Is it miserable? 70bhp Citroen Xantia diesel surprises me
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- Опубликовано: 28 фев 2023
- "Powered" by the legendary XUD diesel engine, this lowly-spec Citroen Xantia diesel is a 'sinker.' I explore what that means, and find I like this car much more than I expected. Car provided by @alsodriven - do go and check them out.
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I've said many times before, this era of car really was the best compromise of abilty and complication. Or actually lack of complication. No stupid, useless toys or ECUs to break.
This one has been a bit temperamental but was sorted on drive way every time
This one has been a bit temperamental but was sorted on drive way every time
"It has to be said, this is a very beautiful car"
And this is why we love you Ian, and why we follow your channel: the passion for what others see as the ordinary.
It's ignited our passion for the Xantia again after it's winter as a daily hack in Ireland
Ah the good old Xantia! My Grandpa drove Citroëns ever since. CX, BX and then a Xantia. We were not always very happy with that decision, "because french" a lot especially in the CX-period broke on those cars. But my Grandparents became old and we could luckily convince them to stop driving. I was a university student at that time and I sad to my grandparents: "nobody is going to separate you from your Citroën. When ever you need a ride, give me a call!" So I chauffeured them around in thier Xantia. It was a bordeau red saloon, 2L injection, Driver-Airbag, Passenger "Rally-Grip" :-) (Like in this, HubNuts Video) and Automatic. To be honest, this was by far the best car I can remember to chauffeur other people around in it, period. A ride so smooth with the famous hydro-pneumatic suspension, and beeing an automatic you could smootly accelerate with almost no thrust interruption. Big Windows for the driver to see the traffic and the grandparents to see the world. In my oppinon, a hydro-pneumatic Citroën has to be an automatic. Sure, it was no racing car, but when you pushed down the accelerator it only shifted up just shy of the red line. It also hat factory built in curise control, which you could feel, pulling in and letting go the accelerator pedal. Sometimes it tended to oscillate but you could "dampen" it with your feed. Facinating times for me, as an aspiring electrical engineer! The car was then handed over to my cousin, she drove it till she had to sell it at some point, because it did not pass the rigorous Swiss MOT-Tests. I bought myself then a VW V6 4Motion Automatic Estate. Still have it and loved the trip down memory line while watching this fine video!
My experience of the Xantia was when a mate at work was a bit keen to get home, and instead of waiting for the STOP light to go out on the dash - set off and drove into the side of the building due to lack of hydrolulic brakes. Great days 😂
Best company car I had - Got through front tyres at quite a rate but was really comfy. Still one of the best looking cars of the time. Only issue I had was that a local cab firm had loads of them and a few times when stationary with the engine running, random people would jump in the back and tell me to take them somewhere!
That happened to my dad once when he picked me up from the station in his Avensis haha. They are a great looking car. The ZX was pretty boring but the Xantia was a fitting replacement for the BX. And the early ones with the badge on the bonnet look the best. My dad had a BX and I always fancied a Xantia as a replacement but we went Japanese in the end and got a Mazda 626 which was fantastic.
My dad got a “sinker” in early 1994. A fairly low spec company car edition with the grey tweed interior and electric windows on the front doors as the only luxury. He decided to chip in a bit extra to get the proper radio/cassette player with steering wheel controls though.
I got my license just before he got this car so spent many of my early miles behind the wheel of this.
Many years later I decided to jump back on the Xantias, so since 2012 to this day I have had a Xantia Break as a daily runabout. My current one is my third one, had it for over 6 years and it is still doing a lovely job despite being 23 years old 😃💚
The recall fix for the handbrake was dremeling off the first 2 notches on the ratchet so that you’d have to apply the handbrake tightly whether you wanted to or not.
a clever logical french solution
Don’t forget the handbrake acts on the front wheels on a Xantia!
Because French 🤣🤣
@@mercedes_and_more Not much good for handbrake turns then! 🤣
@@newkidd9129 😳😳 only when driving backwards (maybe?)
