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Coming to the
Xantia from the Xsara estate,
the first impressions are of much greater refinement in all areas - the
engine is quieter and smoother, the ride is hydropneumatic smooth, the
brake pedal is where it ought to be (lower than the throttle) and
responds properly. Surprisingly, the gearchange is less precise
than that on my wife's 80,000 mile 1.9 TD. Steering on the other
hand is more precise than on my wife's car - it seems to be both
lighter, more responsive and to have stronger self centring.
Motoring journalists have frequently levelled criticism at the "dead?"
feel of the Mk1 and Mk2 Xantia. Widening the front track coupled
with minor modifications to the steering and suspension geometry seemed
to have cured this - to the extent that I would venture to suggest that
the current Xantia enjoys the best power steering this side of DIRAVI.
So far, so
good. But since this is a Citroën, how does it ride? How
does it handle. The ride is, as stated above, hydropneumatic
smooth - but far firmer than on my wife's car. This has benefits
for handling which is beyond reproach - mild understeer coupled with
increasing weight on the steering gives the driver plenty of warning
when things are likely to turn pear-shaped. The downside of this
is that it is difficult to brake smoothly at low speeds - as is normal
with hydropneumatic suspension, rough road surfaces are transmitted
into the cabin below 30 mph and one's right foot inevitably bounces on
the pedal. I remember reading precisely this criticism of the
Maserati Merak which used Citroën brakes. As with all these
things, acclimatisation is required.
Performance is,
as one would expect, down on the 110 bhp car and subjectively down on
my wife's car. This may be because the test car's engine had yet
to loosen up, it may be because it has more weight to pull around or it
may be the choice of gear ratios. Certainly it was necessary on
long up hill inclines to drop down to fourth gear in order to maintain
dual carriageway momentum. Provided one uses the gearbox,
progress is reasonably quick - accelerating on a motorway slip road and
overtaking on dual carriageways, I did not feel embarrassed by a lack
of power. First gear seemed far lower a ratio than in my wife's
car - ideal for towing a caravan perhaps but too low for stop start
motoring. There was less turbo lag than in the 110 bhp model but
also less grunt. Compared to the TD, the turbo was less obvious -
presumably because it kicks in at lower engine speeds. The engine
is very quiet and smooth - superior to the 110 bhp lump and way ahead
of the 1.9 TD. It is also throttle responsive in a way that few
diesels manage.
Economy is
either very good or the fuel gauge is defective. I did not
measure fuel consumption but in a hundred or so miles, the needle did
not move at all.
I was delighted
to discover that the driver's seat has an adjustable lumbar support -
something that was missing from the Xantia estate which was similarly
trimmed to LX level. However, I thought the squab a little short
and thigh support is poor. Upholstery is commendably subdued - no
technicolor vomit here. Surprisingly my children complained that
there was less room in the back than in this car.
This car was
not fitted with the automatic windscreen wipers that so impressed me in
the 110 bhp car but was fitted with TrafficmasterTM Oracle
which kept telling me in heavy traffic in Basingstoke that "You are
near junction 8 of the M3 and traffic is flowing smoothly" - I was
actually near junctions 6 and 7. Sod's Law dictated that
temperatures were so low in mid September that I could not test the
airconditioning but switching it off released a few extra horses under
the bonnet.
Four airbags
are fitted - including head and chest side airbags. The front
passenger airbags may be switched off - essential if you are carrying a
baby in a rear facing seat. Fleet users will appreciate the twin
trip odometers - essential if you have to record business and private
mileage and there is a digital maintenance indicator which counts down
the mileage to the next service. There is a separate socket for a
mobile 'phone.
To sum up then,
this new model is far more refined than the old 1.9 TD - indeed it is
more refined than the 110 bhp car. I would describe it as a
slightly languid performer but the penalty one pays for more power is
less refinement. As a successor to the 1.9 TD, it stacks up very
well indeed. The 1.9 TD soldiers on with the automatic gearbox.
The Citroën
Xantia 2.0 HDi (90 bhp) LX is priced, on the road at £14290 for the
saloon and £15040 for the estate.
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