Citroen vehicles available in the past were always renowned for their quirky differences compared with other vehicles. However, the Xantia and the Xsara, Citroen's two latest releases on our local market, are now considered more conventional by European standards.
The Xsara, released in August 1998, slots into the small-medium car segment of the market competing with a myriad of Asian makes and a few European contenders. Its price range, however, tends to put it in direct competition with the Mazda Astina, Honda Civic, Peugeot 306, Seat Cordoba/Toledo and Volkswagen Golf.
Xsara pricing starts at $28,490 for the 1.8 litre five door manual hatch, as tested, and peaks at $34,990 for the 2.0 litre five door auto hatch. The base model comes with a basic form of climate control air conditioning and driver's air bag as standard, while passenger and side airbags, alloy wheels, ABS and sunroof are optional. Our test vehicles were 1.8 manual and 2.0 manual five-door hatchbacks fitted with ABS.
Features and Equipment
Built in the same French factory as Peugeot, the Citroen's Xsara obviously shares much of its stablemate's technology. The 1.8 and 2.0 litre engines are based on the proven 306 Peugeot power plant, featuring Double Overhead Camshafts, sixteen valves and multipoint fuel injection driving the front wheels through a five speed manual gearbox. However, the engine and transmission mounts were rather soft in the 1.8 litre car, resulting in considerable torque reaction through the gear lever. This did not seem to be a problem in the later 2.0 litre version.
McPherson struts with coil springs and an anti-roll bar form the front suspension, while the rear axle consists of trailing arms with torsion bars and an anti-roll bar. Power rack and pinion steering is used in the Xsara and a self-steering action is incorporated in the rear suspension to enhance its cornering ability.
Both of our test vehicles were fitted with power assisted four-wheel disc brakes with the optional ABS package.
Safety features have been built into the Xsara's body structure with the use of high-yield steel panels, additional bracing and energy absorbing framework. Inertia reel seatbelts with force limiters are fitted front and rear, with height adjustments on all outer belts and pretensioners on the two front belts. Provision is made to store the rear seatbelt buckles to keep the belts tidy when not in use and to prevent them from getting caught when folding and reinstating the 60/40 split rear seats.
Additional rear seat back strength is designed to protect the occupants against luggage movement and the folding seat backs are lockable from inside the boot to resist unauthorised entry from the cabin area. An inertia-controlled fuel cut-off system prevents fuel leakage in the event of an accident. The optional front passenger and side airbags increase the vehicle's safety rating.
An electronic engine immobiliser with a transponder type ignition key is the main security feature. Pick resistant door locks operated with a high frequency remote control add to the theft rating of 75.
Body and Finish
The Xsara's wedge shaped styling is typically European with unobtrusive lights and bumpers that blend into the body profile. Unlike Citroen's unique styling of bygone years, the current models blend in with other makes from Europe and are therefore difficult to differentiate from a distance. Large protection strips on the sides and bumpers provide excellent defence against minor bumps.
Panel and paint quality is consistent with the usual European standard, and the trim is conservatively attractive.
Citroen are committed to protecting the environment by eliminating any of the commonly used nasty materials such as asbestos and cadmium. All parts are coded to enable easy identification for recycling purposes and only materials emitting minimal pollutants are used in production.
Comfort and Space
The front cabin area provides adequate head and legroom and the bucket seats give good all round support. Rear seating is quite comfortable in the outer positions, although legroom is minimal and the centre position is suitable only for short distances due to the cushion shape.
A reasonably large luggage area plus the ability to fold the rear seats down enables adequate space when travelling, and the numerous compartments in the dash, doors and console combine to provide a useful storage package.
The climate control air conditioning functions adequately, enabling selection of temperatures between 16 and 28 degrees. While the ability to select a particular temperature on the control knob has some advantage, the selection does not accurately reflect the actual temperature provided. Unfortunately, the air direction control on our 1.8 litre test car ceased to function during our evaluation.
Behind the Wheel
From the driving position, the dash layout is attractive and functional with most instruments and controls easy to find and operate. However, the liquid crystal odometer and trip meter can be difficult to see in subdued daylight. A reflection from the metal top of the instrument binnacle, in the line of vision on the windscreen, was very annoying whilst driving.
Citroen has managed to retain a hint of the unusual by placing the rear screen demister switch on the end of the wiper stalk, positioning the front window control switches in the centre of the dash, and using an electrically operated external mirror on the left and a manually operated mirror on the right. The usual turn signal stalk on the left and wiper stalk on the right was sufficient reminder of the Xsara's European origin.
The ability to adjust the steering wheel and the driver's seat height, combined with a snug wrap around seat shape, offer a comfortable position for a majority of drivers.
The headlights can be raised or lowered electrically by means of a dash-mounted thumbwheel, and the somewhat fiddly radio controls are saved only by the additional steering wheel mounted remote switches.
Rear vision is obscured by the head restraints on the outer rear seat positions and the larger than normal 'C' pillars.
On the Road
Both the test cars were fitted with five speed manual transmissions, and with proficient use of the gear lever the 1.8 and 2.0 litre engines, delivering their maximum torque at 4200 rpm, provided an overall performance that was quite impressive.
The manual gearshift was a welcome departure from the common European notchy feel, and the position of most of the essential controls in the Xsara was quite refreshing. However, the uneven height of the clutch and brake pedals was disconcerting at times.
All Xsara's are fitted with Michelin 'green tyres' that are claimed to generate less road noise than conventional tyres and give a better grip on the road. With a reduction in rolling resistance, compared with conventional tyres, a decrease in fuel consumption is possible, adding to their environmentally friendly 'green' tag.
Although the Xsara has excellent road manners on sealed road surfaces, I did feel it was less confident on unsealed surfaces, with the rear wheels tending to break away on corners. The rear suspension design caused the car to raise and lower annoyingly on application and release of the handbrake.
The standard power assisted rack and pinion steering is precise and responsive and the four-wheel power assisted disc brakes continually provided confident stopping power during our brake performance test, with minimal pedal pressure and heat build-up.
Servicing
Servicing is scheduled at 20,000 km intervals with most items readily accessible in the engine compartment. Manufacturer's warranty is two years with unlimited km with a five-year period on panel corrosion.
Although towing is not a major priority on a vehicle of this size, Citroen recommend a maximum towing capacity of 1000 kg for braked trailers and 590 kg for unbraked trailers with the 1.8 manual car and 1100 kg and 615 kg respectively for the 2.0 litre cars. The roof structure on all Xsara's enables them to carry 75 kg.
Summary
With the refreshing swing away from Citroen's renowned quirky features, I consider the Xsara to be a conventional medium small car with appealing performance, handling, and comfort in typical European style. The level of standard and optional equipment available adds to its comfort and safety appeal, making it an attractive competitor in the medium sector of the small car market.
The Xsara is an excellent touring car that would most likely appeal to couples or those with small families who are seeking that little extra in the features mentioned above.
Test vehicle supplied by Ateco Auto Pty Ltd.
