Paris 2016: Citroën CXperience is as sharp as citrus

DS Automobiles and the heritage that goes with its goddess namesake have been severed from Citroën, and the double chevron brand needs to reassert what it stands for. The Cactus concept of 2013 provided form language and direction, while the new CXperience provides a statement of intent. A large, luxurious, D-segment car with an arresting interior, it shouts that Citroën has no plans to limit itself to people carriers and runabouts.

The name harks back to the CX, successor to the original DS, and it shares a laid back stance with the earlier sedan. The convex rear windscreen also recalls the CX, although sadly there is no rear wheel faring, with only a diagonal slash between rear wheel and lamp cluster to recall what was once Citroën’s signature design feature.

Much of the exterior is made up of smoothly rounded forms with barely a crease to be found. The suggestion is part organic and part mineral, reminiscent of water-worn pebbles. The aquatic connection is reinforced by the sea-green colourway.

Clearly much attention has been paid to aerodynamics, with active vents in the front bumper and moveable blades at the car’s four corners, designed to shepherd air more smoothly around the wheels. A vent at the base of the A-pillar also allows air to exit the front wheelhouse.

Inside, the most noticeable component is the colour – an exuberant lemon yellow at odds with the subtle exterior. The result provides a contrast comparable to the colourful crystalline interior of a geode, or the bright flesh of an exotic fruit.

The yellow upholstery has a woven texture on the seating and a knitted look on the doors. Zigzag patterns stitched into the seating are asymmetrical, angular and apparently random, again providing a lively contrast to the calm exterior.

Unusually, the only leather in the cabin is in the form of padded mats on the floor. The seat frames and parts of the dashboard have been covered with an unusual flexible veneer – a wooden fabric made up of thousands of laser-cut walnut triangles bonded to a cloth.

HMI elements in the interior are linear and sharp cornered, in contrast with the rounded forms and inviting look of the sofa-style chairs.

As a statement of intent, the CXperience is a loud shout for attention, underscoring that DS may have departed but it has not taken all of Citroën’s mojo with it. This is surely one of the stars of the show.