I adore Citroen Xantia's. My dad had a 1996 1.9l Turbo Diesel when I was a kid and I can remember being amazed watching the whole car move up and down. He ran that car of veg oil he got from his mate at the chip shop for about 4 years. Unfortunately, it got scrapped in 2014 after covering 180,000 miles.
I want to own a Xantia one day but I know they're becoming extremely rare. They're just so cool to me and make me feel very nostalgic.
How the turbo pulled?
Watching from Missouri USA, where any Citroen seen - a rare occasion indeed - is probably part of a collection. I’ve always found them deeply fascinating, and would love to experience one firsthand. Maybe someday… Great episode, Ian! The Xantia’s a beauty, with enough of that wonderful Citroen quirkiness that’s so unorthodox but works so well. Thanks as always.
I am jealous of all these great French cars.
Another French car that rapidly disappeared from our roads. They were absolutely everywhere in the 90s, by the mid naughties most of them had gone.
Like most French cars, rust and electrical problems.
Brilliant memories! Had both (from new) a 1989 BX TZD and a 1993 Xantia SX TD. Both absolutely wonderful cars with zero reliability issues.
And with regard to the Xantia surprinsingly little rust.
@@jfv65 Zinc coated!
Tonight I learnt what a 'Sinker' is - Nice looking car.
Dear Reader,
Mr HubNut and Citroën's are always a joy to watch, because then everything comes together. Mr. Hubnut's knowledge and his energy start flowing. And the Xantia is of course a natural member of the HubNut family, not really loved when introduced and a typical ordinary, but nevertheless strange, car.
Well done, Sir.
Michel F. van den Brun
still a pedestrial
Very true.
We actually leaned stuff about our own car lol
I remember having one as a courtesy car when our AX broke. It was a revelation, found myself arriving at junctions much faster than I should as I had built up more speed than I thought with it being so smooth. Lovely cars, shame there aren't more survivors
One of the best diesel engines ever made right there!!! 👍🙂👍
You know, a decent non turbo diesel is always good. They go on for a lot longer than turbo diesels do. Obviously everyone likes a bit of power in reserve but not having it isn't the end of the world. My friend had a super slow 1.6 Ford Orion diesel back in the 90s and it was still a good motor. That is apart from it being a D reg that was self destructing with rust. Oh man, I'm getting all nostalgic again.
Great video as always Ian.
With the handbrake I’ve had an incident I now remembered. Parked on a slope in Belgium, coming back hours later, the car was gone 😂. It had rolled down the hill in reverse, and locals had pushed it to the side of the road. Not a scratch… I never forgot to put it in gear after that… 🤪
I drove my Zantia into a basement car park in Bruges.
With four bicycles on top.
Tried to drive it into the basement car park I should say.
Whoops
Great car. The most comfortable car I've ever owned and was also a great towcar. When it was first released, it was also one of the best looking cars on the road to my eye.
I owned a 1995 1.8 petrol dimension way back in 2001-2. Comfy car, great on fuel. Just expensive when things went wrong, which it did, frequently. But its nice to see a review of this car. Brings back memories.
I own a BX, Xantia and a mk1 C5. Out of the three, the Xantia is definitely my favourite. Like you mentioned, it's way more refined than the BX and much more a Citroën than a C5. Xantia also feels like it's the best put together of the three: It's the only one with no noticeable interior rattles and it also feels like it's the quietest on the road, despite having the highest mileage of the three. The Xantia also has the softest suspension, even if the C5 has more recent spheres. Though I have to admit the C5 I have isn't the nicest example out there, so maybe some of them are better. Thanks for the review, it's nice to see someone enjoy and appreciate a good old Xantia. :)
A colleague of mine bought a new Xantia back in the day, he wanted a TD for towing but also an auto. He tried the non turbo auto out of interest but predictably said that it was very lethargic even without a caravan on the back and that it needed to be driven everywhere at full throttle just to keep up with traffic. He ended up with a TD manual which he absolutely loved and kept for about 15 years!
Lovely to see a Xantia again. They were a fantastic looking car. I loved them and drove a few but I never owned one. In 1998 I tried to trade in my 1996 Laguna (which you forgot to mention) but was insulted by the trade in prices I was offered from several Citroen dealers.
I used to have (many years ago now) an early AX 1.4 non turbo diesel. Slow off the mark, but once you were up to speed it just went and went. Engine was never any bother and it easily munched through 100k on the clock. Always loved that engine.
There is this guy who visits the Nurburgring on occasion in his white AX Diesel. He is ALWAYS flatout everywhere. ALL the body roll LOL.
Not slow either because of his track knowledge.
@@jfv65 I thought he switched to a 1.0 petrol, many videos can be found in his diesel but they are quite old.
I’ve got an AX 1.4 diesel, and you’re absolutely right. Once up to speed there’s no issue with modern traffic, and the fact you can throw them about helps in the corners. Thrash the hell out of it and it still does 60 to the gallon too.
The most economical car ever. One was driven from Calais to Barcelona with four occupants and averaged 100mpg. I think the record still stands.
Those things were virtually the default minicab for a quite a while around here. I never really understood why people chose them until I took a cab home from the pub one night and realized it was a very comfortable and quiet vehicle. In relative terms they were good value, too.
Haven't seen one on the roads in years, really handsome design, and decent spec too.
There are 3 in Cheltenham!
A neighbour has a white one. I see the odd one or Teo around.
We have this one!
My brother had a L-reg 1.9D LX in the same colour. This earliest version is definitely my favourite Xantia. The chevrons on the bonnet rather than on the grill makes it look much more sleek from the front. The one thing I can remember is the poor dip-beam function. Apparently caused by the Japanese market cars having to have reflectors that muted the amount of light they threw back. PSA didn't want to spend extra on developing a decent reflector for other RHD markets, so we had to make do with the same Japanese headlamps.
It is ever a pleasure to drive about with you! Such beautiful countryside! Such witty /informed commentary! So many bleedin details!
Owned two. A red M reg SX and then swapped it 4 months later for a as green VSX (with climate!) [both TD’s]. 18 months and 36k later what a great car. So comfy and with no passenger airbag that rail made a great place to hold maps, especially when driving solo (remember pre sat nav days)😂
I had a 2.0 16v Xantia, it handle like a house fly. I once came down the long hill on the M62 at Huddersfield at a speed I'll not disclose... Bonnet came up, luckily the second catch held it but my guts made some very peculiar noises. It had a keypad immobiliser which loved to go wrong miles from home.
The Citroen fix for the handbrake was to file a few notches off the handbrake so you end up just putting the handbrake on harder . Always thought that was just a bodge fix. 👍
Another great Citroen driving video. It is great to see such a rare Citroen still in such great condition and on the road.
We love it
I only had one Xantia, an early one, but I absolutely loved it. As you say, a real step up from the BX. The seats were _much_ better. The auto box hadn't been cared for and that resulted in the demise of what had been my favourite car far before it ought to have gone. My C5s have never matched the ride comfort.
Love the looks and the light grey velour interior. This period's Xantia styling is just fantasitic. So well balanced and tasteful. Combined with the fully-blown hydropneumatics and perhaps a manual six cylinder engine - I'd even feel tempted to swap my 1st gen CLS for that :)
I love how they took the front end of the XM, but created a swooping, muscular shape. It looked like a Citroen but different to the rest of the range and anything else at the time. They tried to copy it with the Xsara but it didn't work as well.
I ended up with my 1997 Xantia because of the handbrake issue. It was a cat d write off and the damage was at the top of the rear quarter consitent with rolling away and hitting something very solid about that height, like the concrete structure in a multi storey car park for example. I repaired it in 2003, sold it and bought it back 2009. Still want to restore it.
I have recently purchased a Citroen C4 Picasso with pneumatic suspension on the rear and I’ve got to say it’s absolutely fantastic. It’s an 2008 is only 53,000 miles on the clock, mechanically sound and Glides over, bumps in the road
Flashback! I had a very early ‘sinker’ as well, my second car back in 2002. Still fond memories of the smooth ride and all round reliability of the xantia 👍
My neighbour had a BX when I was little and it was so cool seeing it sit so low when parked
Love my Xantia. Very hard to find one these days, so will keep mine for as long as I can.
