FRENCH DRESSING

By delving into the PSA parts bin, Citroen has produced a worthy range-topping GTi. This new Visa is powered by the engine and transmission from the Peugeot 205GTi and is fitted with a full ‘sporty’ body kit. This takes the Visa into the hot hatchback sector - at a good price

Prior to the introduction of the new Visa GTi, top of this popular range had been the 1360cc-engined Visa GT and, more recently, the 14TRS, but neither packed the punch of the rivals. With the installation of the Peugeot 205GTi XUSJ engine and transmission in the Visa shell, however, the situation is likely to change. Citroen now has a worthy contender in this hotly-disputed hatchback sector.

It is not the first time that Citroen has taken advantage of its corporate links with Peugeot; the bigger-bodied BX 16 TRS also comes with XUSJ power, but in less muscular carburettored form. In the Visa GTi, output is 105bhp at 6250rpm and torque an impressive 99 lb ft at 4000rpm, identical to that of the Peugeot.

Theoretically, the on-paper figures would suggest that both cars have similar performance but we discovered this is not the case.

Citroen began with a similar bodyshell to that of the Visa Diesel which was redesigned to take the bigger engine and end-on transmission. As a result, the front track is increased and the engine, inclined at 30 deg, mounted directly to the body rather than via a separate sub-frame as in lesser Visas.

Instead, the subframe now carries the steering rack and transverse suspension links. MacPherson struts are used at the front along with coil springs, while the rear is hung via trailing arms, coil springs and vertical dampers, as before. Spring rates are up 40 per cent over the 14 TRS, though the car sits lower and benefits from roll bars fitted at both ends. The rear bar is now 16mm instead of 12mm. Stopping-power is improved by ventilated front discs but the rear drum arrangement with servo assistance is retained.

External modi?cations are fairly evident. The sports version gets low profile 185/60 X 13in Michelin MXVs on light alloy 5.5in wheels, plus a full body kit comprising roof-mounted spoiler, front air dam, wheel arch and sill extensions, plus a full colour keying job on Sunrise Red versions, while black (optional extra) and Pearl Grey versions come with plain grey plastic add-ons. All have blacked-out window surrounds and twin halogen headlamps.

Inside, there is a three-spoke sports wheel, distinctive two-tone grey cloth seats broken by red bands and similar door trim, plus full instrumentation with the neat and compact Peugeot 205 GTi display.

The Visa GTi package is competitively priced at £5899, which looks especially good value-for-money when compared to the more expensive, £6945 Peugeot 205GTi.

These cars share the same engine and gearbox ratios, with the exception of the final drive (3.93 Citroen compared to 4'.O6 Peugeot), yet the Citroen is considerably slower in sprinting ability and overall ?exibility. The Citroen is 26lb heavier and has a worse drag coefficient (Cd 0.39 compared to Cd 0.34) than the Peugeot, but we would have hardly expected such differences in acceleration till upwards of 60mph, when aerodynamics begin to play a more important part.

In the Citroen’s favour is the smaller diameter of the tyres (13in Michelins as opposed to the Peugeot’s 14in Michelins) which ought to help standing start acceleration. In reality, however, it does not.

Leaving the line hard from rest produces the inevitable wheel-spin before traction takes over; a slightly lagging tachometer needle means that one has to be careful in first gear to avoid hitting the 6500 rev cut-out at 30mph. In second gear the rpm build-up is less frantic, the gauge can cope and the delightfully slick gearchange can be fully appreciated. At 53mph it is time to select third, passing 60mph in 9.7 seconds and on to 74mph. Fourth will take the car up to 94mph and fifth on to the maximum speed. We managed a mean of 109mph at 5950rpm and a best of 112mph at 6100rpm, slightly below peak power of 6250rpm from the overdrive ratio, but some way short of the manufacturer’s 117mph claim.

Compare these figures to the Peugeot’s 8.6sec 0-60mph, 29.5sec to 0-100mph and maximum speed of 116mph and the Visa GTi performance seems lacking. Compare this with other opposition, though, and suddenly the Citroen falls in line with the performance of the Fiesta XR2, Honda Civic GT and MG Metro Turbo.

