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There was no way the flagship of the French could go unnoticed. The Citroen C6, a car that needs no introduction. The french version of the stealth wealth luxobarge.

That goes for the VW Phaeton and possibly the Audi A8 as well. The Citroen C6 was the epitome of luxury for its time, yet it remains such an anonymous car that you’ve probably only seen it on TV while it chauffeured Jacques Chirac or Nicolas Sarkozy. Many consider the Citroen C6 the French S-Class, and they’re almost right, but this is an almost article about almost cars because, in fact, I’m a pastry chef who, in my spare time, does carpentry and pottery so what do I know about cars.

They’re almost right because the Citroen C6 comes with more technology than even the W221 S-Class, which was launched around the same time, but the approach is slightly different. If the S-Class came with proposals for both comfort and sportiness, the Citroen C6 went straight into the comfort zone and stayed there, sleeping on a memory foam mattress, wrapped in an alpaca wool blanket, with its head on a goose feather pillow.  That’s the Citroen C6. Yes, we don’t have engines with 1000 liters and 5 billion horsepower, we have engines only up to 3 litres displacement. But that’s because you don’t need more power in order to cruise.

Citroen C6 Engines

Petrol

3.0 V6 ES9 of 208 horsepower – The only petrol engine available on the Citroen C6 occasionally has issues with coil packs, the front catalytic converter, and the timing chain job. Still, good luck finding one because it literally has nothing to do with the Citroen C6 and it’s way rarer than it should be. But then again, too few people look at a C6 and say “mmm, yes, this is the car I want to drive aggresivelly in”

Diesel

• 2.2 HDi DW12 of 170 horsepower – The legendary 2.2 HDi DW12C with a single turbo was one of the most reliable diesel engines of the recent period. In fact, it was so good that it was also used on the Mitsubishi Outlander as part of the alliance but was also purchased by Jaguar to be mounted on the XF. Think twice before deciding to use it for the city driving, because it will punish you with the particle filter, flywheel, and injectors. Keep it on long journeys, as that’s what it was built for. And this is the DW12B, the older version with two turbos, so be very careful with the turbos because they were the main reason for switching to a single turbo design, made of titanium.


• 2.7 HDi AJD of 204 horsepower – Another legendary engine, mounted on all the big cars in the PSA group, but it was even more famous in the Jaguar Land Rover group. Yes, sure, it was mounted on some Jaguars here and there, but the pièce de résistance is the Range Rover Sport and the occasional Discovery. There are a few issues there, but with the Citroen C6, you just need to be careful with the expansion tank and the coolant level, and there have been a few rare cases where the crankshaft broke worse than my previous relationship. But that’s more for Land Rover because they played Bejeweled and rearranged the location of the parts.


• 3.0 HDi AJD of 240 horsepower – This came to retire the 2.7 HDi diesel, but by the time it arrived, it was already too late. Like in that joke with the fly buzzing in the field, and at some point, it flies into a horse’s mouth. And it keeps begging the horse to let it go, and it keeps begging and insisting, but in vain, the horse is gone… That’s how it is with this engine; good luck finding it. But if you do find it, you have to think that it’s very reliable, but if it breaks, you won’t find neither parts nor mechanics.

Citroen C6 Reliability Issues 

• Good luck finding mechanics and parts. The Citroen C6 is a rare but also very complex car, being the bane of mechanics. And the Citroen C6 really came with technology that rivaled the S-Class, coming with hydropneumatic suspension, Heads-Up Display, Lane Departure Assist, adaptive LED headlights, a hood lifting system in case of pedestrian impact, and many other options that are only becoming popular today, over 20 years after the concept was launched. And that means that in the rare moments when it breaks down, you’ll have to go to the dealership.


• The ABS sensors at the wheels are sensitive to bad roads, but at least you know why the ABS will light up on on the dashboard every two days.


• It’s visible from satellite that it’s a presidential car, built specifically to chauffeured celebrities, businessmen, and presidents. More precisely, the passengers in the back. Care for the driver is much lower than for those in the back, and this is evident in the rather bland dashboard, the cramped space compared to those in the back, but especially when you have to drive and park it. You literally have to be paid to drive and park a Citroen C6, it’s that big. And some cheaper versions don’t even have parking sensors, so you’re on your own.

Citroen C6 Verdict 

And then comes the strongest part of the Citroen C6 – the hydropneumatic suspension. Citroen already has over 50 years of experience in this field, and it shows for the C6, a car that probably has the most comfortable suspension for a car under 200,000 GBP. And probably the most complicated suspension for a car under 200,000 GBP.