Right with you there,love my 2,0 HDI.Resting after 200,000
trouble free miles.Can't wait to get her back on the road again.
Great car,great channel.Keep her going!!
The handbrake issue! 😂 I used to have an elderly neighbor who was convinced someone was pushing his shiny new Citroen 10 foot down his drive every night. He started leaving it in gear but his wife would jump in, turn the key and fire it into the front door or over a hump which should not be attempted before the spheres pumped up . Then one day it was part exed for an auto Honda accord.
The suspension maintaining its height always reminded me of Ivor The Engine ! Good to see that short shifting technique in full effect. I had a BX non turbo diesel as a taxi and it would move along quite quickly if you rode the torque curve and avoided braking! Xantia was a good looking car and that engine will last half a million miles if the cam belt is regularly changed. My BX died from broken ancillaries causing MOT failure. Engine had over 500k on it!
After all these years, it's still a beautiful car to my eyes. Great video.
This takes me back. My Mum had an N reg estate with the turbo diesel in a dark green colour. I seem to remember it had a keypad near the gear stick where a PIN was required to start the engine. It was a supremely comfortable car.
My elderly aunt still has one for her everyday car. It’s her third in a row. I love driving it when I visit her it’s so different to my usual cars. It’s the most practical hatchback that I’ve ever seen.
Old man had one of these, when he passed last year I found all the bills for it from Paris Autos in Stockport. Absolutely eye watering amount of money spent on it at the time. That said Id like one!
My brother in law had one almost identical to that. I fondly remember lying on my stomach to push it back into his garage with a length of wood, it had rolled against the up and over door preventing it opening more than 30mm. I still enjoyed driving it, once you got used to it, cross country driving could be done at a good pace and in an entertaining manner. Having fitted quite a few aftermarket cruise controls using that type of switchgear, they all used a vacumn powered actuator controlled by a very basic module that took it's speed sense from magnets clipped to the drive shaft. Getting them to work reliably with a diesel vacumn pump is tricky, I ended up having to fit a vacumn reservoir from a Rangie heater box. Thanks.
The same XUD 1.9 was in my K reg Peugeot 309, MPG was always around 60+. it had covered just over 320K when it was px'd for a 306 estate which had the turbo version of the same 1.9 engine. According to the DVLA both vehicles are currently taxed.
My favourite Citroën of the 1990's, myself I wasn't able to afford one at the time. Still a very good looking car even now, great review Mr HubNut. Bellcharm Motor in Mill Street Crewe was the nearest dealership at the time, sadly long gone now, just another retail park now. I don't know where all the Citroën dealerships have gone to, sales must have fallen.
Your comments on the brakes brought to mind one I picked up from a dealers on the outskirts of London which had a detached rear levelling valve linkage (a common Xantia ailment). Not only did it sit stupidly high at the rear but applied near full hydraulic pressure to the brakes. Coming to a halt without locking the thing up was incredibly difficult. Fortunately my 200 mile ride back north was mostly motorway. Despite that, I still feel the need to have a Xantia back in my life as I do miss my early TD.
I love these. I had a SX TD the same age, it was like a spaceship at the time, I loved it. It was replaced with a ZX AURA 1.9D non turbo diesel which was great but SOOooo slow after the Xantia.
I love a 'sinker', as in common with yourself, part of the appeal of the hyrdropnuematic Citroens for me is the fact that they rise to the occasion when they're first started :)
My Maxi was a 'sinker', well once, when a hydrogas displacer exploded, green liquid all over the road.
At first I thought he said Simca
@@cornishhh Yes, me too! And I like SIMCAs a lot, because I grew up with them.
Had a 1.9D for 2 years, a Vega Green 1995 SX. had great trouble moving out of it's own way, was full of rust, had a whole lot of electrical issues, but it was good on fuel and incredibly comfortable
I had no idea Citroens still had up and down suspension like this, the side windows are so symmetrical it’s pleasing.
They don't really anymore after the newer C5 where most buyers chose the conventional suspension option. It's a real crying shame, it was gloriously comfortable.
