Last month, the Irish Motor Writers voted the Kia Rio as their Car of the Year, and I have no problem with that. But at the end of a year in which I have driven over 50 different new cars, it’s a pleasure to have been behind the wheel of the vehicle named ‘Most Beautiful Car Of The Year,’ the Citroen DS4.

The latter award was conferred at the start of 2011, following votes cast in an online poll by 60,000 web users spanning 62 countries, and almost 12 months on, the car still looks good.

Citroen has always produced very stylish cars dating back to the first in the DS sub-brand range in 1955. In recent years, the French company had a discounting policy that seemed to work well in Britain, but was not embraced by the Irish motoring public.

Finally, after many years sharing an Irish home with Peugeot, Citroen is now out on its own, and trying to win new customers by producing cars that stand out from the crowd.

We are told that the Citroen DS4 should attract ‘affluent and confident’ males in the 40-50 age group; who the carmakers regards as people who want the design and quality of their car to reflect their social status. Now that’s an interesting line, with no mention of females, who have also been known to like a bit of flair and innovative design.

I drove a navy-coloured model, but I have also seen pictures of the red and white versions, and the red one looks particularly great.

The 1.6 diesel model I drove had leather seats, and you can heat the front seats; a function was greatly appreciated during the recent cold spell.

The two front seats also came with lumbar support, a function that doesn’t come as standard—we press people are rather spoiled. But the DS4’s lumbar support really does leave you relaxed after a long journey.

There is a great view from the relatively high driving position, and you can get a panoramic view by pushing back the sun blinds, which have individual settings for driver and front seat passenger.

The dash area is well laid out, but the air conditioning took a bit of getting used to, as did the automatic gearbox. I found the gear change in the automatic was not exactly seamless, but if you prefer manual gear changes there are toggles at the side of the steering wheel.