Shortly after our man Clemens Gleich tested out the Citroen DS5, the diesel-hybrid from PSA is getting another nod of approval from a jovial European – France’s new President, Francois Hollande.
Hollande’s choice of vehicle is appropriate for the newly elected Socialist Prime Minister, as the DS5 Hybrid has all the requisite eco-cred to curry favor with the anti-austerity/tax the rich/”live in sin and have 4 kids with your political rival” crowd. Socialist Prime Ministers have traditionally favored Citroens, with former President Francois Mitterand famously opting for an XM when leaving the Elysee Palace, which turned in to a famous print ad for the company. Jacques Chirac was known to have been driven in a delectable Renault Safrane Bi-Turbo, while Nicolas Sarkozy, who has great taste in women, was known to favor the dour Peugeot 607, although he also opted for a more off-beat Renault Vel Satis.
I hope his backside knows what it’s in for…the ride is terrible!
Chirac also rolled in the very sleek Citroen C6.
Is he short? Rear seat legroom isn’t great (admittedly I’m 6’5″ so my view on ample legroom might be a bit more stringent then others). But the lack of proper suspension is the true downer, a French president deserves gas-hydraulic suspension and nothing less.
I hope that it has a great ride because it looks like it was designed by a committee assigned to make a kitschy space capsule from parts. I’m not trained in design, but this is just ugly on wheels. And what’s he going to do with that extra cargo room? Toss the French equivalent of Joe Biden in there?
PJ O’ROURKE CALLED IT IN 2008:
“France is a treasure to mankind. French ideas, French beliefs, and French actions form a sort of loadstone for humanity. Because a moral compass needle needs a butt end. Whatever direction France is pointing in—toward Nazi collaboration, Communism, existentialism, Jerry Lewis movies, or President Sarkozy’s personal life—you can go the other way with a clear conscience.”
Yawn Francois Hollande – Frank Holland or Bernie Dutch [nicht deutsche,] gets a Fusion Hybrid.. In France what’s old is new again and new is old again. Same old game new cronyism.
>>>Socialist Prime Ministers have traditionally favored Citroens, with former President Francois Mitterand famously opting for an XM when leaving the Elysee Palace…
It would have been much more correct to say that French Presidents (not Prime Ministers–in France, the President is the head of state) have traditionally favored Citroens. This favoritism absolutely crosses party lines. De Gaulle–no socialist he–rode around in a motorcade full of DSs. Presidents Giscard D’Estaing and Pompidou–also non-socialists–also rode around in Citroens, although Giscard seems to have had a Peugeot 604. The big Citroens have been the Cadillacs of France, a country that had no Lincoln or Imperial-equivalent.
I don’t see how a C6 Diesel isn’t the perfect car for him. But at least this one has a good stereo for his Jay-Z and Kanye West albums: