The new Xantia 3.0-litre V6
Exclusive offers a seductive blend of power, prestige
and sophistication.
PETER TOMALIN takes it to
the land where a 140mph top speed isn't just a figure on
a piece of paper
|
|
|
In a recent interview with a leading motoring magazine,
Stirling Moss was asked about speed and what it meant to
him. “It’s not about speed, it’s about time,” he said.
“Time is valuable. Speed is not. The thing you cannot
make, cannot gain, is time. All you can do is save it or
try to use it. To me, movement is tranquillity.”
Movement is tranquillity. That phrase came back to me as
we cruised the German autobahn near Stuttgart in
Citroën’s new V6-engined Xantia. All was unruffled calm
in the cabin, the only sounds the distant murmur of the
engine, the faint rush of wind and the background patter
of the tyres. The miles slipped painlessly by, the
speedometer showing a steady 120mph...
Long stretches of autobahn remain unrestricted by any
upper speed limit. Much of the traffic travels at
100mph-plus, and businessmen in a hurry think nothing of
cruising at 120 or even more. When there’s a junction or
potential hazard ahead, a localised limit of 80 or
100km/h is indicated, and everyone takes heed. All it
requires is discipline and concentration — essential
commodities, you’d think, on any motorway.
And when a motorway works this well, a car’s ability to
travel easily and safely at more than two miles per
minute suddenly starts to make sense. Comfortable and
secure in Citroën’s new executive express, we were
covering the miles in virtually half the time we would
on a British dual-carriageway. Moreover, we were still
feeling fresh and relaxed, despite long hours on the
road. This is the V6-powered Xantia’s personal feelgood
factor, and it certainly felt good to us.
|
|
|
|
A trans—Continental dash was the natural test
for the new flagship Xantia. After all, this car
will spend a good deal of its life on motorway,
autobahn, autoroute and autostrada. It has to be
able to cut it with the cream of Europe’s
saloons and, on paper at least, it has what it
takes — the specifications make mouthwatering
reading...
Where most of its rivals feature a 2.5—litre
engine at best, the Xantia gets a 3.0—litre V6.
It’s also one of the most advanced engines in
its class, with all—aluminium alloy
construction, four valves per cylinder, and the
latest Bosch engine management computer.
Read ‘Technical Focus’ for the full story of
this remarkable engine, but the bottom line is
194bhp at 5500rpm, delivered with
smooth-spinning ease.
What really makes an engine feel powerful,
though, is torque. It’s what you rely on when
you pull out to overtake a lorry at, say, 45mph,
and the car coming the other way is closer than
you thought... Torque is what powers you past.
And the Xantia’s V6 has a huge reservoir of the
stuff — 1971b ft at 4000rpm. Better still,
almost 90 per cent of that pulling power is
available from as low as 2000rpm. That’s real
flexibility.
Flexibility is the key to the new ‘Auto
Adaptive’ gearbox too. On the face of it, it’s a
conventional four-speed auto, but by continually
‘talking’ electronically with the engine
management computer it’s able to adapt
automatically to an individual’s driving style,
altering the point at which it changes gear for
optimum performance, control and economy.
|
|
|
|
So, if you’re pressing on, it learns to stay in a lower
gear just a wee bit longer. It also provides noticeable
engine-braking, something you only usually get with a
manual gearbox and particularly useful when you’re
descending a steep hill. And because it’s a two-way
communication, it can tell the engine to feather the
throttle slightly as it slips to another ratio, keeping
things creamy-smooth. In short, ‘Auto Adaptive’ provides
all the convenience of a conventional auto but with
added control. Which means added safety as well as extra
driving pleasure.
There wasn’t much pleasure to be had rising at 4.50am
on a rain-lashed morning to catch the 7.00am Shuttle
service to France, but pretty soon the Xantia was
weaving its magic. Air conditioning with ‘Automatic
climate control’ kept the temperature in the cabin just
where we set it; cruise control did the same for our
speed; the standard RDS radio/CD player was playing
gently in the background, and the 3.0-litre V6 just went
quietly about its business, wafting us along the M20
towards the Channel.
|
 |
|
Refinement and real sophistication run right through
the V6-powered Xantia. Citroën’s unique Hydractive
computer-controlled self-levelling suspension provides
an unrivalled ride, whatever the conditions or the load.
Alloy wheels shod with chunky 205/60 R15 tyres and
uprated disc brakes help ensure the most powerful Xantia
corners and stops in drama-free fashion, though it’s
nice to know there’s ABS and twin airbags, just in case.
|
|
|
As the Shuttle carried us towards France, a chance to
take a longer look around the cabin. Leather upholstery
or a mixture of leather and rich Alcantara® trim, wood
panels on the doors and facia, electric operation of
Windows and sunroof, electrically adjustable seats — all
of these things are standard equipment, and they all add
to the feeling that you’re driving something special. As
does the attention to detail: controls for the hi-fi are
mounted on the steering wheel, just a finger’s stretch
away; engage reverse and the passenger door mirror dips
automatically to give you a clear view for parking or
manoeuvring. Neat, that.
|
 |
But it’s that smooth V6 that really gives this
Xantia its character - deep-chested power
instantly on tap whenever you want it, and a
discreet but unmistakably sporty edge to the
engine note when you take the revs right up to
the red line. Not surprising really; a 0-60mph
time of 8.6 seconds makes it the fastest
accelerating automatic V6 in its class. But it’s
the mid-range urge that makes it such an
effortless mile-eater; that and long-legged
gearing that sees an easy 100mph With just
5500rpm showing on the tacho.