Our Xantia in the video is 30 years old so I would debate 'Still has' lol
I remember the first time I drove a Xantia "D"...
I was blown away at how smooth and civilised it was... just a sublime ride.... Indeed nothing's quite matched it since !
Alas, the electrics weren't quite so impressive... to say the least...
I've bin waiting for this particular setup in a test. It's been great as always! Thank you Ian
We have a further video on it on our channel
@@alsodriven already watched it! :)
@@kauw35 Thank You!!!
I had a neighbor that had one, i was amazed by the fact that the car went to the ground everytime was turned off and went back up at starup, was like a space ship for me, the looks and black paint help to create that spaceship impression.
It still looks like a space ship to us!
I owned a '94 Xantia 1.8 back in 2001, my first car - this video brings back so many memories. Even the aerial..!
Absolutely brilliant video Ian ❤️ 👍 what a beautiful car I hada 1.8 lx and loved it
Great video Ian!
You're back no mistake:)
Wow. Reminds me of my dad's burgundy red L reg 2.0 sx (sinker) that he had new in 1993. I was only 10 at the time, and, to me, it was the coolest thing on the road because of how it would rise up after starting the engine. I think I can still remember the new car smell of it. Memories.
I had the estate xantia diesel & I loved its load carrying space & the suspension was brilliant,I remember going to a race meeting at donnington & we arrived late & they allocated me a parking space across a farmers field but even fully loaded on the top setting it ploughed through the mud left by heavy traffic, absolutely brilliant traction.
One particular thing I couldn't get on with though was the head rests always seemed uncomfortable no matter where I positioned it.
Great engineering though to follow on from the formidable BX 👍
The XUD looks very familiar to the one in my ZX 1.9d. I can confirm the 3 speed auto was desperately pedestrian. But it had so much soundproofing the noise was immaterial, that and the Sony Minidisc head unit I had in mine masked the noise very well.
I briefly owned an SDI 1.9 Fabia. Was an absolute hoot to drive. Challenged myself to maintain whatever speed I had as it took an age to get there in the first place. More fun driving a slow car fast than a fast car slowly (within speed limits ofc...).
Love the videos
Brother-in-law had one of these. Funny thing is, the fuel system is really old-school, so this is a diesel that will run on anything. He got used fat from the deep-fat-fryers at work - which was a thick gloop. He filtered it, and mixed it 50-50 with diesel. Car ran a treat, just smelt of burnt chips all the time. You don't need to process vegetable oil for engines like this - just make sure that you've got no chunks of potato in it. Kids refused to have a lift to school in it, for some reason....
Love the Xantia video, what a good looking car,all but disappeared from our roads ,you need to do a cx video,another great car,citroen did build some fabulous cars.
I loved these cars back in the day, but I honestly never knew they made such a low powered version!!! In the late 90's when I was still in my 20's, I bought a 1990 Citroen XM 2.0Si - I absolutely ADORED that car! Even all these years and countless cars later, it is still one of the cars that has fondest memories for me. The party trick of raising and lowering the suspension never got old!
Anti sink sphere has actually nothing to do with sinking, it's called like that because it is located near rear anti sink valve and was introduced at the same time(which actually stops the car sinking, rear side, there is another one on the front which does the same for the front end) and it serves as a rear accumulator sphere for rear brakes reserve if the pump stops working for some reason, as you know these cars don't have brakes when the pump's not running.
Excellent little road test review, remember these back in the day and having a brochure, think my uncle got me one when he bought his ZX Furio, the thing I remember is that two spoke steering wheel and those wheel trims. Does look a hoot to drive in the corners.
The anti sink sphere does not prevent the sink. It has electrovalves to lock out the suspension to prevent sink. The 'anti sink' sphere provides pressure to the rear brakes in case of hydraulic failure. In the 'sinker' version, it was the weight of the car on the rear suspension that provided pressure to the rear brakes.
Yup , i'm a nerd, and have 4 xantias and a BX.
