, or always secretly wanted one? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
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