Once a year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) round up the UK press offices and a selection of their fleet cars for a one-day event at the Millbrook Proving Ground. It's a chance to catch up on colleagues and new personnel as well as an opportunity to drive some of the latest vehicles on the high-speed bowl and entertaining 'Hill Route'.

Some outlets write full 'road tests' from the day's activities, though time in each car is fairly limited. This year I got behind the wheel of no less than 25 different cars, which goes to show perhaps how little time I did spend in each, though that included at least one lap of the challenging Hill Route in each car. There are so many new cars being launched this year that we thought it would be worth compiling my first impressions on these cars. Many we will test in depth at a later date.

Citroen C6
Model tested: Citroen C6 2.7HDi V6 Diesel
Price: £31,545 on-the-road.
0-62mph: 8.9 seconds
Top speed: 143mph
Combined economy: 32.5mpg
Kerb weight: 1871kg

Citroen's UK test fleet is a little small which means that The Car Enthusiast doesn't get a chance to borrow test cars, so the SMMT day was the perfect opportunity to try out the just-launched Citroen C6 and it turned out to be one of the surprises of the day.

Despite driving another 24 cars the same day, the new Citroen C6 stood out in my mind as one of the most impressive. Even getting into the C6 is an experience, with frameless doors front and rear allowing access to a spacious and incredibly idiosyncratic interior. Each and every surface is a joy to touch, with the dashboard in particular sporting a textured material that is quite different from the norm.

That pretty much goes for the rest of the car, from the unusual curvature of the rear window to the Hydractive suspension and diffused air conditioning. The Citroen C6 is all about travelling in comfort, so the twisty Hill Route is perhaps not the most relevant test of its talents, but it did at least indicate how impressive the C6's ride is. That may be no surprise, but the way the C6 handled this route with aplomb raised a few eyebrows. Even without pressing the 'Sport' button, the suspension managed to keep the C6 flat and composed through hard cornering. Sure, the steering is too light, but overall I actually really enjoyed the drive.

The V6 diesel engine is shared with Jaguar so it's no surprise that it was refined and punchy under the bonnet of the Citroen C6. All that remains is for Citroen to convince buyers that the C6 is a viable alternative to the usual line-up of luxury saloons. The Jaguar S-type costs less with the same money, so that's not a good start, but then again there are few cars as distinctive to look at or sit in than the new C6.

Shane O' Donoghue - 30 May 2006