I've only had two journeys as a passenger in a Xantia and they were less than 5 miles, the driver scared the bejesus out of me on both of them. I didn't have much chance to take that much notice of the car as I was more concerned for my personal survival at the time. I'll not go into detail but when someone stops at a roundabout when nothing is on it and the pulls slowly away when there is can make you more than a little concerned about the next laundry cycle. I have driven a Peugeot 309 with this engine back in the 90's as a company pool car and it was OK, it wouldn't/couldn't push you back in the seat much with the acceleration but it was OK and I remember the brakes were fierce. Over takes required a lot of faith in a higher being though. Many thanks Ian for sharing.
When I had a weeks work experience at school many years ago, I was driven around by a chap that loved his Xania. Particularly the fact it rose up. He also gave me a running commentary on the Little Chefs that we passed as we tootled around the M1 & M25 etc. And smoked like chimney, which he told me I should never do! Great advice....
Always thought the Xantia was a really beautiful car, especially from the rear. You can tell it’s an early model from the badge on top of the bonnet. Lovely stuff.
That short gearing and smooth throttle pick up in the non turbo psa cars makes them really nice to drive if you're going steady or around town. They aren't so clever if you do regular long motorway runs but they will do it if they have to.
Went in a Xantia diesel taxi for quite a long journey to the airport. I remember being seriously impressed with the ride which was both absorbent and yet not wallowy/vomit inducing (rover 75 I'm looking at you for that one!). Also the diesel was impressively punchy and quiet. Less impressed with the interior plastics but overall I liked it. Against the comparable Mondeo I remember it beating it in group tests with diesel versions and losing with petrol versions.
My mum had one as a company car in 1994, was absolutely amazing compared to her previous Fiat 500! Even though it was the same 1.9 diesel you have there it wasn't an issue getting around. But then when your previous family cars had been 2 126's (one a Bis), a Panda, the aforementioned 500 and a 998 Metro the bar wasn't exactly set very high! It took the family until I was 13 to have a car with more than 100 bhp and that was a Hyundai Pony X2LS!!
Very beautiful car. To me, it is almost minimalistic. Even the inside. I like it a lot!
My friend had a petrol L plate sinker. We did a few long trips in that car and it was probably the most comfortable car that I have ever ridden in. Roomy too which was a bonus as we were cyclists and climbers.
Great review as always 👍 thank you
I had a SX 1.9TD, Same age L reg.
Loved it.
I upgraded the interior to leather from an Exclusive model but it originally had the same as the one you're driving.
The headlight dash lights have to be DIM or they glare at you at night.
I lost her 5yrs ago when it got rear ended in a queue of traffic.
I now have a C5 tourer with Hydractive 111 suspension.
Great vid, I've got a slightly tatty '97 1.9LX TD estate that sinks, although i don't think it should. The only differences between early & late series 1 I could see were the keycode immobiliser & drivers airbag. I've always left it in gear as I never trusted the handbrake, didn't know if was a known fault. The brakes have been the bane of my ownership, every 2-3 years I have some issue with the front left caliper, never the right.
A sinker. Nice word! I used to have a phase 2 2.1 td. I miss it so much😢
I was the proud owner of a base 1.6 LX Citroen Xantia from 1995 - 98. It was a very comfortable car, if very under powered, but I loved it.
The Citroen I always wanted the Xantia. I had the Xsara VTS when my daughter came along and this was the one I was after to replace it with, but could I find one...NO! Great vid and made me smile the whole time.
Citroen has a soft spot in my heart.
I loved my 2litre vsx .. it was the most comfortable car I have ever owned .. wish they still did hydroneumatic suspension
Fab video. I had a ‘M’ reg xantia 19TD and it was lovely the best car i have owned. It was just a lovely car to drive very economical and just so smooth. Never had an issue with anything on it and it sailed through the MOTs. The family i sold it too had it for many years and I understand they sold it on when they had had their use of it. Please keep up the great videos.
Its just one of those cars that owners seem to love dearly. I worked with a guy in IT for years. He wouldnt part with his Xantia even after lots of garage time. Finally had to get rid of it. What did he get? Another one. He accumulated so many speeding points in the Xantia that he had to work from home for a year.
