Citroen Xsara Car Review

Citroen vehicles available in the past were always renowned for their quirky differences compared to 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 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 $26,990 for the 1.8 litre five door manual hatch, as tested, and peaks at $33,490 for the 2.0 litre five door auto hatch. The basic model comes with climate control air conditioning and driver's air bag as standard, whilst passenger and side airbags, alloy wheels, ABS and sun roof are optional. A three door VTS Coupe version will be released in 1999.

Built in France in the same factory as Peugeot, the Xsara is the latest small Citroen car to be sold in Australia. Its 1.8 litre engine is based on the proven 306 Peugeot power plant, and drives the front wheels through a five speed manual gearbox. With proficient use of the gear lever, the on-road performance of the Xsara is quite refreshing. However, the engine and transmission mounts are rather soft, resulting in considerable torque reaction through the gear lever.

McPherson struts with coil springs and an anti-roll bar form the front suspension, whilst the self steering rear axle consists of trailing arms with torsion bars and an anti-roll bar. This package provided very confident handling qualities on all road conditions.

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.

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 top of the instrument panel in the line of vision on the windscreen, was very annoying whilst driving.

Citroen has managed to keep 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 mirror on the left and a manually operated mirror on the right.

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. An electronic engine immobiliser with a transponder type ignition key is the main security feature.

The Xsara's wedge shaped styling is typically European with unobtrusive lights and bumpers that blend into the body profile. Large protection strips on the sides and bumpers provide excellent defence against minor bumps.

The ability to adjust the steering wheel and the driver's seat height, combined with adequate head and leg room, plus a snug wrap around seat shape, offer a comfortable position for a majority of drivers. Rear seating is quite comfortable in the outer positions, although the centre position is suitable only for short distances due to the cushion shape.

A reasonably large luggage boot, the ability to fold the rear seats, plus numerous storage compartments, combine to provide a useful storage package. The climate control air conditioning functions adequately, enabling selection of temperatures between 16 and 28 degrees. Unfortunately, the air direction control on our test vehicle ceased to function during our evaluation.

Servicing is scheduled at 20,000 km intervals with most items readily accessible in the engine compartment. Manufacturer's warranty is two years and unlimited km with a five year period on panel corrosion.