And that was how we breezed down through
France, past Arras, Reims and Metz, crossing the
Rhine at Strasbourg and — after seemingly
interminable roadworks as we entered Germany —
finally arriving in Stuttgart at 6pm. Six
hundred miles, a total of ten hours on the road,
and we climbed out feeling not a twinge of
discomfort. As art director Paul Harwood
commented, this V6-engined Xantia feels like a
mini-limo. Moreover, it had acquitted itself
every bit as well as traditional ‘prestige’
saloons costing £50K or more, which makes the
Xantia’s on-the-road price of £21,995* all the
more remarkable.
|
|
|
|
Next morning we drove to the Museum of Modern
Art, the Xantia’s hydractive suspension taking
Stuttgart’s bumpy, tram-lined streets in its
supple stride. The museum, designed by the
British architect Sir James Stirling, is one of
the outstanding post-modernist buildings. It
also has an air of timelessness, with much to
admire in the quality of its construction and
detailing. The obvious temptation to draw
parallels with the Xantia proved irresistible.
That impressive-looking V6 engine could almost
be a sculpture in aluminium alloy...
Later we found a quiet stretch of autobahn,
where the road speared for two or three clear
miles into the distance, and there we ran the
Xantia right up to its maximum speed. As the
needle climbed to 140mph, what was really
remarkable was not the speed — though I found
that sharpened the senses a treat — but the ease
of it all. The Xantia felt wonderfully secure
and delightfully unstressed, and so did its
occupants. No wonder it feels so under-stretched
at a ‘mere’ 80mph.
For the drive home we looped down to the south,
slicing through the Black Forest, enjoying a
different side to the Xantia’s character. With
the gearbox and the suspension both switched to
‘sport’ mode, the car felt deliciously taut and
responsive as the smooth black tarmac snaked
between the pine trees. Then it was back to the
autoroute and time to head for home; time to
switch to cruise control and spin a CD or two...
Like the man said, movement is tranquillity.
|
|
|
 |
|
* The
on-the-road price of £21,995 includes VAT and a standard
delivery charge of £645 (which includes VAT, number plates
and 12 months’ road fund licence). For more information or
to book a lest-drive, contact your local Citroén dealer,
or for an information pack call free on 0800 262 262.
|
 |
 |
Above: German enthusiasts appreciate
virtues of classic Citroén Traction Avant
Right: return
journey sliced through the Black Forest
|
Above: Xantia took
the autobahn (sic) in its stride
|
|
|
|
Technical Focus
Jeff Daniels takes a closer look at the V6
Xantia's engine and gearbox
A new top-of-the-range Xantia required an engine that
would exploit all the most recent technology, and take
the car to new levels of performance and refinement.
That engine is the 3.0-litre, 24-valve V6.
This is not, you should understand, the well-tried V6
from the XM, which now gets the same new engine and
gearbox, but a completely new unit designed for the
needs of the 21st century which include our concern for
the environment. The new engine is therefore compact,
light, economical, and produces very low exhaust
emissions. But to meet the needs of top-level customers
it is also powerful and re?ned. The V6 is light and
compact not only because it is made entirely from
aluminium alloy, but because the block with its cylinder
banks set 60 degrees apart for perfect balance, was
designed to take advantage of aluminium casting
technology; of such developments, notable advantages
emerge. The cylinder heads have four valves
per cylinder, not so much for outright performance but
because in combination with a clever ‘acoustic’ inlet
manifold, they result in a very high, ?at torque curve.
I’m always trying to explain in these power-mad days
that torque is actually more important than power. Put
simply, torque output determines acceleration, while
maximum power has much more to do with maximum speed.
The average driver certainly uses (and needs) the
maximum torque of an engine far more often than its
maximum power, and driving the Xantia V6 will give you a
very clear idea of what strong torque is all about,
namely crisp and reassuring response from very low
speeds. Citroën has combined the V6 With a new
four-speed automatic transmission from ZF. As you would
expect these days, the driver can select ‘sport’,
‘normal’ or ‘snow’ operating modes, but there is more
besides. This is an ‘intelligent’ transmission. Citroen
calls it Auto Adaptive, and it’s well-named. Once upon a
time, an automatic would change up from one gear to the
next at a particular speed (with a little delay if the
throttle was wide open) and change down at one speed.
Inevitably, in some situations, the changes would come
just as the driver would rather they didn’t. The Xantia
V6 transmission overcomes this by storing no less than
12 change-speed patterns, each matched to a particular
type of driving. It decides which pattern to use
according to how the car is being driven. In
‘normal’ mode, the transmission can choose between any
of six patterns, from one which is matched to gentle
main-road driving, to the sixth, ‘extreme sports driving
conditions’. It almost makes the sports mode
unnecessary, one would think, but even here the
transmission chooses between two further patterns. The
remaining four are evidence of Citroën' great attention
to detail. One is for the ‘snow’ mode (where you start
in second gear to help avoid wheelspin). Another, for
driving just after a cold start, changes gear to
minimise exhaust emissions (in any car, emissions are at
their worst when the engine’s cold). The other two only
come into operation if the transmission oil starts to
overheat: try towing a heavily laden caravan up an
Alpine pass in midsummer, and you might discover what
they do. The end result, however, is a transmission
which puts paid to the old cry of the enthusiast driver:
“The automatic never does what I want it to do!” Try
this one, give it a couple of minutes to get used to
you, and see if you can still say that...
|
|
|
| © 1997 Directions/2015 Citroënët |
|
