Citroen DS review

DSs were updated through their life, and steadily inherited – kicking and screaming, we imagine – more conventional features like round instrument clocks instead of a horizontal speedo, a thicker – but still stubbornly single-spoke – steering wheel, a more usual dashboard design and easier to operate vents. The driving position is more upright and statesmanlike than you might expect, because the plump seats are close to the large steering wheel. It’s eminently comfortable, mind. The wraparound front screen is close enough to feel more like a visor, but the swept-back, ultra-slim pillars allow for a panoramic view out.

In the back, it’s about as spacious as a teeny modern sedan like an Audi A3 or Mercedes A-Class saloon, but you’re unlikely to have passengers complaining as much as they would wedged into the back of one of those Euroboxes. The thicker rear pillar and falling roofline means rear visibility isn’t as clever, but because the DS is wider at the front than it is at the back, it’s never intimidating or unnerving to thread through a gap in town. Meanwhile, because the spare wheel is ingeniously packaged under the bulbous bonnet, there’s a big boot.