What better way to spend a day in a French car than at a French landmark, though a security guard at the famous Versailles Palace may disagree.
Driven took the C4 for a test drive from Citroen’s office in northern Paris to the picturesque town of Versailles, an hour away.
The route took in city driving, cobbled roads and a variety of motorway speeds from 70km/h to 110km/h.
Once we reached Versailles, I thought it would be great idea to snap a picture of the C4 in front of the palace. But the security guard on duty at the gate had other ideas.
“Media” and “press” (delivered with a smile) didn’t change the guard’s opinion that I could not drive into the cobbled courtyard in front of the palace.
But, fortuitously, a delivery van stopped behind the C4, preventing me from reversing (as the guard keep gesturing me to do). So instead I motioned to the guard that I would drive forward and do a U-turn — though even my basic knowledge of French understood he disagreed.
So before he could step in front of the car, I zipped through the gate, bumped up the cobblestones and parked the car on an angle with the palace behind.
My passenger distracted the guard, who was yelling “no, madam, no” and waving his arms, while I took the photos pictured above.
I was pleased the six-speed auto transmission was so responsive I could quickly turn around and exit before I found myself locked in a dungeon at the palace.
Going back to Paris, the turbo engine came to the fore with fast lane changes and the turning circle was impressive as we navigated the capital’s city roads.