Who Wore It Better: Sarkozy Or Hollande? [Citroen Edition]
Francois Hollande has officially been sworn in as France’s new head of state, and as expected, his official car is a Citroen DS5 Hybrid4. But his predecessor may have one-upped the upstart Socialist with a choice ride of his own.
Leaving the Elysee Palace in defeat may be tough to do – less tough when Carla Bruni is the one escorting you to your new residence. But outgoing PM Nicolas Sarkozy’s exit vehicle, the Citroen C6 may be more authentically French than the DS5 chosen by Hollande – and a more appropriate successor to the DS’ namesake than the funky hatchback.
The DS5 Hybrid is a cool car on its own, but the choice of a Hybrid is an obvious pander to the anti-Sarko contingent that considers the environment just as sacrosanct as 5 weeks paid vacation. But the DS5 isn’t distinctly a Citroen, even if it does look European.
The C6, on the other hand, couldn’t be anything but a Citroen. Dynamically, it’s not a match for a 5-Series or an A6. But it is unspeakably elegant, with its long wheelbase, truncated rear deck and sloping roofline done in a much more tasteful manner than Teutonic pseudo-coupes. Put it next to an Audi A7, and the German car looks vulgar.
More by Derek Kreindler
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France should be pretty interesting to watch now, IIRC the election was very close and the new president isn't going to have as many fans as Sarko did when he was first elected. Incidentally I wonder if the Libyan adventure had a hand on taking him down?
I guess it's OK to smoke in the Citroen.