Incredible Citroen Driving Day

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There’s a very different thrill to playing passenger with someone who can REALLY drive in the hotseat

16 November 2007

Tyre-squealing escapes from armed terrorists, rag doll rally car-thrashing, black ice skids and plunging through muddy terrain?

A scene from the new Bond or Bourne epic?

No, it was in fact how Citroen chose to show off exactly what its model range, from C2, through C4, C4 Picasso, C6 and C-Crosser can really do.

Web Editor Adrian Higgins donned the imaginary dickie bow for a day of fun-fuelled fantasy.

Putting the J and Y into driving joy

“GO! GO! GO! You are under fire and need to get out of here now GO! GO! GO!”

Professional bodyguard and war-zone driver Mark’s previously placid face beamed encouragement through the open passenger window as I slammed the Citroen C2 into reverse, tore the steering wheel into full left lock, stamped the brakes to swing the car’s front end through 180 degrees and wrenched the gear stick through reverse to first.

And then stalled it.

“Great turn,” enthused Mark. “Do you see the difference when you’re in a pressure situation?”

Manufacturer driving days are events intended to give journalists the opportunity to put key models through their paces, usually on a series of road routes, or if appropriate maybe a little off-roading or time on a track.

Or at least they usually are.

Citroen let their cars do the talking at Rockingham Motor Speedway with a series of activities designed to thrill and impress AND communicate the cars’ capabilities to keep their owners safe.

First up for your autotrader.co.uk editor was Mark Kendrick and terrorist evasion… in a Citroen C2.

I carried out a Citroen C2 Stop & Start model car review earlier this year and it fitted its cute city car billing to a tee.

Despite its diminutive size it was more than able to cope with a fruits of an hour-long shopping trip to the local garden centre. J turns and Y, manoeuvres which send a car through a 180 degree turn following the letter shape, hadn’t been on the agenda.

A Y Turn, more suited to a confined area, involves backing the vehicle into the root of the “Y” before turning. The J is a more space-demanding fluid motion for even quicker getaways.

And their use is not simply confined to action movies. Mark and fellow instructor Dave Bertie practise the techniques for use in countries where the unexpected could demand a sharp getaway. Both have served in Iraq, dodged bullets and executed real-life Sweeney-style getaways. Both cite Bullit as their favourite movie car chase.

The Citroen C2 and Citroen C4 proved perfect training vehicles and after a few false starts most people had managed to swing the car’s front end through an arc.

But pros like Mark are more likely to be driving a targeted VIP in the back of a luxury saloon and I took a turn in the passenger seat of a Citroen C6 for a lesson from the master.

A great driver breeds confidence and I was completely relaxed as Mark aimed the C6 at a wall of tyres, planted his foot and stamped the brakes inches from the rubber stack, before swinging it sharply back and speeding off in the opposite direction. Only.dignity prevented me from shouting AGAIN!

Let’s Off-Road!

Next up was the Citroen C-Crosser, the French manufacturer’s first foray into 4x4 territory.

Car-like is a buzzword for manufacturers who want to reassure 4x4 buyers their new metal will play nicely on-road as well as tackling the rough stuff when required.

Being inside the C-Crosser feels very much like you’re driving a car.

However, I was impressed by its sure-footedness though a series of inclines and descents as well as good clearance when confronted by water.

The anti-stall feature in first gear is especially welcome and makes life easier in an off-roader which demands clutch control.

Auto Trader’s first twenty minute trip in the Citroen C-Crosser left me eager for more, happy in the knowledge it has genuine off-road capability.

On the skids

The C4 Picasso is a great, economical family-shifter with stacks of practical features to help mums and dads transport their children as effortlessly as possible.

Have we forgotten anything?

Yes, righting it after it's hit a huge patch of ice is the most fun you can have outside of excuting a J-Turn.

Rockingham Race Track has loads of hidden attractions up its sleeve including a constantly-sprayed wet-area where carmakers put their products to the test against dire conditions.

This is the place to go to truly appreciate the difference made by safety features such as ESP (Elrctronic Safety Programme) which, in difficult conditions, helps direct power to wheels with traction and ABS (anti-lock braking system) which ensures you can still steer your vehicle when its skidding.

Turn off the driver aids and it’s like directing a tea tray on an ice rink. Turn them on and you find yourself talking about the car as a person, muttering phrases like: “its trying to help me here”.

Nowhere is this more true than when you encounter the kick-plate, a sliding section installed at the front of the wet area which “kicks” the back wheels away as you drive over it, sending the vehicle into a skid, the moment when ESP and ABS stop being slightly-puzzling acronyms and turn into lifesavers.

Good driving practice demands you steer into a skid, if the vehicle’s back end is slipping away to the right that’s the way to go. So far so good. But front-wheel drive also demands you resist the temptation to go for the brakes, instinctively the first port of call when something’s gone wrong.

Getting the vehicle to help you through a skid means keeping the power on – real patting head and rubbing stomach stuff, but simply addictive after you’ve started to get the hang of it.

Being told our time was up was like having your mum call you in for tea when it's still light.

Fun in a Citroen C4 Picasso? You better believe it. But the serious message was obvious, the car’s safety features are best-left unused, but they certainly make a difference if you need them.

Rally Happy

Like most motorists I’m happier at the wheel than riding shotgun, or occupying the rear seats.

But there’s a very different thrill to playing passenger with someone who can REALLY drive in the hotseat.

Kenneth Hansen (pictured right, with Web Editor Adrian Higgins) and Chris Meeke form Citroen’s European Rallycross Team and when it comes to driving they know more than most.

Kenneth greeted us with a huge smile and both drivers were friendly and patient as I squeezed myself into full race gear before taking the Navigator’s seat in the Citroen C2 rally car alongside Chris.

A few words of encouragement and we were off around an impromptu rally track, marked with cones on Rockingham’s huge gravel car park.

Once again the Citroen C2, albeit modified as a rally car, was hugely impressive as Chris chucked it into each corner, swinging the rear out round the sharper bends.

The safety straps held me rigid with only my jerking head – plastered with a huge, irrepressible grin – revealing the likely destination of an unrestrained passenger.

Three laps later and it was time to step out the car and clamber into Kenneth’s C4 rally car.

The bigger car provided a different thrill, and an expanded course gave Kenneth the opportunity to tap the button-gear controls up to fifth gear before a near 180-degree turn revealed the huge trail of dust we’d raised, wafts of it drifting through the car from air vents.

All too quickly the three laps were over and we all eagerly queued for pics with the two fellas who do this for a living. Instant desktop wallpaper for me.

A fantastic day for the lucky journalists but also, and more importantly a day which really underlined the qualities of the Citroen models on show - both for safety and for sheer unadulterated driving fun.

Citroen driving day videos:

4x4