We had two Xantia's back to back when I was in my early teens. The first was sadly written off after a head on collision with an HGV but we loved it so much we bought another! Both were automatic 2L petrols and were the most comfortable cars I can ever remember being in.
Great review as always 👍🏻
Great video. I'd be treating the cruise control like the sun roof and keeping well away. Such great engineered cars.
Can't remember the last time I saw one.
The cruise was disconnected when we got it and it's so old now that I can't see it having any spares available
Passive rear wheel steering on non hydraulic citroens is an experience. In theory it should help with tighter turns at low speed but the issue is that it needs quite a bit of load to activate so it doesn't help in car parks because you can't generate the body roll but if you're nipping around town at about 30 you get a sudden bout of unexpected rotation when you chuck it round a junction or roundabout. It's the weirdest kind of oversteer
Fantastic cars when they were new, not much else after that!! Haven’t seen one for a long time. Very nice find as always
Ours is still fantastic at 30. We effortlessly road tripped from Ireland to Cambridge and met with Ian along the way
Great review Ian the Xantia was a wonderful car. Happy saint Davids day. Haul,Castell and Bryn.
another great video has always Ian and miss hubnut and hublets and hubmutts 👍
A friend of mine had a BX with that engine as a first car. It was a very interesting experience riding in that car.
I have always wanted one they are very nice to look at and the ride is beautiful they still look great now
My dad ran a 2.1 TD, 3 years and 170,000 miles with his daily drive from London to Warwick. He loved it and thankfully, it loved him. He gave it to a pal of ours who ran it to 230,000 miles but through his neglect, it then died.
Aw.
Congrats on 100k
First job out of Uni I had was as an agricultural dairy farm consultant. My first company car was a ZX 1.9D. After training, when I was given a patch to look after I was upgraded to a Xantia 1.9D. I found it incredibly slow and very dull..... until I lowered the rear tyre pressures to about 20PSI, at which point it was possible to generate lift-off oversteer in joyous quantities.
Many years later I actually found the perfect application for an XUD non-turbo engine - when we were living in a off-grid static caravan, I hooked up the heater loop on one in a Pug 306 into radiators in the caravan, with a domestic central heating pump. Toasty hot radiators in about 10 minutes with it sitting there at idle, whilst charging our domestic batteries, too. The lack of a turbo - in this situation was an absolute boon as it meant nothing to coke up!
Had a 1993 poverty spec 1,8 petrol (also a "sinker") that I bought for 3500 danish kroner, incredibly cheap for a car with nine months MOT left atleast in Denmark. Had no prolems whatsoever for the nine months I owned it, but then just as I was about to get it take it to the next MOT, the hydraulic system shat itself, and sadly the car was srapped. Stil the most comfortable car I've ever driven. Loved going a bit too fast over speedbumps just because I could, suspension dealt with them effortlessly. Would love to get my hands on one again someday.
As it happens I've just got a January 1994 Xantia Turbo Diesel back on the road (new MOT last week!) after it had a few years retirement.
It does now need to find a new home.... wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
I used to drive a Xantia everyday and I'd forgotten just how nice the Xantia was to drive, and given the state of the roads around here (Somerset), just how much better the ride quality is thanks to the suspension.
It is a shame that ride comfort is worse with a modern car than it was back in Citroen's magical suspension hey-day.
What a lovely clean example, to me it has a lot going for it. My father had a BX and I never liked it, the gearstick was like stirring porridge to find a gear and it had more rattles than Mothercare, this just seems to be a huge step in the right direction.
I agree Peter it was a massive leap forward from the BX my cousin Peter had both and much preferred the Xantia
In the early 80s my dad had a Citroen GS with the 3-speed CMatic "manual-controlled automatic" transmission. That was truly vile. Tiny 1200 engine that screamed away. Transmission that was unbelievably vague because the torque-converter had oodles of lag: you put your foot down and the car caught up *eventually*. And every gear-change was very jerky and notchy. Not Citroen's finest bit of technology. I drove a manual GS once and that was so different: OK, the engine still screamed but at least the car's road speed actually responded to the throttle and gearchanges were as smooth as your rev-matching skills allowed.