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While
the XM was having its suspension sorted, I was
driving a Xsara 1.9TD estate (or Break). It
was a courtesy car - in fact a demonstrator but
Southgate Citroën (who have just taken over 3H) had
run out of courtesy cars so they let me have the
Xsara. I had rather hoped for a Xantia Activa
but... The arrival of the Xsara coincided with
the arrival of a 90
bhp Xantia HDi which means that neither my
wife nor I were driving our normal cars.
Now I
have to confess that I am underwhelmed by the Xsara
hatchback and coupé – at least as far as aesthetics
are concerned. Furthermore, the 1.6i that I
drove recently suffered from a gutless engine – or
to qualify this, it felt as if it were low on torque
at all engine speeds. It was thoroughly
unresponsive but performed well enough.
I
think the estate is the most attractive looking
bodyshape in the Xsara range. I am familiar
with the 1.9TD engine since that is what powers my
wife's Xantia. Incidentally, the 1.9TD engine
has been replaced with the 90bhp HDi unit except
where automatic transmission is specified so this
estate car with its manual gearbox is now a
superceded model.
First
impressions were of how noisy the engine was at idle
- plus there was a sympathetic vibration from the
roof headlining. Under acceleration, the
engine was also quite loud - louder than in my
wife's Xantia - although at motorway cruising
speeds, it was commendably quiet.
Performance
seemed
down on the Xantia too - whether this is as a result
of the extra weight of the estate car or different
gearing is not clear. Switching off the
air-conditioning improved matters a little.
Steering
felt
nicely weighted - heavier than a Xantia, on a par
with my XM in fact. The interior is what you
would expect from a Xsara - complete with
irritatingly located window switches and hazard
warning switch which falls just within the driver's
peripheral vision.
Brakes
have the traditional long travel that non-hydraulic
cars have and the pedal was commendably light,
albeit located too high - higher than the
accelerator pedal. On my drive to work, as I came to
the end of a dual carriageway, I was overtaken by a
woman driving a Golf GTi - over the cross-hatched
area. Having slewed in front of me, she jammed
her brakes on (hard enough to provoke smoke from her
tyres) - she had overshot a right turn which she
wished to make. I stood on the brakes,
activating the ABS. I had to steer round her
as without signalling she started to turn
right. The Xsara did not pull up in a straight
line - in fact it was very wayward indeed but
despite this, I was able to retain steering
control. Had I been in an hydraulic Citroën, I
am sure that this manoeuvre would have been less
dramatic. Incidentally, the engine stalled.
The
one area where Citroëns traditionally excel is the
combination of ride comfort and handling. Sad
to say, the Xsara break was not up to scratch in
either area. Handling was compromised by too
much weight up front and a tendency for the rear,
passive rear steering notwithstanding, to step out
of line. Initial understeer disappeared as
velocity increased and then without any warning, the
tail would slide. It was easily corrected
though. All other Xsaras that I have driven
handled impeccably.
As far
as ride was concerned, on smooth surfaces it was
comfortable enough but on what the French call chaussée
deformée, it bounced all over the place.
On the A303 between Andover and Basingstoke, there
are sections where the cones will undoubtedly appear
next summer and on these surfaces, it lurched and
pitched from peak to trough. I gained the
impression that the rear suspension is too stiff and
underdamped. Presumably this is to allow for
heavy loads to be carried. Normal steel
springs suffer too many compromises where estate
cars are concerned. If the springing is soft
enough for comfort when unladen, the tail sags when
fully loaded and handling suffers. If the car
is set up to accommodate heavy loads, then ride
comfort and handling suffer when empty as was the
case here. If ever a car cried out for
self-levelling suspension, it is the Xsara estate
(and possibly Synergie/Evasion). Presumably
within this highly competitive market sector, the
cost of so equipping the car (and I suspect it would
only be required at the rear) would render it
uncompetitive.
Economy
was good - over 55 mpg by my calculations.
I
admit that I am no fan of either the Saxo or
Xsara. It is not that I consider them to be
bad designs, nor is it that I consider them to be
not proper Citroëns. Rather it is a case of
them not being sufficiently different from other
cars. The traditional attributes one expects
to encounter in a Citroën are largely absent.
Of all the recent Citroëns I have driven, the Xsara
estate is the worst. This is not to say it is
a bad car, merely that it offers little over and
above the competition. If one factors in the
highly competitive equipment levels and deals that
are available, it actually becomes quite an
attractive proposition - provided that you are not a
Citroën enthusiast.
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