Economy is just below average for a car in this class and our overall ?gure of 28.8mpg, recorded over the 797-mile test period re?ects a fair degree of hard driving with a worst interim brim of 26.7mpg. At the other extreme, we managed 31.0mpg wihout trying too hard. A more restrained driver should see much better ?gures than these and, with a tank capacity of 9.4 gallons, a realistic range of 260 miles per tankful looks possible.

Refinement is not a strong point of the Visa GTi. Somehow, even with the Peugeot engine installation, the car still retains its characteristic sewing-machine rattle which becomes quite a loud thrashing at speed. Starting from cold is always at the first turn of the key and, with the oil cold in the block, engine noise control is improved, until the characteristic tappet rattle returns as the engine warms up. The Peugeot 205GTi, however, is particularly throttle-responsive, often leading to jerky round-town progress; the Visa GTi is less severe and much smoother in response.

For a car with fairly prominent window surrounds and seals, wind noise is well isolated when travelling at speed, which has the effect of accentuating engine noise further and on a motorway, long journeys can become especially tiring. Tyre roar is also noticeable on coarse road surfaces although largely over-ridden by the engine note.

The Visa GTi’s greatest attributes are its ride and handling, both a cut above the norm. Considering the fact that low pro?le tyres are ?tted along with much tauter suspension, bump absorption of the well-cushioned ride is even more impressive. Similarly, the balanced handling is aided by the quick and responsive rack and pinion steering which also possesses good feel. Throw the Visa GTi into a corner at speed and the results are con?dence-inspiring. Slight understeer changes to a neutral attitude, the car has great poise, roll is well limited and any correction needed is easy with such responsive steering.

Lifting off mid-corner will induce some tuck-in, though this is no worse than the Peugeot 205GTi and certainly less pronounced than some of the small turbo cars. The level of grip afforded by the Michelins is high and the Visa GTi will stick to a chosen line on all but the most severely broken surfaces — and with a good deal of comfort.

Unlike with certain other Citroens, a driver unaccustomed to their idiosyncracies is unlikely to stand the car on its nose at the ?rst stab of the brake pedal. Citroen has built in plenty of travel. The pedal itself has a dead feel, though this does not take long to adjust to. The servo-assisted system came through our brake response tests well and produced a maximum 0.96g retardation figure for a near ideal 50lb pedal effort. Similarly, the fade tests served to highlight that the brakes have little difficulty in coping with repeated application at high speed.

Inside the Visa GTi one is immediately aware of the rather garish trim with thick red stripes sewn in between two-tone grey cloth on seats and door trims. The material itself is not that comfortable either; one tester likened it to an old blanket. Once seated, however, one is also aware of improved support and ?rmer construction which we found comfortable.

The wheel, pedal and gear-change relationship is good, but more legroom would be an advantage. Forward visibility is difficult to fault thanks to the large screen, sloping bonnet line and single wiper, which parks on the passenger side.

Flanking the thick-rimmed wheel are unconventional — by Citroen standards — instrument stalks, one either side. These are an improvement over the usual Visa satellite switchgear and can be reached without lifting the hands from the wheel. Full instrumentation including rev counter, oil pressure gauge and temperature gauges for both oil and water is provided directly ahead of the driver in the neat instrument binnacle.

We would have preferred more oddment space than the shallow door pockets. There is no glove box, just a narrow slot above, but at least some extra space is provided by an under-facia shelf. Valuable load space is also limited-by resiting the spare wheel— normally fitted on top of the engine — on the load compartment ?oor due to lack of underbonnet area.

In some areas we were more than impressed with the Visa GTi, notably in road behaviour and to a lesser degree performance, which is still good, even if overshadowed by the remarkable Peugeot 205GTi. On the other hand, the car is far too noisy and we suspect that even a really enthusiastic driver might grow tired of the constant underbonnet din. All things considered the Visa GTi still has plenty in its favour: it offers increased versatility through the five-door arrangement, possesses the very driver appeal which has made this sector of the market so popular and is also very competitively priced.